Egypt, UN establish roadmap for strategic partnership framework for 2023/2027

CAIRO – 30 May 2021: The Ministry of International Cooperation and the United Nations’ office in Egypt established a roadmap for the Strategic Partnership Framework from 2023 to 2027, which aims to support the Government of Egypt’s priorities in achieving economic and social development, which is in line with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs).

This took place during the annual Steering Committee meeting for the current Partnership Development Framework (UNPDF) 208-2022, co-chaired by the Minister of International Cooperation Rania A. Al-Mashat and Elena Panova, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Egypt.

The virtual meeting took place at the headquarters of the Ministry of International Cooperation, with the participation of representatives from all the United Nations agencies in Egypt, in addition to representatives from the state Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Justice, Education, Local Development, Manpower, Trade and Industry, Environment, Social Solidarity, Planning and Economic Development, and Health and Population. This is in addition to the presence of the Egyptian Cabinet Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC), Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), Egyptian Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (MSMEDA), the National Population Council and the National Council for Women.

The roadmap established by the Ministry of International Cooperation and the UN aims to organize the stages of preparing the new framework for the strategic partnership in a practical and elaborate manner, and provides a comprehensive vision of the upcoming stages. The meeting made sure that the UN’s projects are in line with Egypt’s Vision 2030, and focused on the challenges facing Egypt on its path towards sustainable development as well as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The discussion took into account as well the necessity to build on the achievements made during the current Strategic Partnership Development Framework.

Al-Mashat said that the UNPDF is a comprehensive document that regulates  cooperation frameworks with UN agencies, supporting Egypt’s efforts and priorities in achieving sustainable development. The Minister further added that the Ministry of International Cooperation is responsible for supervising the implementation of this strategic framework with the UN, and is the national coordinator of this partnership; it also chairs the Steering Committee for the Partnership Development Framework in Egypt.

She explained that the United Nations in Egypt, its agencies and programs have always had a strategic role in supporting the government's priorities in different sectors in order to enhance the national efforts of achieving sustainable development; adding that in 2020, during the pandemic, the partnership between the UN and Egypt was highly developed, as a result of reorienting the partnership to support Egypt’s home grown response plan facing the pandemic.

Al-Mashat emphasized the importance of linking the analysis and outputs of the planning stage for the Upcoming Strategic Partnership Framework in order to achieve the desired development outcomes.

She noted that it is necessary for the new framework to take into account supporting the national efforts to combat climate change and to enhance environmental sustainability, as Egypt has taken several steps forward within this framework and was the first country in the MENA region to issue $750 million in green bonds; in addition to the establishment of a Climate Change Center for Africa in Egypt.

The Minister added that the Ministry of international Cooperation is working towards advancing international partnerships through the principles of Economic Diplomacy to constantly coordinate with stakeholders in order to ensure the achievement of the desired results of the strategic partnership development framework with the UN. Economic Diplomacy is based on three key principles; Multi-Stakeholders Platform, the Official Development Assistance (ODA) mapping to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the Global Partnerships Narrative that puts “People at Core”, “Projects in Action,” and “Purpose as the Driver”.

For her part, Elena Panova, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Egypt and the co-chair of the Steering Committee for the Partnership Development Framework, applauded the role of the Ministry of International Cooperation and H.E. Al-Mashat as co-chair of the committee, for the efforts put in coordinating the work within the framework of the partnership.

Panova added that 2020 was an exceptional year on all levels, however the Government of Egypt took rapid measures to overcome the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, which was positively reflected on the economic indicators, making Egypt the only country in the MENA region and across the globe that maintained a positive growth during the pandemic despite recessions in most countries around the world.

She further mentioned that the government took several measures that helped catalyze the country’s positive economic growth, such as the social safety net program “Takaful and Karama”.

Panova also expressed her appreciation of the Government of Egypt’s issuance of a policy tracker responding to the needs of women during the outbreak of COVID-19, which made Egypt the first country to provide a women-specific response during the pandemic. She also applauded the participation of national authorities in implementing the UN’s plan to recover from the economic and social impacts of the pandemic in Egypt, which is being implemented from July 2020 to December 2021.

For her part, Minister of Social Solidarity, Nevine el- Kabbaj, thanked the Ministry of International Cooperation and the UN, in a video call, for their continued efforts in supporting the projects of the Ministry of Social Solidarity, noting the importance of opening new horizons of cooperation in the future to work to push the government’s plans in creating an integrated social protection as well as integrated models for the automation of the social protection systems.

El-Kabbaj added that the Ministry of Social Solidarity cooperates with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) for the project of “The First 1,000 Days in a Child’s Life”. The Ministry also works with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) on implementing family planning projects, stressing that coordinating efforts with United Nations agencies is crucial to implement the projects and ensure their success.

The Ministry of International Cooperation is the national coordinator of this partnership, and is responsible for supervising the implementation of this strategic framework with the UN. It also chairs the steering committee for the Partnership Development Framework.

Egypt is one of the 50 founding countries of the United Nations in 1945, and it has a long history of relations with the United Nations; including its programs, agencies, and funds. The office of the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations liaises with the Government of Egypt regarding UN operations in Egypt.