International Cooperation
UN representative outlines key development priorities
The International Cooperation Committee held a meeting on April 3 to discuss “Key development challenges in Egypt and how the UN is responding to them.” The speaker was James W. Rawley, UN resident coordinator and UNDP representative for Egypt.
Rawley began by outlining Egypt’s key development priorities, which include poverty eradication, governance, human rights, the environment and the social welfare of vulnerable groups. He proceeded to explain the UN’s five-year development plan for 2007-11, with its five priority areas focusing on poverty alleviation, employment, regional disparities, the environment, women’s empowerment and democratic governance.
He placed special emphasis on women’s empowerment, explaining that this entails strengthening the capacity of women parliamentarians and ensuring women’s participation in local and trade union elections. It also extends to ensuring gender equity in the private sector, integrating gender in the national five-year plan and establishing “girl-friendly” community schools.
Rawley went on to highlight the significance of incorporating ICT into development plans. ICT has already been leveraged to tap into private sector partnerships, make globalization more inclusive and establish a Community Learning Center in Siwa, he said.
The private sector can play a substantial role in reaching the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), he said. Facilitating the development of inclusive markets means ensuring that “markets work better for the poor in their role as entrepreneurs, wage employees and consumers.” He concluded by stressing the importance of achieving inclusive development, which implies “building partnerships and mobilizing all potential development actors to tackle key development issues together.”
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KfW outlines project financing activities
AmCham’s International Cooperation Committee held a meeting on February 13 to discuss the topic of “International financing: an introduction to the KfW Group,” with guest speaker Andreas Holtkotte, director of KfW’s Cairo office.
The session opened with an introduction to KfW Cairo and its activities. Holtkotte provided a brief overview of the German agency’s international and export financing activities, as well as its funding strategy, particularly in the context of Egypt.
He then went on to discuss the goals and activities of KfW Development Bank, which is “promoting sustainable and economic development in developing and transition countries.” The bank’s goals are to reduce poverty, secure the peace and make globalization fair through investment in projects that support such end results. Its initiatives focus on expanding social and economic infrastructure, developing efficient financial systems, and protecting environment and natural resources.
KfW’s projects in Egypt focus on water resources and management, climate and environment, as well as education, micro finance and urban development, committing approximately E80 million annually to the country. Examples of current projects presented by Holtkotte included the promotion of wind power in Egypt, an industrial pollution and waste management initiative, and a water supply and waste disposal project.
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US trade official sees growth opportunities
The International Cooperation and Trade & Commerce committees co-hosted Amer Kayani, counselor for commercial affairs at the US embassy in Cairo, as guest speaker on June 26 to address the topic: “US-Egypt trade: prospects for growth.”
Kayani saw positive development in Egyptian-American commercial ties. He pointed out that trade last year between the US and Egypt grew by 30 percent over the previous year, with Egyptian exports to the US totaling $2.4 billion. This robust trade came even without a free trade agreement between the two countries, which, he suggested, indicated that such an agreement was not a prerequisite to bilateral trade growth.
But he saw room for more involvement in the small and medium-sized enterprise sector, which accounts for just 20 percent of Egypt’s exports to the US. Large companies have dominated trade, and Kayani urged SMEs to play a bigger role in the economy. However, he also said it was important that Egypt continue its efforts to bring the informal sector into the proper, legal channels.
Kayani spoke about the rapid pace of growth of the franchising business in Egypt, which he described as a good vehicle to expand bilateral trade. He explained that Egypt appeals to American companies as a franchising location because of its dense, high-population urban centers. Its market of 75 million consumers with rising disposable income has already succeeded in drawing many US franchises.
Kayani also highlighted the Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZs) agreement, which allows Egyptian manufacturers operating in designated zones quota- and duty-free access to the US market provided their goods contain a minimum 10.7-percent Israeli component. He pointed out that this is not a bilateral agreement, but a one-way trade concession on the part of the US. He described the agreement as an enormous financial benefit to Egypt, which has helped the country to diversify its export sector.
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