Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty met with Abdallah Al Dardari, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Regional Director of the UN Development Programme’s (UNDP) Regional Bureau for Arab States, on Saturday, to discuss the Arab plan for the reconstruction of Gaza and the upcoming Cairo ministerial conference on Gaza’s early recovery and reconstruction.
Abdelatty expressed Egypt’s hope for the UNDP’s support in implementing the Arab plan, leveraging the organisation’s expertise, particularly in the early recovery phase. He sought to understand the UNDP’s potential contributions to the plan’s execution and expressed hope for the programme’s support for the Cairo conference, co-organised by Egypt, the UN, and the Palestinian government.
Regarding bilateral cooperation, the foreign minister expressed appreciation for the UNDP’s significant role in supporting Egypt’s development efforts. He conveyed Egypt’s hope for increased contributions from the UNDP to support government initiatives, particularly development projects aimed at job creation, attracting foreign investment, and boosting production, aligning with Egypt’s sustainable development goals.
Abdelatty reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to supporting UN efforts to promote sustainable development in the Arab region, especially given the current political, security, economic, and social challenges. He highlighted Egypt as a key partner for the UNDP in these endeavours and its continuous work to enhance cooperation and knowledge sharing for tangible results.
Al Dardari conveyed the UN’s appreciation for Egypt’s efforts in developing the early recovery and reconstruction plan for Gaza, endorsed by the extraordinary Arab summit and the ministerial meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. He expressed the UNDP’s readiness to provide technical and logistical support, contributing to the success of the reconstruction conference in Egypt. He offered the UNDP’s accumulated expertise in early recovery and reconstruction to Egypt for its use in implementing the Arab plan.
