Egypt’s winning the chairmanship of the Economic Commission for Africa’s (ECA) Gender, Poverty and Social Policy Division maximizes means of supporting the continent in safe migration, womens empowerment and social welfare, said the Ministry of Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs on Friday. The cabinet announced on its official Facebook page that Egypt had won the chairmanship of the UN committee for two years, starting from 2020 and for the third consecutive time since the establishment of the body in 1979. It won the majority of votes in elections that saw the participation of more than 50 African countries. Dr. Saber Suleiman, assistant minister of state for emigration and Egyptian expatriates affairs, said this victory helps in achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and the Africa Agenda 2063. He was speaking at the third session of the committee on gender, poverty and social policy that concluded in Addis Ababa on Friday. Minister of Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs Ambassador Nabila Makram stressed that Egypts chairmanship of the committee boosts its leadership role in Africa and maximizes opportunities to support it. She gave her remarks during her participation in the first annual conference for the Boutros-Ghali Foundation for Peace and Knowledge held in downtown Cairo. The conference coincided with former UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali’s birthday. “Ghali proved that diplomacy is a lifestyle and not just a name,” Makram was quoted as saying, pointing out the she met him 2016 and he advised her to increase cooperation with Africa. Makram said she is working on promoting positive models in her foreign visits to motivate more Egyptians to follow this path and emphasize the importance of Africa. In a message to the conference, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Boutros-Ghali “my distinguished predecessor left a significant imprint on the United Nations.” “Serving during a tumultuous period in international affairs, he brought formidable qualities to the job, including deep knowledge as a scholar of international law and great skill as a diplomat.” Boutros-Ghali served as UN chief from 1992-1996. He passed away in 2016.