H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation, continued her meetings during the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly and the Summit of the Future in New York.
H.E. Minister Al-Mashat held discussions with Ms. Rebeca Grynspan Mayufis, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), as well as Mr. Jorge Moreira da Silva, Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), Ms. Marina Ponti, Global Director of the United Nations SDG Action Campaign, and Mr. Hassan Mulla, CEO of Silatech.
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
H.E. Minister Al-Mashat met with Ms. Rebeca Grynspan, where they discussed key issues on the agenda of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly. At the outset of the meeting, Ms. Grynspan welcomed the Minister at the UNCTAD headquarters in New York.
The Minister briefed Ms. Grynspan on the new structure of the Egyptian
government and the integration of ministries, which aims to broaden the scope of bilateral relations and cooperation with UNCTAD.
H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat emphasized the government’s focus on establishing specialized ministerial committees for human development, industrial development, and entrepreneurship, highlighting the significance of economic development as a common thread among all sectors, along with the importance of investment and trade in supporting fair financing for development.
The discussions also addressed the importance of supporting developing countries in accessing fair financing in line with the principles of the “Sharm El Sheikh Guidebook fot Just Financing,” launched during COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh.
The Minister noted the importance of UNCTAD’s participation in supporting the Egyptian government’s implementation of the “NWFE” program, a key initiative during the climate conference that aims to attract green investments, and discussed collaboration in encouraging and attracting foreign direc
t investments.
H.E. Minister Al-Mashat presented the new framework following the integration of the two ministries, which aims to achieve sustainable economic growth through three main factors: utilizing data-driven policies to address sectoral development gaps, building a resilient future economy to ensure macroeconomic stability and implement structural reforms that enhance competitiveness and financial resilience, and improving resource allocation through a comprehensive framework that mobilizes domestic and international financing for priority sectors and accelerates progress towards sustainable development goals.
The meeting also discussed how to leverage UNCTAD’s toolbox for measuring outcomes, which provides high-quality, evidence-based analyses to inform national, regional, and international policy design aimed at fostering inclusive sustainable development.
This aligns with efforts to enhance data quality and evidence-based statistics and build cooperation between Egypt and the organization in thi
s regard.
For her part, Ms. Grynspan expressed UNCTAD’s readiness to support Egypt in identifying quality gaps in economic development for each sector and recognizing latent opportunities to be effectively utilized for sustainable economic growth.
She also highlighted the importance of South-South cooperation and trilateral cooperation, building on successful experiences in other countries.
Additionally, the meeting reviewed the joint arrangements for the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, which will be held from June 30 to July 3, 2025, in Spain, as well as enhancing mechanisms for data monitoring and evaluation, and the UNCTAD World Investment Forum, which serves as the primary international platform for investment and development.
United Nations SDG Action Campaign
The Minister also met with Ms. Marina Ponti, Global Director of the United Nations SDG Action Campaign. The campaign, launched by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, aims to mobilize, inspire, and connect individu
als and organizations to take action towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
They discussed potential collaboration to enhance national competitions led by the Ministry, such as the international startup competition “Climatech Run,” the “National Initiative for Smart Green Projects,” and the “Government Excellence Award.”
These initiatives embody national efforts to encourage youth and the private sector to develop innovative green projects, positively impacting Egypt’s ability to achieve sustainable development goals.
Ms. Ponti commended Egypt’s commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals despite current global challenges and acknowledged the state’s focus on human development. Both sides agreed on the importance of strengthening cooperation between the Egyptian government and the UN Campaign for the Sustainable Development Goals in areas of mutual interest.
The goals of the campaign, initiated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under the guidance of the
UN Secretary-General, were presented, detailing how it engages and mobilizes a wide range of stakeholders, including governments, civil society, the private sector, and youth, to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Among the key focuses of the campaign are the “UN Awards for Action on the Sustainable Development Goals.”
United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)
H.E. Minister Rania A. Al-Mashat discussed with Mr. Jorge Moreira da Silva, Executive Director of UNOPS, the critical role played by the Office in supporting member states and UN operations, projects, and programs across various countries. They emphasized the importance of expanding these services to benefit Egypt in enhancing national capacities related to development project management and ensuring quality outputs and sustainability of developmental impact efficiently and effectively.
Silatech Foundation
Moreover, H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat met with Mr. Hassan Mulla, CEO of Silatech, an international social development
foundation based in Qatar that works to enhance youth access to employment and develop projects through innovative solutions and entrepreneurship.
At the beginning of the meeting, H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat underscored the state’s commitment to human development, noting the establishment of a ministerial group focused on human development aimed at preparing and overseeing the implementation of national strategies related to building human capital, particularly in health, education, culture, and sports. She emphasized that achieving economic development and sustainability cannot be realized without investing in human capital, particularly in education, to prepare generations capable of leading the future.
The discussions also covered collaboration with the foundation within the framework of the ministerial group on entrepreneurship, which aims to enhance the capabilities of startups and the entrepreneurial environment to achieve sustainable and accelerated economic growth based on competitiveness and knowledge.
The
meeting further explored collaboration with Silatech and the Education Above All Foundation to enhance investments in human capital in Egypt under the “Shabab Balad” initiative, implemented in partnership with UNICEF and various other national and international organizations, as well as proposals for collaboration on green smart projects and support for micro-enterprises within the framework of the partnerships executed by the ministry with international partners.
Source: State Information Service Egypt
