It has meanwhile witnessed an unprecedented global crisis with the outbreak of Covid-19 and the international efforts to combat its negative repercussions with far reaching implications that threaten progress across all 17 Sustainable Development Goals. More than ever before, the value and critical role of multilateralism and international cooperation have been magnified as all development stakeholders were united to act within new realities to build back better. Furthermore, the pandemic has underscored the need to unlock resources – monetary and non-monetary – and has in turn highlighted the indisputable role of international development cooperation for collective action. And, to realize this action, a process of creating, interpreting, and negotiating meaning to sustainable development is not only necessary but inevitable.

The Egypt International Cooperation Forum (Egypt-ICF) is held under the high patronage of Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt. It brings together national and international policymakers, multilateral and bilateral development partners, private sector, civil society, and think tanks to join efforts in identifying the parameters of sustainable recovery and modalities for required actions to achieve value-centric results. The two-days Forum will underscore the significance of multilateralism with emphasis on country ownership for “building back better” in transition economies and developing countries, with a special focus on Africa.