International Cooperation Minister attends Future Investment Initiative in Saudi Arabia

CAIRO – 27 January 2021: Minister of State for International Cooperation Rania A. Al-Mashat attended on Wednesday the Future Investment Initiative (FII) 4th Edition Program Multi-Hub Conference, which will curate a rich and global conversation on future policies that will help mobilize resources and collaboration for a resilient COVID-19 recovery.

Over 140 private sector leaders, policy makers, investors and other stakeholders will participate both virtually and physically to express support for multilateralism and provide relevant policy recommendations to ensure effective and productive collaboration within public-private investment mechanisms.

The FII Institute is hosting the conference on January 27-28 at the King Abdul Aziz International Conference Center (KAICC) in Riyadh. Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Governor of the Public Investment Fund and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Future Investment Initiative, will be opening the multi-hub conference this year that falls under the theme “The Neo-Renaissance'' to reimagine the global economy alongside the COVID-19 pandemic.

The conference brings about inclusive and productive dialogue on the powerful role of the private sector in making gender equality a reality, where Al-Mashat will be participating in two sessions, the first is titled "How to Strengthen Partnerships to Reflect the Prevailing Geopolitical Reality," and the second is, “Business Community Solutions to Empower Women and Achieve Gender Equality.”

Using the power of the private sector to deliver on gender equality, Al-Mashat highlighted that this conference will act as a main catalyst to developing meaningful collaborations to mobilize resources and the exchange of innovative ideas.

In July 2020, the Ministry of International Cooperation, together with the World Economic Forum and the National Council for Women, launched the “Closing the Gender Gap Accelerator” the first of its kind public-private collaboration model in Africa, and the Middle East and North Africa, that aims to help governments and businesses take decisive action to close economic gender gaps, increasing women’s participation in the labour force, closing gender gaps, advancing women into leadership positions and hardwiring gender parity in the future of work.

The Ministry of International Cooperation’s portfolio includes overall around 34 projects worth $3.3 billion, which are being executed to achieve the targets of gender equality, with the top targeted sectors including Health (20%), Education (14%), and Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) (15%).