Read-out of the bilateral meeting between FAO Director-General QU Dongyu and Ehab Badawy Deputy Minister for Multilateral Affairs and International Security of the Arab Republic of Egypt

27 July 2021, Rome -  The FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu met today with Ehab Badawy, Deputy Minister for Multilateral Affairs and International Security of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

The Director-General congratulated the Government of Egypt for the commitment to sustainable agriculture development and the promotion of Youth and Women empowerment.

Deputy Minister Badawy expressed his appreciation for the ongoing cooperation between FAO and Egypt, including through South-South Cooperation in African countries. He referred to the Government’s efforts to move to the New Administrative Capital by the end of 2021 and the establishment of a UN complex to host all UN Agencies present in Egypt. The Director-General expressed his appreciation to the Government of Egypt for supporting the Organization through hosting the FAO Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa.

The Director-General invited Egypt to participate in the World Food Forum in October 2021, and suggested discussing possible cooperation with the World Youth Forum that takes place in Egypt every year.

The Director-General and Deputy Minister Badawy agreed to further consolidate bilateral cooperation, including through the signature of the MoU for cooperation in support of women and youth in areas related to hunger, nutrition and food systems, which builds on the Letter of Intent signed by the Director-General and the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Egypt in December 2019.