Egypt’s Minister of International Cooperation, Rania Al-Mashat, has announced that the “Egypt – International Cooperation Forum (ICF): Engaging for Impact” will be held on 8-9 September, under the patronage of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.
In its first edition, Egypt-ICF is an international cooperation and development financing forum, bringing state representatives from around the globe; namely the Middle East and African region, international financial institutions, development partners, stakeholders from the private and public sectors, and the civil society.
Egypt-ICF aims to discuss means of strengthening joint cooperation in order to achieve inclusive and sustainable development for all, and offers an opportunity to write the future of international partnerships, so as to achieve the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) efficiently.
The event will witness five panel forums and seven workshops, in which many financing institutions will participate. The ICF brings state representatives from around the globe; namely the Middle East and African region, international financial institutions, development partners, stakeholders from the private and public sectors, and the civil society.
Minister Al-Mashat, indicated in a statement, that the forum will include holding a number of intensive events on various topics that represent a priority at the level of international cooperation and development financing at the present time, when countries face multiple challenges due to the Corona pandemic and climate changes. Therefore, the ICF constitutes an opportunity to create effective and effective communication between all relevant participating parties to develop specific visions and exchange views on how to support international efforts to achieve sustainable development.
The Minister of International Cooperation explained that the participation of major international financial institutions such as the World Bank Group, the African Development Bank Group, the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, as well as the United Nations reflects the importance of this forum, as well as the leading role of Egypt and the interest that the political leadership attaches to cooperation multilateral and support efforts aimed at effective international partnerships.
Panel Discussions
During the first day, five main sessions will be held, the Keynote Addresses by Political and Development Leaders, followed by four main panel discussions.
The first one is entitled “Multilateralism and International Cooperation Post Covid-19,” this high-level panel affirms the importance of multilateralism for post COVID-19 recovery. The participating leaders from the Middle East and Africa (MEA) and heads of International Financing Institutions will emphasize the key role of regional and international partnerships in advancing equitable and inclusive development. The panel discussion will highlight main themes to guide the discussion of forum panels and set forth key policy recommendations regarding the way forward on multilateralism post COVID-19.
The second panel is entitled “The Role of International Development Cooperation in Accelerating Progress towards the 2030 Agenda,” during this panel will present successful experiences of multi-stakeholder partnerships in achieving the SDGs from the MEA region and will highlight the opportunities that have emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic to accelerate progress towards the 2030 Agenda.The panel discussion will set forth key policy recommendations approved by all panelists regarding the way forward to achieving the 2030 Agenda through more effective development cooperation.
In terms of the third panel discussion, it will be held under the title of Private Sector Engagement in Development through International Cooperation. The panel will discuss how the private sector can contribute to the achievement of the development goals and highlight the necessary tools to incentivize its participation, especially in the MEA region. The panel discussion will set forth key policy recommendations approved by all panelists regarding the way forward on private sector engagement in development post covid-19.
While the fourth panel will be held under the title of ClimateAction in a Post COVID-19 Context: A Twofold Challenge. The panel session will discuss how MEA countries can recover from the devastating impacts of COVID-19, in a manner that integrates sustainability considerations including low carbon development; resilience to climate change; and inclusiveness. The panel discussion will set forth key policy recommendations approved by all panelists regarding the way forward on climate action post COVID-19.
Workshops
The forum will also witness the holding of 7 workshops, on activating regional cooperation mechanisms in light of the African Free Trade Agreement, and presenting Egypt’s experience in matching development finances with the UN goals for sustainable development, as well as the role of women and support for women entrepreneurs in Egypt, food security and employment in Africa in the era of digitization , innovation, entrepreneurship, the role of youth in Africa and the Middle East, and investment in human capital.
Last Wednesday, the Ministry of International Cooperation announced the organization of the Egypt Forum for International Cooperation and Development Finance, in its first edition, on September 8 and 9, under the auspices of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
The “ICF 2021” is scheduled to conclude with the issuance of a final statement and recommendations from all participants from countries, international organizations and the United Nations, on the importance of development finance and multilateral cooperation to support the efforts made by countries to achieve development in the world, especially the Middle East and Africa region. The recommendations of the conference will also be promoted in international platforms and forums, to be a strong addition to the global effort aimed at achieving sustainable development and the UN 2030 Agenda. The key participants from Egypt’s government include, Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister, Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation, Mohamed Maait, Minister of Finance, Aly El Moselhay, Minister of Supply and Internal Trade, Mahmud Sharawy, Minister of local development, Nevine El Kabag, Minister of Social Solidarity, and Tarek Shawki, Minister of Education and Technical Education.
