On Monday, Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation, Rania A. Al-Mashat met with International Consultant Antonio Vigilante on the UN’s Contribution to the Presidential Initiative Hayah Karima (Decent Life).
The Presidential Initiative Hayah Karima “Decent Life” is a major part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2023/2027, and for our future plans with development partners.
The UN delegation held 25 meetings with relevant entities and visited villages supported by Hayah Karima (Decent Life) to discuss proposed activities that can contribute to the implementation of the presidential initiative.
The UN presented 4 tracks of contributions via human capital development activities across villages supported by Hayah Karima (Decent Life) initiative.
The Minister of International Cooperation H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat met with Antonio Vigilante, International Consultant and the former Resident Coordinator in Egypt for the UN and the UNDP, alongside Elena Panova, the current United Nations Resident Coordinator in Egypt, during the end of his visit, where a number of coordination and consultation meetings with ministries and relevant entities took place.
The visit included discussions establishing an integrated approach for the United Nations interventions with the Government of Egypt, within the framework of the rural development program, Hayah Karima (Decent Life) presidential initiative. This meeting was attended by the Ministry of International Cooperation’s Assistant Minister for Strategic Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Mrs. Randa Hamza; and the Head of Cooperation with International Finance Institutions, Dr. Mohamed Abdel-Gawad.
This comes within the framework of the close partnership between Egypt and the UN, as well as alongside directives by H.E. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to mobilize support and funding towards the Hayah Karima (Decent Life) initiative, so as to improve the standard of living in rural areas, as well as to follow-up on the results of the meetings held by H.E. the Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly with development partners, including the UN, last October, where they discussed Hayah Karima, and how to build on the efforts of the Government of Egypt to expand the initiative to achieve integrated development across rural villages.
The meetings looked into the results of meetings held by Vigilante and the UN officials, including 25 consultations with government entities and stakeholders, alongside 2 field visits to 2 governorates that receive support from the Hayah Karima initiative, as a way to showcase the efforts undertaken by the Government of Egypt in the presidential initiative, alongside discussing opportunities for effective cooperation with the UN within the initiative’s framework.
Al-Mashat explained that the Hayah Karima (Decent Life) Presidential Initiative will be a major aspect for the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2023/2027, as the Ministry of International Cooperation is working to incorporate the initiative into upcoming strategies with all development partners. This is also reflected by the Ministry’s keenness to enhance joint partnerships with the UN and relevant entities to develop a clear and accurate vision of the UN’s contribution to the Hayah Karima initiative.
The Minister added that cooperation between Egypt and the UN comes within the framework of fruitful and constructive partnerships through the UN Partnership Development Framework (UNPDF) for 2018 - 2022, and the new strategic framework; the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) for 2023 - 2027, alongside commitment by the Government of Egypt to enhance cooperation with its multilateral and bilateral development partners.
Al-Mashat stressed the strategic importance of the discussions that take place within the framework of the Hayah Karima (Decent Life) Presidential Initiative, which is the largest national project in the country’s history, aimed at achieving integrated development for over half the population via infrastructure projects and investment in human capital.
The Minister applauded the strategic partnership between Egypt and the United Nations, which extends for decades, alongside the Government of Egypt’s development efforts, through which it has achieved positive results across sectors, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Al-Mashat emphasized her confidence that the current discussions within the framework of the new partnership will be reflected positively through future results, enhancing the country’s commitment to improving the lives of citizens, and to increased development cooperation between both sides.
For her part, Elena Panova, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Egypt, proposed the tracks of contribution from the UN for the Hayah Karima initiative. This includes track 1 being to “Continue, Expand, Extend”, following up on existing activities and expanding implementation in cooperation with government entities, which currently includes 400 ongoing activities that are directed to over 1.4 million beneficiaries. Secondly is “Coordinated, Synchronized, and Refined Contribution” by investing in human capital in several areas such as, health, education, empowering youth, strengthening governance, supporting climate action, and empowering women and girls. This is alongside benefiting from previous national and international experiences and by placing the Hayah Karima initiative as a priority within the UNSDCF 2023/2027. The third track “Enabling a UN Joint Programme” incorporates aligning the presidential initiative’s goals with that of the UN SDGs, with strengthened monitoring and evaluation systems. Lastly, the fourth track is “Capturing and Disseminating Hayah Karima as an Anti-poverty and SDG Best Practice”.
Last December, the Ministry of International Cooperation and the United Nations, held a meeting on the results and updates of the UN Partnership Development Framework (UNPDF); the strategic cooperation framework between Egypt and the United Nations for 2018-2022. This took place with the participation of over 75 representatives of the United Nations affiliated agencies, ministers, and relevant stakeholders. During that meeting, the UN’s role in implementing projects as part of the Decent Life initiative was discussed, as well as the proposed future plan for implementation.
The strategic framework for the partnership between Egypt and the UN, which was launched in 2006, is a comprehensive document that organizes frameworks of cooperation with UN agencies. In May 2021, Al-Mashat and Panova launched the roadmap for the new strategic framework UNSDCF (2023-2027), which aims to support the government’s efforts in implementing economic, social and environmental development; consistent with the 2030 global goals.
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