Egypt’s Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat and UN Resident Coordinator in Egypt Richard Dictus co-chaired the regular meeting for the Steering Committee of the Strategic Framework for the Partnership between Egypt and the United Nations for the period 2018-2022.
The meeting took place at the Ministry of International Cooperation’s headquarters, to discuss the achievements of recent projects, and the proposed plan during fiscal year (FY) 2020/21.
Representatives from UN agencies and programmes in Egypt participated in the video conference, in addition to representatives from Egypt’s Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Justice, Education, Local Development, Agriculture, Manpower, Trade and Industry, Environment, Social Solidarity, Planning, and Health.
The Ministry of International Cooperation oversees the strategic framework’s implementation, and chairs the framework committee in conjunction with Dictus. The framework agreement’s estimated budget since its signing in 2018 stands at about $1.2bn.
Minister Al-Mashat said that her ministry is working with UN agencies to deepen cooperation to support the government’s efforts to achieve sustainable development.
She noted that the strategic framework for partnership with the UN was formulated according to the outcomes of the national consultations with ministries and relevant government agencies. Input has also come from the UN agencies working in Egypt, civil society organisations and the private sector.
The minister added that the four pathways being followed under the strategic framework aim to achieve sustainable development. This includes working towards achieving comprehensive economic development; providing job opportunities; building capabilities and training; localising technology and supporting vocational training plans; as well as supporting small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Importance has also been given towards empowering women, with a focus on increasing their capacity and participation in leadership positions and the labour market. This also focuses on empowering both them socially and economically.
During the meeting, the heads of the four working groups presented reports on the efforts made during 2019/2020, and what was achieved during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis in coordination with the Ministry of International Cooperation. The meeting also reviewed the goals of the strategic framework for the partnership during the year 2020/2021.
They indicated that it is intended to provide a budget estimated at $80m for the first axis related to comprehensive economic development; about $346m for the second axis related to social justice; $58m for the natural and environmental resources sustainability axis, and a further $48m for the fourth axis.
Officials of a number of ministries also shared their observations on the proposed action plans to be taken into account during implementation, in order to achieve the desired goals.
