The Ministry of International Cooperation revealed the most prominent results of the development cooperation programs and projects that were implemented during the year 2023 under the umbrella of the Egypt and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2023 - 2027. This took place during the Inaugural Joint Steering Committee Meeting, which was held yesterday, headed by H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation, and Elena Panova, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Egypt.
During the meeting, the heads of the results groups from UN agencies and national entities reviewed the results of the joint efforts implemented throughout the year 2023, at the level of the five pillars of the strategic framework, which are: Fostering Human Capital, Sustainable & Inclusive Economic Development, Enhanced Climate Resilience & Efficiency of Resource Management, Transparency, Accountability & Efficient Governance, and Women's EmpowermentDuring the past year, many programs were implemented with grants worth $178 million.
Al-Mashat also highlighted the efforts made between various national entities and UN agencies, pointing out that working with the United Nations is an example of multilateral cooperation in which various parties participate to advance efforts to achieve the SDGs, through development grants that are made available from bilateral development partners. The United Nations agencies work in cooperation with national authorities to implement programs and interventions that come within the framework of national priorities and strategies.
1st Pillar: Fostering Human Capital
Within the framework “Fostering Human Capital”, many programs and activities were implemented in coordination and cooperation between national entities represented by the Ministries of Social Solidarity, Health, Education, and others. This is in addition to UNICEF, the World Health Organization, and the United Nations Population Fund, and 181 were reached. Over one thousand people benefited from basic nutrition services, 3.6 million people benefited from health care services, and 310 thousand young people and children benefited from skills development and training programmes. The implemented interventions strengthened the efforts of the Ministry of Education in developing the preparatory stage. Moreover, 7000 thousand people also benefited from programs to combat child labor and trafficking, and the value of the grants used during the past year amounted to about $97.3 million.
The 2nd Pillar: Sustainable & Inclusive Economic Development
Within the framework of the second pillar, the efforts made during the past year contributed to strengthening technical support efforts for about 50.5 thousand private sector institutions of MSMEs, providing training programs on entrepreneurship and skills development for about 282.9 thousand people, improving the income level of about 18.6 thousand people, and integrating 29 institutions, including MSMEs in value chains, and enhancing the access of 207.53 thousand MSMEs to new markets, and grants for last year amounted to about $12.9 million.
Interventions, activities and programs are being implemented within the framework of this pillar are in coordination between national entities represented by the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, the Ministries of Finance and Communications and Information Technology , and MSMEDA and on the UN side: the International Labor Organization, UNIDO, and the World Food Programme.
The 3rd Pillar: Enhanced Climate Resilience & Efficiency of Resource Management
This pillar includes the Ministries of Environment, Irrigation, Agriculture, Housing, and Local Development, along with UNIDO, the World Food Program, and the Food and Agriculture Organization
The interventions and activities implemented in 2023 succeeded in reaching 28.4 thousand people directly through initiatives to protect nature and enhance the use of natural and sustainable resources, rehabilitating 9.1 thousand hectares of land, developing 12 national, local and sector strategies, policies and plans for disaster risk reduction, preparedness, early warning and response, reaching 150.8 thousand people with early warning information awareness services, and strengthening 9 national mechanisms aimed at supporting the transition to Sustainable consumption and production, reducing 104.9 million tons of harmful pollutants and waste in the environment, promoting enhanced participatory urban planning efforts and efficient land use in 6 governorates, developing 18 national urban frameworks that adopt comprehensive urban management and planning methods. Grants worth $23.8 million were used to implement these projects.
The 4th Pillar: Transparency, Accountability & Efficient Governance
Through joint efforts between national authorities represented by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, the Ministries of Local Development, Justice, the Information and Decision Support Centre, UNICEF, the UNDP, and the UNHCR, many measures have been implemented. Interventions contributed to supporting 22 national institutions to strengthen public administration and basic government functions, in addition to supporting data collection and analysis mechanisms/initiatives to monitor progress towards achieving the SDGs and enhancing the coherence of sustainable development policies, enabling 318.5 thousand people to register to obtain a legal identity, and strengthening efforts reporting on the exploitation and extortion of children via the internet, and implementing 13 initiatives and programs for South-South and triangular cooperation. Grants during 2023 amounted to about $28.6 million.
The 5th Pillar: Women's Empowerment
Regarding the empowerment of women and girls, grants to programs implemented during the past year amounted to about $15.4 million. These programs contributed to the development and implementation of 4 measures to enhance women’s leadership and equal participation in decision-making, and supported 74 local networks/platforms to address discriminatory social norms, stereotypes, and practices. It aims to empower 46,700 women through 1,380 female-led companies, enhance 14,000 women’s access to digital services and skills, and improve their ability to manage businesses.
23 private sector institutions also signed the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), bringing the total number to more than 100, enhancing the benefit of 39.7 thousand women and girls, including women and youth with disabilities and refugee women, from services to combat violence against women and girls, and reaching 2.7 million women and girls. Through initiatives to prevent violence against women and girls, and reaching 144.7 thousand girls through girls-focused programs to enhance their life skills through the “Noura” and “Dawwie” programs.
These efforts were implemented in coordination between the National Council for Women, the Ministries of Manpower, Youth, and Migration, the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood, and on the UN side: UN Women, UNICEF, the United Nations Population Fund, and the International Organization for Migration.
It is worth noting that the new framework was launched last May, after a process of participatory and comprehensive consultations with all relevant entities and the United Nations, in which more than 60 national partners from ministries, concerned authorities and specialized bodies participated.
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