High Level Visit: Suez Canal Economic Zone and Orascom Industrial Park – Sokhna 29 April 2024

Your Excellencies, Mr. Ahmed Samir, Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr. Waleed Gamaleldeen, Chairman of the Suez Canal Economic Zone of the Arab Republic of Egypt,

Your Excellency Ms. Yvonne Bauer, Ambassador of Switzerland to Egypt,

Mr. Patrick Jean Gilabert, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Representative, Regional Office in Egypt, 

Ms. Monica Rubiolo, Head of the Trade Promotion Division, the Swiss State Secretariat of Economic Affairs (SECO)

Mr. Smail Alhilali, Division Chief, Circular Economy and Chemicals Management, UNIDO Headquarters.

It is a privilege to join you today. My sincere thanks to the Ministry of Trade and Industry, UNIDO, and the Swiss State Secretariat of Economic Affairs. 

As the UN Resident Coordinator, one of my great pleasures is seeing first-hand our collaborative efforts translated into real world results. Today's visit to the Suez Canal Economic Zone and Orascom Industrial Park is an exciting opportunity to hear tangible results of this innovative partnership. 

I would like to acknowledge the UN in Egypt’s longstanding collaboration with Switzerland. We are grateful for SECO’s partnership with UNIDO on the Global Eco-Industrial Parks Programme.   

Switzerland is also an important partner across UN agencies in Egypt, including with ILO, ITC, UNDP, UNICEF, UNHABITAT, and UNFPA. We look forward to further strengthening our partnership, and exploring new avenues for collaboration in support of the SDGs.

We signed with the Government of Egypt last year our new UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2023-27. This is the roadmap that guides our strategic partnership and how we work together with the government to deliver the SDGs in Egypt.

Last month we held our annual Joint Steering Committee meeting, co-chaired by H.E. Minister of International Cooperation Rania El-Mashat, and attended by the UN Country Team together with ministries and entities across the government. 

This gave us an opportunity to reflect on our accomplishments in 2023 and chart our course for 2024. 

One of the priorities that emerged for strengthened collaboration this year: advancing a just transition to an environmentally sustainable and inclusive economy. This is essential for long-term, sustainable economic transformation and achieving the SDGs in Egypt.

This is also where Eco-Industrial Parks can come in. As we will hear today, these can be true win-wins for businesses and the environment. 

By adopting sustainable practices and sharing resources, tenant companies can increase energy efficiency, reduce costs, and lower emissions. The commitment to sustainability and efficiency can also elevate attractiveness as investment destinations and support job creation.

This all helps propel Egypt towards a more environmentally friendly, and inclusive economy.

My congratulations to the Ministry of Trade and Industry, UNIDO, and Switzerland for their vision and commitment. This can be a model for sustainable industrial development across Egypt. 

Before I conclude, I also want to acknowledge the critical role of the private sector in achieving the SDGs in Egypt. 

Our Cooperation Framework targets a diversified, competitive, and knowledge-based economy. This requires partnerships with the private sector, and a supportive environment where sustainable businesses can flourish. 

The UN sees a powerful opportunity for accelerating SDG progress through stronger partnerships with private companies. We are reviewing now our engagement with, and support for, the private sector in Egypt. 

I look forward to hearing from the companies represented today.

Thanks once again to the Ministry of Trade and Industry, UNIDO, and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs.