Al-Mashat Holds Bilateral Discussion with OECD Secretary General during Visit to Paris
Press Release
Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation Holds Bilateral Discussion with Secretary General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) During Her Visit to Paris
* 'Al-Mashat': The joint relations with the OECD enhance evidence-based policymaking and institutional reform to drive development efforts.
• Egypt's chairmanship of the MENA Governance and Competitiveness for Development Initiative is an opportunity to enhance regional dialogue and exchange experiences.
• We look forward to developing the Country Program to provide more tools and operational plans that strengthen development efforts.
• OECD Secretary-General: Egypt's OECD country program is a step towards formal membership.
• OECD Deputy Secretary-General praises Egypt's experience in enhancing private sector access to development financing.
H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation, held a bilateral meeting with Mr. Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation between the two sides, as part of the OECD Ministerial Council Meetings in Paris, which are being held this year under the theme: 'Leading the Way towards Resilient, Inclusive, and Sustainable Prosperity through Rules-Based Trade, Investment and Innovation'.
During the meeting, H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat affirmed deep appreciation for the strong and evolving relationship with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), whether through the bilateral cooperation program between Egypt and the OECD, or through the OECD's MENA Initiative on Governance and Competitiveness for Development, noting that this cooperation reflects a shared commitment by both sides to support evidence-based policymaking, enhance institutional reform, and advance the sustainable development agenda.
H.E. pointed to Egypt's co-chairmanship of the OECD MENA Initiative on Governance and Competitiveness for Development. This new mandate provides a unique opportunity for active participation in regional dialogue, strengthening mutual learning mechanisms, and exchange experiences based on real-life reform applications.
Al-Mashat praised the continued constructive cooperation within the framework of Egypt-OECD Country Program, which has been extended through 2025. The program is a key pillar of the joint corporation framework, serving as a vital tool for integrating international expertise into Egypt's national development strategy, particularly 'Egypt Vision 2030' and the National Structural Reform Program. The program includes 35 projects distributed across five main pillars, designed through a broad participatory process, reflecting Egypt's commitment to ownership of reforms and policy coherence.
H.E. explained that the program witnesses coordination and collaboration with various relevant parties in Egypt to implement it, expressing her aspiration to further develop cooperation within the framework of the Country Program beyond the stage of issuing recommendations, toward providing tools and actionable plans that can reflect on development efforts in a more impactful manner, noting that the program strengthens partnership with the OECD and is an effective step towards Egypt's accession as a member country of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
For his part, the OECD Secretary-General pointed to the OECD's openness policy toward admitting more member countries, explaining that the Country Program with Egypt is an important step for Egypt to become the first Arab and African country to join the OECD.
In the same context, H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat met with Ms. Mary Beth Goodman, OECD Deputy Secretary-General, where the meeting addressed the Organization's preparations to finalize the new development strategy. Ms. Goodman praised Egypt's effective contribution in providing feedback on the strategy, emphasizing that it is prepared through a participatory framework to develop solutions to development challenges, especially in light of the efforts of many countries to reduce development funding, which underscores the need for emerging economies to strengthen their domestic resource mobilization.
H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat emphasized that Egypt has a pioneering experience in leveraging development financing for the private sector, which has become the main beneficiary of such financing, rather than the government. The Deputy Secretary-General praised this experience and stressed the importance of highlighting it so that other OECD member countries can benefit from it.
H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat also met with Mr. Andreas Schaal, Director for OECD Global Relations and Co-operation. The meeting addressed the future of joint relations between the two sides, the general framework for countries to become members of the OECD, the mechanisms for evaluating the OECD Country Program applied in member states, and how to benefit from these experiences.
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