Egypt’s Ministry of Planning and Economic Development has succeeded, for the second time, in having three of its initiatives included on the UN’s “Best Practices that Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” platform.
The platform was set up by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA).
This follows on from the ministry’s success in including the “Decent Life” presidential initiative on the UNDESA’s electronic platform. The three initiatives include: the Pioneers 2030 Project; the Development Program in Upper Egypt; and the integrated system for the preparation and follow-up of the investment plan.
Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, said that her ministry’s success is an indication of the Egyptian state’s success, and its keenness to achieve the SDGs.
It is also evidence of Egypt’s progress in the right approach towards implementing international and local goals represented in its Vision 2030. She affirmed the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development’s keenness on the consistency of its projects with the SDGs.
El-Said added that the projects listed were chosen based on several considerations, which are to highlight the efforts of the Egyptian Government in achieving sustainable development. It also serves to highlight that each initiative covers more than one of the UN’s goals, whilst focusing on the initiatives concerned with the neediest groups.
This is in addition to the initiatives which have achieved tangible results on the ground and positively affected the lives of citizens.
The ministry has issued a report on several of its development programmes. It looked at the local development programme in Upper Egypt, which, as a government programme, is partially supported by the World Bank.
The report noted that the programme is an example of coordination and integration between ministries and state institutions.
The Upper Egypt development programme aims to improve the living standards for citizens in the region, provide decent services, and implement projects in the governorates of Upper Egypt, particularly in Sohag and Qena.
It aims: to make Upper Egypt more attractive for investments; improve the living conditions of citizens; and to develop a model for integrated regional and local development that can be replicated elsewhere in Egypt.
The programme’s work methodology depends on focusing on pumping investments with institutional development, and the development of local capacities. It also includes the development of work systems so that the governorates can manage local development efficiently and effectively within a framework of decentralisation.
Concerning the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development’s Rowad 2030 project, the report indicated that the project aims to build an integrated and comprehensive ecosystem for entrepreneurship that enables young people to create their projects.
This, in turn, contributes to consolidating the role of entrepreneurship in the development of the national economy through the implementation of the four pillars of the project. These pillars are: education and training; awareness campaigns on entrepreneurship and business incubators; capacity building for government officials; and the Rowad 2030 project approach.
The report on the integrated system for the preparation and follow-up on the investment plan indicated that the system aims to link the UN’s SDGs and the goals of Egypt’s Vision 2030 with the Egyptian Government’s work programme for 2018-2022.
This also aims to link these efforts with all development projects implemented by support agencies in Egypt. It will additionally enable all major and subsidiary agencies to formulate their development plans, and submit proposals for those plans through electronic forms for requesting funding, which is in line with the nature of the various reference agencies.
It is noteworthy that the UN’s electronic platform aims to shed light on examples of practices set up by programmes, projects, initiatives, or policies, that contribute to bridging gaps and facing challenges. The platform also aims to accelerate the implementation of the UN’s SDGs, as well as support efforts to face the repercussions of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and the recovery from it.
