Egypt and Pakistan have agreed to establish a joint periodic cooperation platform between their planning ministries to exchange development visions and expertise, following a proposal by Islamabad during talks in New York.
Egyptian Minister of Planning and Economic Development Ahmed Rostam welcomed the proposal from his Pakistani counterpart, Minister of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhary. The bilateral meeting took place on the sidelines of the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF 2026) and was attended by Wael Eldahshan, Counsellor at Egypt’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations.
During the talks, the two officials discussed mutual concerns, primarily challenges related to development financing and improving the implementation efficiency of development projects. They also reviewed mechanisms for keeping pace with technological advancements by integrating artificial intelligence applications to support comprehensive development efforts.
Rostam stressed the importance of enhancing institutional cooperation between the two countries and benefiting from inspiring national experiences in developmental planning. He outlined Egypt’s efforts in drafting its medium-term economic and social development plan, describing it as an integrated framework for improving planning efficiency and achieving national targets.
The Egyptian minister explained that his ministry’s vision focuses on upgrading the participatory development planning process to ensure the efficiency of public investments. This approach aims to maximise the impact of development projects, initiatives, and programmes, contributing directly to the creation of productive employment and the improvement of citizens’ quality of life.
Addressing the business environment, Rostam highlighted Egypt’s efforts to build and support its entrepreneurship ecosystem. He pointed to the work of the “Ministerial Group for Entrepreneurship” and various state initiatives in technology and capacity building designed to develop a supportive incubator environment for innovation.
The ministers also discussed opportunities to expand trade and joint investments to strengthen economic partnerships and support sustainable development in both countries.
