H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat Participates in High-Level Engagements During the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Seville, Spain

Minister Highlights “Seville Platform for Action” and Advocates for Scaling Development Finance Amid Global Challenges

H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation, continued her active participation in the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, held in Seville, Spain, from 29 June to 3 July 2025. Minister Al-Mashat joined the Egyptian delegation led by H.E. Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister of Egypt, who attended the conference on behalf of H.E. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

Seville Platform for Action

During the conference, H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat took part in a dedicated press briefing on the newly launched “Seville Platform for Action”, emphasizing its significance as a global mechanism to catalyze large-scale development initiatives and enhance international cooperation. The platform aims to accelerate the financing and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by providing an inclusive and coordinated framework.

In her remarks, the Minister underscored the importance of amplifying the voice of developing countries in global financial dialogues. She noted that tackling today’s interlinked development and climate challenges requires collective action and inclusive partnerships. “Progress on our national priorities cannot be achieved in isolation. We need true partners who share our vision, support our efforts, and contribute meaningfully to our journey,” H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat said.

She outlined Egypt’s strong and multifaceted partnerships with bilateral and multilateral development institutions, as well as with United Nations agencies, highlighting their pivotal roles in supporting both climate and development initiatives—not only through concessional finance, but also via technical assistance and innovative financial tools.

H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat also emphasized the centrality of two mechanisms in today’s development landscape: country platforms and the Integrated National Financing Framework (INFF). She shared Egypt’s experience in launching its own country platform, the NWFE (Nexus of Water, Food, and Energy) program, alongside the recently adopted National Integrated Strategy for Development Financing, as part of efforts to ensure streamlined and accessible financing for national strategies.

Importantly, the Minister stressed that the call for partnerships must go beyond financial contributions. “Partnership means alignment, coordination, and co-implementation. Every stakeholder contributes not only funding or expertise but also participates in implementation and harmonization with others,” she explained. She further emphasized that national ownership does not merely imply sovereign decision-making—it also entails a responsibility to coordinate among the various international partners, each with its own governance and operational frameworks, in a way that supports growth, job creation, and sustainable development.

Investing in Climate and Development: Role of Global Financial and Fiscal Structures

H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat also participated in a high-level panel discussion titled “Investing in Climate and Development: The Role of Global Financial and Fiscal Structures,” which addressed challenges related to mobilizing domestic and international resources and integrating macroeconomic considerations into climate and development strategies.

The Minister highlighted the importance of adopting more flexible approaches to Debt Sustainability Analyses (DSA), positioning them as critical tools for enabling sustainable development and unlocking private sector investment. She called for updated frameworks that reflect the evolving needs of countries tackling both climate risks and development deficits.

She referenced the Bridgetown Initiative, launched in 2022, as a key driver of international advocacy for reforming the global financial architecture and scaling capital flows toward sustainable development. The initiative has played an instrumental role in calling on institutions like the IMF and World Bank to revise the debt sustainability framework initially designed for low-income countries, ensuring it is better aligned with current development realities.

H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat further noted that attracting private investment requires financial stability and flexible, forward-looking debt strategies. She emphasized Egypt’s commitment to broad structural reforms aimed at boosting investor confidence, as reflected in recent international assessments of the country’s economic performance.

She also reiterated the importance of enhanced coordination with international financial institutions (IFIs), citing Egypt’s robust partnerships with IFIs as a key factor in enabling private sector engagement, mobilizing investment, and creating opportunities for inclusive growth.

Impact Finance Through the UN SDG Fund

In a separate session organized by the United Nations, H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat contributed to a discussion on mobilizing impact finance through the UN Joint SDG Fund. The session featured participation from H.E. Amina J. Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General; H.E. Prof. Mthuli Ncube, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion; and other international development partners.

Development Finance and Capacity Building

The Minister also joined a roundtable co-hosted by the Permanent Missions of Greece and Italy to the UN, the OECD, ECLAC, and the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), on “Building Capacities for Financing Development.” The session explored best practices in development finance, capacity building, and the delivery of technical assistance to developing countries.

In her remarks, H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat highlighted the indispensable role of technical assistance in development cooperation, particularly in strengthening institutional capacity, facilitating knowledge exchange, and transferring technology. She also presented the Ministry’s newly released report on development finance mobilized to empower the private sector, which documents over $15.6 billion in concessional financing directed to the private sector in Egypt since 2020.

In line with this, she affirmed Egypt’s readiness to actively participate in a global platform for knowledge exchange and technical support, in response to recommendations made by the UN Secretary-General to enhance capacity development for sustainable development.

H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat Participates in High-Level Engagements During the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Seville, Spain