Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigration, Badr Abdelatty, received United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Regional Director of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) for Arab States, Abdullah Al-Dardari, on Monday. During the meeting, the Foreign Minister welcomed Al-Dardari's participation in the opening of the second edition of the Global Conference on Population, Health, and Human Development, commending the UNDP's support for the Egyptian Ministry of Health in organising the conference. Abdelatty also highlighted Egypt's preparations to host the World Urban Forum from November 4th to 8th, 2024. He noted that Cairo hosting these high-level UN events reflects Egypt's commitment to multilateral cooperation and global initiatives organised in collaboration with various UN agencies. The Foreign Minister expressed Egypt's appreciation for the significant role played by the UNDP in supporting the Egyptian government's development efforts. He underlined Egypt's desire to increase UNDP's contribution to the country, particularly in light of the challenges and burdens Egypt faces, including hosting large numbers of refugees. Abdelatty also highlighted the efforts undertaken by the Egyptian government to address these challenges through economic reforms, policy development, attracting foreign investment, increasing production, and launching various development projects aimed at creating job opportunities, all contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals aligned with the Egyptian government's priorities. On the regional level, the Foreign Minister highlighted the political, security, and economic challenges facing the region. He pointed to Egypt's pivotal role in promoting regional stability and supporting UN efforts to achieve sustainable development in the Arab world. The meeting also discussed the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, exacerbated by the Israeli aggression and its extension to Lebanon. Abdelatty outlined Egypt's efforts to contain the current situation and alleviate the humanitarian crisis facing Palestinians, emphasising the importance of the United Nations and its various agencies, particularly in development and humanitarian affairs, in mitigating the humanitarian tragedy and continuing to pressure for an end to this brutal aggression.
