Egypt’s Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Ahmed Rustum, and, Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Mathias Cormann, on the sidelines of the OECD Ministerial Meeting in Paris to review progress in bilateral co-operation and discuss preparations for the next phase of Egypt’s Country Programme.
The talks focused on the outcomes of the programme’s first phase, launched in 2021 and set to conclude this month, as well as plans for a second phase aligned with Egypt’s national development priorities.
Rustum reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to deepening co-operation with the OECD to strengthen evidence-based policymaking, institutional reform and sustainable development in line with Egypt’s Vision 2030.
He also highlighted Egypt’s assumption of the co-chairmanship of the OECD Middle East and North Africa Initiative on Governance and Competitiveness for Development for the 2026–2030 period, noting that the role would support regional dialogue, facilitate the exchange of expertise and promote the adoption of international best practices.
As part of this role, Egypt will host the initiative’s ministerial meeting in the fourth quarter of 2026, reinforcing its growing regional role in promoting policy co-operation and development.
For his part, OECD’s Cormann expressed appreciation for his recent meeting with President Abdel Fattah El Sisi in Cairo, during which they discussed areas of common interest and priorities for future co-operation between Egypt and the OECD.
The two sides also stressed the importance of continuing technical consultations to identify priority projects for the next phase of the Country Programme, particularly in governance and competitiveness, while making greater use of OECD tools and reviews to support Egypt’s institutional reforms and policy development.
