At the beginning of her visit to the bank’s headquarters in Jeddah: The Minister of Planning and Economic Development meets with the President of the Islamic Development Bank Group to discuss ways to enhance cooperation in the fields of green economy and participation in COP27

H.E. Dr. Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Governor of Egypt at the Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDB) met with Dr. Muhammad bin Suleiman Al-Jasser, President of the Islamic Development Bank Group, to discuss ways to enhance cooperation between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Bank Group.
The meeting came at the beginning of her visit to the bank's headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The meeting was attended by Dr. Nada Masoud, Economic Advisor to the Minister of Planning, Ambassador Hazem Khairat, Director of the International Relations Department at the Ministry of Planning, and Mr. Kamal Nasr, supervisor of the Technical Office of the Minister of Planning.During the meeting, Dr. Hala El-Said affirmed Egypt's full readiness to host the forty-seventh annual meeting of the Islamic Development Bank's Board of Governors, to be held in Sharm El-Sheikh from 1-4 June 2022. El-Said indicated the keenness of the two parties to make the meetings appear in an honorable manner befitting Egypt, the Islamic Bank Group, and the member states, as it is an important opportunity to strengthen the existing areas of cooperation between Egypt and the subsidiary institutions of the Islamic Development Bank Group.
El-Said highlighted the launch of a distinguished set of programs and cooperation projects with the Foundation, to be announced during the annual meeting.These projects are gaining momentum in light of the high-level and wide participation expected in the meetings, as work is underway from both sides to finalize specific proposals for implementation during the coming period.El-Said noted that coordination is underway with the concerned authorities to set a new date for the official opening ceremony of the regional office of the Islamic Development Bank Group in Cairo, as the Corona conditions prevented it from organizing the last period.El-Said affirmed that the Bank Group's adoption of the Egypt office as a regional headquarters to represent it in the region is a culmination of the distinguished level of support and cooperation between the two sides.El-Said talked about the topics raised for cooperation, including the possibility of including the training institutions of the Ministry of Planning, namely the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development (NIGSD), and the Institute-of-National-Planning (INP) in the directory of think tanks to be prepared in cooperation between the Islamic Development Bank RL-Program and the Egyptian Agency for International Partnership and Development (EAPD). El-Said referred to the possibility of cooperation and partnership with NIGSD, the training arm of the ministry, which is tasked with building and developing the capabilities of national cadres in the field of governance, competitiveness, and sustainable development, where the institute can conclude partnerships with national and international institutions; to maximize the benefit from the services provided by the Islamic Bank Group in this field.El-Said stressed that there are many opportunities and areas of cooperation available between Egypt and the Bank, especially through the technical assistance provided by the Bank, including providing financing to obtain technical expertise to prepare or implement projects, formulate policies, institutional support, or develop and train human resources.Dr. Hala El-Said concluded her speech by thanking and appreciating the Islamic Bank for the support it provided to the Organization for the Development of Women of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which was hosted by Egypt and provided a permanent headquarters, noting the proposed cooperation between the Islamic Development Bank and the Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Preservation, and Peacebuilding in holding the third edition of the Forum Aswan for peace and sustainable development.