Minister of International Cooperation Dr. Rania Al-Mashat and Head of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) John Barsa discussed on Thursday ways to expand the strategic partnership between the two sides through seven agreements signed this year worth $112 million.
United States Ambassador to Egypt Jonathan Cohen, Director of the USAID office in Egypt Leslie Reed, and Senior Adviser at the US National Security Council Sarah McCain attended the meeting.
Al-Mashat hailed the cooperation and coordination between the International Cooperation Ministry and USAID in 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in inking seven agreements worth $112 million in various sectors, especially health, higher education, and scientific research.
To combat the COVID-19 pandemic, about EGP 51 million have been provided to support civil society’s efforts such as the Egyptian Red Crescent, which Al-Mashat referred to as a model for cooperation between development partners and civil society.
It is worth noting that USAID has delivered 250 “highly specialized” ventilators to Egypt as a donation for intensive care units in the northeastern African countries.
Al-Mashat said that cooperation with the US agency reflects the strategic partnership between Egypt and the United States of America, and comes within the framework of the ministry’s efforts to enhance economic diplomacy through three main principles: regularly organizing multi-stakeholder platforms to ensure that all projects between development partners are streamlined and effectively coordinated; adopting a consistent Global Partnerships Narrative People&Projects&Purpose (P&P&P); and mapping ODA financing to SDGs for all projects with multilateral and bilateral development partners.
“We are pleased to announce that the United States is contributing an additional $22.8 million to support economic growth in Egypt and empower women, as part of a five-year agreement to advance economic growth that benefits the nation,” Barsa said.
“The US looks forward to continuing our partnership to support effective and transparent public institutions, empower women and youth, encourage cooperation between different religious communities, and ensure all Egyptians benefit from basic services,” he added.
On his part, Cohen noted, “Over the past 40 years, the United States has invested more than $30 billion in Egypt’s development. We helped provide water and sanitation services to more than 25 million Egyptians, helped digitize and develop the communications sector, bring electricity to millions of Egyptian homes and companies, preserve historical sites, help farmers, build thousands of schools, train more than 100,000 teachers, and eradicate polio. In Egypt, among other contributions. We will continue our support to propel Egypt into a prosperous future”.
It is worth noting that the historical cooperation portfolio of USAID in Egypt has exceeded $30 billion since 1978, in various sectors, most notably health, population, and education, while the portfolio of projects signed since 2014 amount to about $800 million, including $72.5 million for the agriculture sector.
