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H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat has been Egypt’s Minister of International Cooperation since December 2019, and has previously served as the first female Minister of Tourism (Jan 2018 -Dec 2019). Al-Mashat enjoys more than 20 years of international experience in central banking, financial systems, monetary policy frameworks, sustainable development, climate finance, and international cooperation policies and strategies. As a co-founder and a member of several advisory boards, international alliances and societies, Al-Mashat pushes forward partnerships and multilateralism as key enablers to accelerate sustainable development, climate action and gender equality. Managing the country’s partnerships with numerous bilateral and multilateral development institutions, she ensures the alignment and synergies of development finance and activities across different economic sectors.

Her previous roles at the IMF, working with governments in the Middle East and Central Asia, Africa and Asia, expanded her expertise of development systems and structural reforms in developing and emerging economies. Al-Mashat has several publications in monetary policy, financial stability and instructional reforms. In her capacity as Minister, she represents Egypt as Governor in several international financial institutions, including the World Bank Group, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, and Arab Bank for Economic Development; and as Alternate Governor of Egypt at the African Development Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and Islamic Development Bank.

Al-Mashat is a member of the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) GenU Global Leadership Council, Founding Member of the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), and Member of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Mission Possible for Climate Action, Co-Chair of the MENA Stewardship Board (WEF); and Member of the New Economy and Society Stewardship Board (WEF). There were several board affiliations, including the Egyptian Stock Exchange, the Egyptian General Authority for Free Zones and Investment, the Arab International Bank, the Arab Investment Bank, and the Middle East Economic Association.

In June 2021, Al-Mashat launched a book titled “Stakeholder Engagement Through Economic Diplomacy” for London School of Economics. She contributed several chapters to the International Monetary Fund’s book, titled, “Advancing the Frontiers of Monetary Policy,” published in 2018 and edited by Maurice Obstfeld, the Chief Economist at the time. Moreover, she pioneered an international inclusive and consultative process to translate climate pledges into implementable projects in developing countries and transition economies, producing the “Sharm El-Sheikh Guidebook for Just Financing,” which presents an actionable agenda for all relevant stakeholder listing their roles in achieving just financing outcomes, and maximizing the effectiveness and efficiency of existing climate finance architecture.

Al-Mashat received several international and domestic awards and recognitions; the “2022 Most Visionary and Outstanding Minister of International Cooperation in Africa” Award by the Institute for African Studies Elliott School of International Affairs George Washington University and the GE7 Initiative; the “2019 Global Champion Award” from the World Tourism and Travel Council for launching the Egypt—Tourism Reform Program that has created resilience to the sector; the “2019 Global Leader’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Industry,” as the Ministry of Tourism has contributed the most to the global travel and tourism industry in 2018 and 2019 as Egypt’s tourism revenues recorded a new historical high; the “2019 United Nations World Tourism Organization Destination Marketing Award,” for best promotion video for a destination; and the “2019 Leadership in Tourism Award” from the International Institute for Peace and Tourism.

She was selected among the top 50 most influential women in the Egyptian economy in 2015; the 2014 and 2015 “Choiseul Institute 100 Africa: Economic Leaders for Tomorrow”; the 2014 Young Global Leaders (YGL) by the World Economic Forum (WEF); and the 2014 top 10 most powerful women in the Egyptian Banking Sector. She was also selected to the Government of France’s 2013 International Visitor Leadership Program; the 2013 Distinguished Alumni Award, School of Business, American University in Cairo (AUC), and the 2004 Ibn Khaldoun prize for the best paper on one or more Middle Eastern countries given by the Middle East Economic Association. The paper was titled “Monetary Policy and Public Debt Management: An Empirical Assessment of the Egyptian Experience.”

Al-Mashat received her PhD an MA in Economics from the University of Maryland, College Park, USA, and BA in Economics from the American University in Cairo (AUC). She completed Executive Education certificates in Leadership and Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and Transformational Leadership from Said Business School at Oxford University.