On Thursday, the Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat met with Dr. Kevin Frey, the CEO of the global Initiative “Generation Unlimited” during the activities of the World Youth Forum’s 4th edition, held under the auspices of the H.E. President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi.
The forum witnessed the launch of the Egyptian version of the aforementioned UN international initiative under the name “Shabab Balad”.
During the meeting, Al-Mashat spoke to Frey about the future steps needed to develop and execute the framework, which has seen great success when it was established in over 50 countries around the world. Egypt is the first country in the Middle East and Africa that will witness the UN program, and this will have a key role in integrating the state’s efforts in empowering youth and in developing their capabilities through education, employability, entrepreneurship, and engagement.
The meeting also addressed the need for collective action by various relevant stakeholders from ministries, UN agencies, development partners, youth, private sector, and civil society.
Al-Mashat also emphasized the importance of utilizing Multi-stakeholder Platforms through which the Ministry of International Cooperation convenves all relevant entities to unify and streamline visions to ensure the effective implementation of the initiative, and to establish integration across stakeholders.
The Minister also applauded the joint cooperation between Egypt and the United Nations, which is reflected across many areas, being that Egypt is also a founding member of the UN.
For his part, Frey also expressed his gratitude for the initiative’s launch at the World Youth Forum, as the event has become an international platform bringing together youth from across the world, alongside decision-makers, to enhance the exchange of ideas and visions. He also noted that this initiative will ensure the participation of youth in terms of empowerment and in terms of investing in their capabilities. Ever since its launch in 2018, about 220 million youth across 50 countries have benefited from “Generation Unlimited”.
It is worth noting that the “Shabab Balad” initiative was launched during a panel at the World Youth Forum including the participation of H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation, alongside Dr. Kevin Frey, the CEO of the global Initiative “Generation Unlimited”; the United Nations Children's Fund’s (UNICEF) Executive Director, Henrietta Fore; the UNICEF Representative in Egypt, Jeremy Hopkins; the US Ambassador to Egypt, Jonathan Cohen; the UK Ambassador to Egypt, Gareth Bailey; Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Vezeeta, Amir Barsoum; and representatives from the private sector and youth, alongside Passant Diaa Eldin, a member from the WYF organization team and a representative of youth. The UNICEF has been chosen as a focal point among the UN agencies to implement the initiative in Egypt, and in cooperation with the Office of the country’s UN Resident Coordinator, and other UN agencies in Egypt.
The Ministry of International Cooperation is responsible for supervising the implementation of the strategic framework for the partnership with the United Nations. It also co-chairs the steering committee alongside Egypt’s UN Resident Coordinator, in accordance with the national development agenda. The Ministry is currently working on executing the current framework, and on the establishment of the upcoming framework for cooperation 2023/2027.
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