Egypt, UN Implemented $178 Mln in Cooperative Development Programmes in 2023

The Ministry of International Cooperation revealed highlights of 2023’s development cooperation programmes under the umbrella of the strategic partnership framework between Egypt and the United Nations Development Cooperation Organization.

The highlights were announced during the first meeting of the Joint Steering Committee of the framework, which was held on Tuesday and headed by Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat and the Resident Coordinator of the UN in Egypt Elena Panova.

During the meeting, the heads of the outcome groups from the UN agencies and national entities reviewed the results of the joint efforts made during 2023 on five axes of the strategic framework.

In 2023, many programmes were implemented with grants worth $178 million.

Minister Al-Mashat noted that working with the UN is an example of multilateral cooperation in which different parties participate to drive efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, through development grants provided by bilateral development partners.

She added that the UN agencies, in cooperation with national entities, work to implement programs and interventions that come within the framework of national priorities and strategies.

Axis 1: Investing in human capital Within this axis, programmes were implemented by the ministries of social solidarity, health, education, youth, and higher education in cooperation with UNICEF, the World Health Organization, and the United Nations Population Fund.

Basic nutrition services were provided to 181,000 people. Healthcare services were provided to 3.6 million people. Skills development and training were provided to 310,000 young people and children.

Programmes to combat child labour and trafficking benefited 7,000 people.

These programmes were funded by grants worth $97.3 million. Axis 2: Promoting comprehensive and environmentally sustainable economic development.

Within this axis, programmes were implemented by the ministries of planning, finance, and communications as well as the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency in cooperation with the International Labor Organization, UNIDO, and the World Food Programme.

These programmes provided technical support to about 50,500 private sector small, medium and micro-sized enterprises.

This support provided training on entrepreneurship and skills development for about 282,900 people, improving incomes for about 18,600 thousand people.

29 institutions, including micro, small and medium enterprises were integrated into value chains.

Meanwhile, access to new markets was enhanced for 207,530 micro, small and medium enterprises. These programmes were funded by grants worth about $12.9 million.

Axis 3: Building resilience to climate change and natural resource management. Within this axis, the ministries of environment, irrigation, agriculture, housing, and local development implemented programmes in cooperation with UNIDO, the World Food Programme, and the Food and Agriculture Organization.

These programmes reached 28,400 people directly through initiatives to protect nature and promote the sustainable use of resources, rehabilitating 9,100 hectares of land.

12 national, local, and sectoral strategies were developed to reduce disaster risks and increase preparedness, providing early warning services to 150,800 people.

The programmes strengthened nine national mechanisms aimed at supporting the transition to sustainable consumption, reducing 104.9 million tons of harmful pollutants and waste in the environment.

It also enhanced efforts for participatory urban planning and land use efficiency in six governorates, developing 18 national comprehensive urban planning frameworks.

These programmes were funded by grants worth $23.8 million. Axis 4: Governance, transparency and effective participation Within this axis, programmes were implemented by the ministries of foreign affairs, local development, and justice as well as the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics and the Information and Decision Support Centre in cooperation with UNICEF, UNDP, and the UNHCR.

These programmes supported 22 national institutions in strengthening public administration and core government functions.

They also enhanced the coherence of sustainable development policies.

They enabled 318,500 people to register for legal identity and enhanced efforts to report the exploitation and blackmail of children online.

These programmes were funded by grants worth about $28.6 million. Axis 5: Comprehensive empowerment of women and girls.

The programmes in this axis were launched in May after a comprehensive and participatory consultation process with all stakeholders and the UN. More than 60 national partners from ministries, relevant entities, and specialized bodies participated.

They helped develop four measures to promote women's leadership and equal participation in decision-making.

They also supported 74 local networks and platforms to address discriminatory social norms, stereotypes, and harmful practices of gender discrimination.

They also contributed to empowering 46,700 women through 1,380 women-led companies enhancing the access of 14,000 women to digital services and skills and improving their ability to manage businesses.

These programmes were funded by grants worth about $15.4 million.