During the past week, the corridors of the Ministry of International Cooperation witnessed several events and developments at the level of international partnerships that the Ministry seeks to implement towards its endeavor to implement the national development agenda. The state’s plan to develop the railway sector, and Al Mashat witnessed the signing of an agreement between the Japanese embassy and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) for the benefit of the Ministry of Environment with a value of $ 3.5 million in the framework of combating plastic pollutants; In another context, the second meeting of the technical committee for the purification project of the Kitchener Bank was held at the headquarters of the Ministry of International Cooperation. The Ministry also celebrated International Women's Day by announcing details of international partnerships within the framework of empowering women. The Minister of International Cooperation participated in a symposium at the American University in the framework of the celebrations of International Women's Day, and the details of the harvest.
New development finance for the transport sector
In continuation of her endeavor to consolidate international partnerships to implement development projects of priority for the state, the Minister of International Cooperation announced the approval of the Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank for a development financing of $ 440 million, directed to the development of the railway sector and the financing of a project to improve the safety and operating efficiency of rail services in The Arab Republic of Egypt, within the framework of the strategic partnership with the World Bank, which provides development funds for various sectors in the country.
The project aims at modernizing the signaling systems and renewing the railways along the Cairo-Beni Suef line, in addition to completing the works of the Egyptian Railways Authority restructuring project on the Alexandria - Cairo and Beni Suef - Nag Hammadi lines, with a total length of 763 km. It also aims to improve the safety of railway passengers, workers and employees by implementing a modern safety management system. It is expected that the level of service will improve with the improvement of the accuracy of the train schedules, which is expected to increase from 75% to 90%, and the strengthening of the Ministry of Transport's efforts to modernize the railways so that the Egyptian National Railways Authority can work in accordance with international best practices in accordance with the finance-for-performance system.
Agreement to reduce plastic pollutants
Al-Mashat also witnessed the signing of a grant agreement between the Japanese Embassy in Cairo and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), with a value of 3.5 million dollars, from which the Ministry of Environment would benefit in support of achieving a circular economy, through the implementation of a project in cooperation with the private sector and small and medium-sized companies. To work to reduce the use of single-use plastic bags and eliminate waste and reuse of resources, in line with the sustainable development goals.
Commenting on the agreement, the Minister of International Cooperation said that the environment sector is one of the vital sectors that the ministry seeks to implement the necessary development funds for it, and the current development financing portfolio for environmental projects amounts to $ 260 million to implement 4 projects, including solid waste management and industrial pollutant control, to which partners have contributed Development The World Bank, the European Investment Bank, the French Development Agency, the European Union and Italy.
The Technical Committee for the Kitchener Bank Project is held
In a related context, the second meeting of the technical committee for the project to improve water quality at Kitchener Bank was held at the headquarters of the Ministry of International Cooperation, with the participation of representatives of the ministries of housing, utilities and urban communities, irrigation and water resources, local development, and representatives of development partners, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment Bank. To discuss internal developments, executive work by the responsible ministries, and common points with international financing agencies to accelerate project implementation.
At the end of its meeting, the committee agreed on four main recommendations, the first related to setting a time plan for the work that each of the consultants to be selected for each component of the project and how to implement it, and secondly, the need for each party to determine a map of interactions with other parties to ensure the prior coordination of efforts so as not to be disrupted. The implementation of the project for any of the implementing agencies in the future, and thirdly, completing coordination between the three ministries and the Ministry of International Cooperation to identify the challenges or obstacles that the beneficiaries face with foreign funding agencies, and fourthly proposing to hold workshops in cooperation with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in the field of procurement and withdrawals in order to The beneficiary ministries will be able to familiarize themselves with the bank’s policies and rules, and know the mechanisms and methods of withdrawing loans and grants to ensure the successful implementation of the project.
Celebrations of International Women's Day
The Ministry of International Cooperation celebrated International Women's Day, where the Minister of International Cooperation participated, in a virtual session, about good governance and its role in economic development, as part of the series of seminars organized by the American University in Cairo with its distinguished graduates to celebrate International Women's Day; The symposium was held with the participation of more than 300 participants, including alumni, students, and officials of the American University in Cairo, and was moderated by Ms. Lori Fitch, Partner in the Strategic Advisory Group of London PJT Partners.
The Ministry of International Cooperation also reviewed the development funds that it concluded with multilateral and bilateral development partners to support the empowerment of women and their participation in development efforts, which amounted to about $ 3.3 billion within the current portfolio, to implement 34 projects, in various development sectors.
Development funds are distributed in many sectors, including 20% in the health sector, 15% in the small and medium enterprises sector, 14% in the education sector, 9% in the agriculture sector, 6% in the irrigation and governance sector, and 3% in each sector. Trade, investment, social protection, transportation, water and sanitation.
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