Minister of International Cooperation Rania el Mashat has taken part in the 2021 United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on sustainable development.

The panel was chaired virtually by Sergiy Kyslytsya, the Vice President of the ECOSOC; and moderated by Homi Kharas, the Senior Fellow and Deputy Director for the Global Economy and Development Program at Brookings Institute.

Mashat discussed unlocking investment opportunities for national development that are aligned with global goals, the role of Economic Diplomacy in Egypt’s experience with international cooperation, the country’s COVID-19 response, and the closing of financing gaps.

The minister said the three principles of Economic Diplomacy helped the country achieve progress during challenging times, namely hosting multi-stakeholder platforms to streamline plans and ensure a transparent country-led framework for development, mapping the Official Development Assistance (ODA) to the SDGs with the aim of institutionalizing sustainable progress, and the Global Partnerships Narrative that forges a common, unified language between Egypt and its development partners.

During the event, Mashat said she has recently launched her new book “Stakeholder Engagement Through Economic Diplomacy” which details Egypt’s transparency and accountability in tracking and progressing its national projects, in line with the global goals.

“By providing clear allocations of development financing to the SDGs, and showcasing what goals are being met, these are all distinguishing factors that show compelling evidence of the progress that is being done nationally,” said Mashat.

She further elaborated that such a clear development framework helps identify the financial gaps, and provides the necessary data needed to pave the way to an informed decision-making process regarding future partnerships.

The 2021 HLPF was held from July 6 to 15, and tackles questions surrounding how to achieve a sustainable and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, while considering the interconnected nature of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Source: State Information Service Egypt