The Foreign Minister presents Egypt's vision for sustainable development in Africa and Korea

Written by: Mohammed Omran

On Monday, June 1, Dr. Badr Abdel-Aty, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Egyptians Abroad, participated in the ministerial session entitled “Strengthening Economic Cooperation – Promoting Shared Prosperity and Sustainable Growth” within the framework of the Korea-Africa Ministerial Meeting, where he reviewed the Egyptian vision to enhance the partnership between the Republic of Korea and African countries in a way that contributes to supporting sustainable development efforts and achieving shared prosperity.

The Foreign Minister presents Egypt's vision for sustainable development in Africa and Korea

In his speech, Minister Abdel-Aty affirmed that the African continent possesses promising potential for achieving comprehensive and sustainable development, given its abundant natural resources and young human capital. He pointed out that addressing the challenges related to peace, security, and development requires adopting a comprehensive approach based on developing infrastructure, promoting industrialization, transferring and localizing technology, supporting efforts to adapt to climate change, enhancing food, water, and energy security, as well as supporting reconstruction and development efforts in the post-conflict phase. He stressed the importance of strengthening the effectiveness of the multilateral international system, reforming the international financial system, and enhancing the capacity of international financial institutions and multilateral development banks to provide concessional financing to African countries. He reiterated Egypt's full support for the unified African position on Security Council reform in accordance with the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration.

The Foreign Minister also pointed to the importance of the Korean-African partnership as a promising model for development cooperation, stressing the keenness to enhance cooperation between the countries of the Global South through the exchange of experiences and building partnerships based on integration and mutual benefit. He noted the importance of continuing to engage in trilateral cooperation programs with South Korea in African countries through the Egyptian Agency for Partnership for Development and the Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding, as well as supporting Korean cooperation with the African Union bodies hosted by Egypt, such as the Reconstruction Center, the African Space Agency, and the NEPAD Center of Excellence on Climate Resilience.

The Foreign Minister also addressed the issue of water security, stressing that it represents an existential challenge for Egypt that is closely linked to its national security. He emphasized the importance of adhering to the rules of international law regulating the management of transboundary water resources in a way that achieves common interests and enhances cooperation between countries, highlighting the importance of cooperation in the areas of sustainable water resource management as one of the promising axes within the African-Korean partnership.

In closing, the Minister reviewed the preparations underway for Egypt to host the first edition of the “El Alamein Africa” Business Forum this month on the sidelines of the African Union Coordination Summit in the middle of the year, stressing that the forum will represent an important platform to enhance trade and investment partnerships at the continental level, and extending an invitation to the Korean side and Korean companies to actively participate and take advantage of the promising investment opportunities provided by African markets.