Egypt, UNESCO, France probe multilateral relations, int’l security

CAIRO – The Egyptian embassy in Paris, France held consultations with the secretariat of The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the French Foreign Ministry regarding Egypt’s contribution to multilateral relations.

The discussions took place on the sidelines of the meetings of the UNESCO’s Executive Council, during which Egyptian Higher Education Minister Mohammed Ashour delivered Egypt’s address.

For his part, Assistant Foreign Minister for Multilateral Affairs and International Security Amr Aljowaily held two meetings with the Assistant Director-general of the Africa Department and External Relations of UNESCO, Firmin Matoko, and the Assistant Director-General of UNESCO, Gabriela Ramos.

Consultations with Aljowaily and Matoko tackled the most important fields of existing cooperation with Egypt, focusing on enhancing collaboration in the protection of heritage and culture and benefitting from UNESCO’s expertise in developing educational systems.

Aljowaily addressed means of boosting cooperation with UNESCO in the area of Artificial intelligence (AI). He presented initiatives led by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, including the establishment of the National Artificial Intelligence Council, the launch of the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, the adoption of the Egyptian Charter for Responsible Artificial Intelligence, and the issuance of a “catalog” of AI applications.

For her part, Ramos highlighted the UNESCO leadership in the field of AI, particularly through the adoption of its first recommendation on the ethics of AI in 2021. She pointed to Egypt’s active participation in the development of that recommendation.

Aljowaily reviewed Egypt’s unwavering stance calling for the implementation of nuclear disarmament commitments outlined in the framework of the Review Conferences of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The third preparatory committee meeting of these conferences is scheduled for next April.