CAIRO – 16 March 2025: Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty met with the Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Abdallah Al Dardari, on Saturday.
The two sides discussed the Arab Plan for the Reconstruction of Gaza and the Cairo Ministerial Conference for Early Recovery and Reconstruction of Gaza, according to a statement released by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Minister Abdelatty expressed his commitment to supporting the UNDP in implementing the Arab Plan for Gaza's reconstruction, particularly in the early recovery phase. He emphasized Egypt's intention to benefit from the UNDP's expertise in preparing for the reconstruction of the Strip. Additionally, the Minister expressed his desire to provide support for the Cairo Ministerial Conference for Gaza's reconstruction, which will be jointly organized with the UN and the Palestinian government.
On bilateral cooperation, Minister Abdelatty acknowledged the significant role of the UNDP in supporting Egypt’s development efforts. He expressed hope that the UNDP would increase its contributions to support government initiatives, particularly in development projects that create job opportunities, attract foreign investment, and boost production. These efforts would align with Egypt’s priorities to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
Abdelatty also reaffirmed Egypt's commitment to supporting the UN’s sustainable development efforts in the Arab region, especially amidst the current political, security, economic, and social challenges. He emphasized that Egypt is a key partner in these efforts and is dedicated to enhancing cooperation and exchanging expertise for tangible, positive outcomes.
For his part, Mr. Al-Dardari praised Egypt's efforts in preparing the early recovery and reconstruction plan for Gaza, which was adopted by the extraordinary Arab Summit and the ministerial meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. He assured that the UN is ready to provide all necessary technical and logistical support in the upcoming phase, contributing to the success of the reconstruction conference.
Mr. Al-Dardari also offered the UNDP’s accumulated experience in early recovery and reconstruction to support Egypt in implementing the Arab plan.
The Arab proposal seeks to replace a widely condemned initiative by US President Donald Trump, which aimed to "take over" Gaza and permanently displace its two million Palestinian residents to Egypt and Jordan.
The UN estimates that rebuilding Gaza and the occupied West Bank will require more than $53 billion over the next ten years, including $20 billion over the coming three years alone.
Sun, Mar. 16, 2025
