H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation, concluded her participation in the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) with a series of bilateral meetings with Ms. Catherine Russell, Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Mr. Hara Shohei, Senior Vice President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), as well as Mr. William Ross, Assistant Minister of Treasury of France for Multilateral Affairs, Development, and Trade.
The meetings witnessed discussions on strengthening frameworks of joint cooperation, the importance of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in consolidating relations between Japan and African countries, and creating multilateral partnerships with international financial institutions and development partners to implement the development agenda across the continent and address the challenges it faces.
Meeting with the Vice President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
During her meeting with the Senior Vice President of JICA, H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat expressed gratitude to the Government of Japan for hosting and organizing this important international forum, which opens wider avenues for joint relations between Japan and African countries, enhances efforts to exchange development expertise, and creates multilateral partnerships in support of development efforts across the continent.
During the meeting, the two sides reviewed the report “Egypt-JICA Cooperation: 70 Years of Friendship and Trust”, which was prepared jointly by the Ministry and JICA, to highlight areas of cooperation that reflect the strength and diversity of Egyptian-Japanese relations in meeting Egypt’s development requirements, emphasizing that the the Egyptian government looks forward to broaden the scope of cooperation to include advanced technology, artificial intelligence, and industrial localization, benefiting from Japanese expertise in these fields.
The two sides also discussed the future of strategic Egyptian-Japanese relations, which are witnessing increasing momentum and support from the leadership of both countries,affirming that the Government attaches great importance to empowering the private sector and strengthening relations with Japanese financial institutions to provide innovative financing tools, implement multilateral partnerships with local and foreign private sector actors, and advance development projects in Egypt, thereby contributing to an increase in foreign direct investment.
UNICEF
On another note, the Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation met with met with Ms. Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director, where discussions focused on the priorities of joint development cooperation between Egypt and UNICEF under the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2023–2027 and UNICEF’s Country Programme Document (CPD) 2023–2027, which focuses on supporting the Egyptian Government’s efforts to expand the base of services provided to children, ensuring a safe childhood based on health, nutrition, and development, while enhancing their opportunities for a better life.
The discussions also covered the current efforts to prepare the National Human Development Report, and Egypt's performance in the Human Development Index (HDI) has steadily improved over the past two decades. Egypt has moved from the “medium” human development category to the “high” category, ranking above regional and global averages—100 out of 193 countries in 2023, an improvement of five places compared to the 2021 assessment. The two sides also discussed strengthening South-South and triangular cooperation, especially with the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD).
The discussions addressed Egypt’s experience in promoting inclusive and sustainable economic development in order to integrate with the needs of the most vulnerable groups, as well as implement various interventions and activities aimed at their economic empowerment, and UNICEF’s role in supporting the Egyptian Government in implementing the Integrated National Financing and Sustainability Strategy (INFSS), in collaboration with UNDP and ESCWA, which provides an integrated national framework for sustainability and financing for development until 2030, and promotes identifying development gaps at the sectoral level and improving the financing of development.
The two sides also highlighted one of the most prominent national initiatives “Shabab Balad”, the national version of the international “Generation Unlimited” initiative launched during the World Youth Forum in Egypt in 2022, the first national multilateral platform launched in the Middle East and North Africa to empower youth and integrate them into sustainable development plans. The meeting also discussed efforts to localize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through Egypt Vision 2030, and UNICEF’s role in supporting the Government’s efforts to deliver essential services to the most vulnerable groups.
The Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation praised the pivotal role of the UNICEF’s pivotal role in supporting the Government of Egypt to provide integrated support to refugees and migrants in Egypt, ensuring their access to education, vaccination, and psychosocial and social protection services, in line with the principles of justice and humanity.
Egyptian-French Relations
The Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation also met with Mr. William Ross, Assistant Minister of Treasury of France for Multilateral Affairs, Development, and Trade; Director of Institutional Strategies at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD); and Co-Chair and Vice President of the Paris Club, established in 1965 and comprising bilateral development partners from advanced economies, with the aim of providing coordinated and sustainable solutions to debt-servicing challenges faced by debtor countries.
The discussions touched on the participation of the Arab Republic of Egypt through the Ministry of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation in the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) held in Seville, Spain, and the Government of Egypt’s efforts on the development financing agenda, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, and international cooperation with development partners.
The meeting further addressed Egypt’s participation during the Summit of the Future in September 2024, where the Bridgetown Initiative was launched, calling for the reallocation of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) to support affected countries without creating new debt burdens, as well as Egypt's participation in discussions on the African Development Bank’s initiative on an innovative and hybrid capital-based mechanism to channel SDRs through multilateral development banks and support developing countries by increasing the use of SDRs, thus enhancing their ability to finance and meet climate change and development needs.
The two sides also discussed the recommendations issued by the UN Secretary-General’s Expert Group on addressing debt distress in developing countries, as well as Egypt’s participation in launching the Borrowers Forum platform, in collaboration with the UN Secretary-General’s Expert Group, with the participation of Spain, Zambia, and UNCTAD.
H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat welcomed hosting the inaugural meeting of the Permanent Secretariat of the Borrowers Forum, in light of the Government of Egypt’s adoption of a comprehensive reform package, starting with fiscal and structural reforms and extending to the issuance of diversified debt instruments. She also welcomed hosting the inaugural meeting of the Shared Information Hub, a platform for the exchange of expertise and technical support to maximize the use of innovative financing mechanisms and debt-for-development swap programs, in addition to credit instruments and investment risk guarantees, building on Egypt’s pioneering experience in these areas, particularly its application of debt-for-development swaps.
The discussions further included the report issued by the Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), one of the key outcomes of the G20 Roadmap on the Capital Adequacy Framework (CAF) and the Independent Review of MDBs, and addressing disparities in MDB capital structures and highlighted ways to enhance developing countries’ access to concessional and low-cost financing.
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