Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation Discusses Opportunities for Joint Cooperation with the Rector of the United Nations University (UNU)

During the events of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9)

 

Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation Discusses Opportunities for Joint Cooperation with the Rector of the United Nations University (UNU)

 

H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation, met with Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, Rector of the United Nations University, to discuss opportunities for joint cooperation between the two sides. This was during the activities of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9), in which Egypt is participating with a high-level delegation headed by H.E. Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister, on behalf of H.E. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

 

During the meeting, the two sides explored avenues of collaboration within the framework of the pivotal role played by the United Nations University, established in 1975, in building bridges between academic institutions across continents and advancing scientific research to achieve sustainable development, particularly in the Global South.

 

In this context, the Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation underscored the importance of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, which paves the way for broader areas of cooperation and partnership between Japan and African countries, as well as regional and international organizations.

 

Dr. Al-Mashat affirmed the government’s keenness to strengthen partnerships and cooperation with United Nations organizations and international institutions in order to advance efforts to achieve sustainable development. At the same time, H.E. pointed to the national efforts to localise technology, develop a strategy for artificial intelligence and launch a national council for artificial intelligence in order to keep pace with developments in these technologies, which have become a necessary factor for achieving development in various fields.

 

The Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation welcomed the prospect of cooperation and partnership with the United Nations University to build upon the strong and longstanding partnership between Egypt and the United Nations, as Egypt is a founding member of the UN system.

 

For his part, Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, Rector of the United Nations University, emphasized the University’s keenness to continuing and strengthening cooperation with the Egyptian government to support its efforts in the areas of digital transformation, artificial intelligence, human capital development, and other fields that contribute to the achievement of sustainable development.

 

It is worth noting that Japan is one of Egypt’s most significant Asian development partners. The cooperation portfolio currently includes about 18 development projects in support of the government's plan to achieve sustainable economic development goals. The cooperation portfolio between Egypt and Japan is in line with Egypt's Vision 2030, the government's action programme (2024-2027), and the priorities of Japanese funding policies. The total technical support and grants provided by Japan amounted to about $2.4 billion, in addition to development funds amounting to about $7.2 billion, in the fields of renewable energy, electricity, transport, civil aviation, antiquities, irrigation, education and health, and budget support.