Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat said that what the world needs to move forward and overcome the challenges facing development — especially the energy and food crises and the risks of economic stagnation — is multilateral cooperation.
She added that coordinating efforts would enhance the ability of countries to address crises and support development efforts.
This came during a discussion session that was held on “multilateral cooperation to achieve a resilient and comprehensive recovery,” within the activities of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development that was held at the UN’s headquarters in New York under the title ‘Building back better after the COVID-19 pandemic while moving forward in full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.’
Al-Mashat explained that what unites the countries of the world and the common denominator between them is their quest to achieve the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs), and each country seeks to implement these goals according to its national vision, explaining that the coronavirus pandemic has proven beyond any doubt that joint action is the only way to overcome the successive crises facing the world.
She also noted that through multilateral cooperation, the process of exchanging experiences and development experiences can be enhanced and the projects that have proven successful can be re-implemented in countries in order to save time, effort, and resources, pointing out that Egypt is working through its accumulated experiences to enhance cooperation between countries of the South and transfer its development expertise for African countries.
Moreover, the minister said that Egypt has sought to achieve effective development cooperation through joint relations with multilateral and bilateral development partners — including the UN — in order to implement the SDGs based on national priorities and strengthen relations with development partners through careful formulation of projects and a transparent governance approach.
She also touched on Egypt’s hosting of the upcoming UN Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP27), through which Egypt seeks to advance the efforts of the international community and stimulate the transition from pledges to implementation, emphasising that citizens are being placed at the heart of all climate projects and development efforts.
This is in addition to urging the international community and financing institutions to finance developing countries and emerging economies and expand risk reduction tools and innovative financing mechanisms to motivate the private sector into financing climate action.
Furthermore, the minister pointed out that the private sector has a vital and indispensable role, especially in financing projects to adapt to climate changes that enhance the ability to achieve food security and confront the phenomenon.
Al-Mashat also called on African countries and the international community at large to contribute effectively to achieving the goals of the COP27 and stimulating the transition from pledges to implementation to preserve development gains, increase countries’ resilience in the face of shocks, and achieve the 2030 SDGs.
