The minister welcomed
the new South Korean ambassador to Cairo, expressing her aspiration to deepen
levels of cooperation particularly in regards to the economic relations between
the two countries, praising the role of the South Korean government in
supporting the Egyptian government to confront the COVID-19 pandemic through
grants and shipments of medical and protective equipment supplies.
The minister added that
the ministry seeks to strengthen cooperation through the principles of economic
diplomacy. These principles include regularly organizing multi-stakeholder
platforms to ensure that all projects are streamlined and effectively
coordinated; adopting a consistent Global Partnerships Narrative
People&Projects&Purpose (P&P&P); and mapping ODA financing to
#SDGs for all projects.
Seeing education as the
cornerstone of both countries’ cooperation file, the minister touched on the
importance of expanding technological universities, particularly in light of
the growing importance of technology for businesses and the labor force in the
upcoming future, as well as the potential it can provide in terms of economic
power for more Egyptian women.
Al-Mashat also stressed
on strengthening cooperation for women empowerment, particularly during the
COVID-19 pandemic, referring to initiatives such as the Gender Gap Accelerator launched
by the Ministry of International Cooperation in cooperation with the World
Economic Forum and the National Council for Women, which acts as a public and
private collaboration platform for the government, private and civil society.
She highlighted that
Egypt was also the first country to issue a Women Policy Tracker on COVID-19
policy responses and how they address women’s situation during the pandemic.
The minister highlighted ongoing projects, such as the establishment of the Beni Suef Technological University in Beni Suef, funded by a grant of 5.8 million dollars from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOIKA) .
She added that the
university is considered to be a model for cooperation on education, seeking to
not just provide youth with knowledge and skills that meet future market
demands, but also to attract investment to develop the local economy.
For his part, Mr. Hong
Jin-wook, the new South Korean ambassador in Cairo, expressed his deep interest
to develop stronger cooperation with the Egyptian government, explaining that
the Korean government is keen to transfer the needed expertise and technical
knowledge to ensure that quality education is being provided.
It is worth noting that
the cooperation portfolio between Egypt and South Korea amounts to about $458
million, of which $ 390 million is loans and about $68 million are
non-refundable grants in several sectors, the most important of which is
transportation.
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