Egypt Strengthens Development Partnerships at UN Forum Through Talks with UN Fund, Bahrain, Austria

Egypt’s Minister of Planning and Economic Development held a series of high-level bilateral meetings with international development partners and government officials during the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF 2026) at United Nations headquarters in New York, focusing on expanding cooperation and advancing the country’s Vision 2030 development agenda.

The meetings brought together representatives from the Joint SDG Fund, Bahrain’s sustainable development authorities, and Austria’s Ministry for European and International Affairs, with discussions centered on sustainable financing, economic transformation, and shared development priorities.

The talks were attended by Wael El-Dahshan, adviser to Egypt’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, Mona Essam, Assistant Minister for Sustainable Development Affairs, and Nada Yacoub, Assistant Director of the Sustainable Development Unit.

During his meeting with Lisa Corbinell, Head of the Secretariat of the United Nations Joint SDG Fund, Minister Ahmed Rostom highlighted Egypt’s presentation of its fourth Voluntary National Review (VNR) and emphasized Cairo’s growing interest in the “Beyond GDP” agenda.

Rostom stressed the importance of strengthening national statistical capabilities to develop indicators that measure broader dimensions of development and human well-being, complementing traditional economic metrics and supporting evidence-based policymaking.

He also praised the fund’s support for Egypt’s Integrated National Financing Strategy (INFF) initiative, describing it as a key mechanism for addressing financing gaps and directing resources toward national development priorities.

Corbinell praised Egypt’s active role within the fund’s advisory group and expressed readiness to support the exchange of Egyptian expertise with other countries to accelerate progress toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

In a separate meeting, Rostom held talks with Noor bint Ali Al Khalif, Bahrain’s Minister of Sustainable Development and Chief Executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board, where both sides highlighted the strong relations between the two countries.

The officials discussed their shared experience in submitting national voluntary reviews during this year’s forum, agreeing on the importance of strengthening cooperation between technical teams to exchange best practices in preparing reports and implementing sustainable development goals.

The meeting also addressed opportunities to deepen economic cooperation and establish practical steps to support joint development priorities in the coming period.

Rostom also met with Claudia Bauer, Austria’s Minister for Europe, Integration and Family Affairs, to discuss ways to enhance bilateral cooperation and exchange views on global economic developments.

The Egyptian minister outlined the country’s economic transformation program following the IMF-backed reform phase, emphasizing priorities including fiscal discipline, macroeconomic stability, increased competitiveness, attracting foreign direct investment, and sustainable public debt management.

The discussions also covered the economic impact of geopolitical tensions in the region. Rostom highlighted measures taken by Egypt to strengthen economic resilience and maintain positive growth rates.

The Austrian minister noted that similar geopolitical challenges were affecting the European economy, stressing the importance of long-term planning to build resilient economies capable of withstanding external shocks.