Egypt’s Minister of International Co-operation, Rania el-Mashat, took part on Sunday in the 1st High-Level Meeting of the Forum on Global Action for Shared Development, which focuses on means of enhancing joint action to implement the Global Development Initiative (GDI) proposed by the Chinese president in 2021.
The GDI initiative seeks to redirect global development towards a new phase of balance and comprehensive coordination to face global challenges, promote more equitable and balanced global development partnerships, and achieve more synergy through multilateral cooperation to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 sustainable development goals (SDGs).
The Egyptian participation stems from strong relations with China and Egypt’s keenness to push them towards more joint action, something reflected in development co-operation efforts.
It also aims to build on existing co-operation, especially in scientific research and construction, and expand this co-operation to more areas.
High-level delegations from 27 countries and over 20 UN agencies and international non-governmental organizations are participating in the forum.
Mashat will hold a series of meetings with representatives of the Chinese government and affiliated agencies and organisations on cooperation priorities during the coming period.
She will also participate in a number of discussion sessions and workshops.
Egypt’s overall co-operation portfolio with China amounts to about $1.7 billion.
It focuses on development projects in various development sectors, including electricity, health, education, and vocational training.
Mashat witnessed recently the completion of the assembly and testing of the EgyptSat 2 satellite in cooperation with China at the headquarters of the Egyptian Space Agency.
