UN Women, the National Council for Women (NCW), UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency in Egypt, and the Government of Japan, represented by the Embassy of Japan in Egypt, launched a new phase of the “Humanitarian Response with Sustainable Impact: Sustainable Livelihoods and Social Cohesion” programme in Egypt. The programme, part of a regional initiative, aims to provide sustainable solutions to refugee, displaced, and host community women in Egypt, Iraq, and Syria.
The new phase of the programme builds on the successes of previous years and seeks to enhance livelihoods, social cohesion, and climate resilience in targeted areas in Cairo, Alexandria, and Aswan. It aims at strengthening the resilience of at least 300 vulnerable women and girls in Egypt who have been affected by conflict, crisis, and climate change, and addressing their urgent needs through sustainable livelihoods, protection, social cohesion, and climate action.
The event was organized by E-Youth, the national implementing partner in Egypt and featured keynote speeches by Marwa Alameldeen, Officer in Charge, UN Women Egypt; Eraj Imomberdiev, Assistant Representative for Operations, UNHCR Egypt; a representative of the Embassy of Japan in Egypt; and Ms. May Mahmoud, Head of Women Business Center, the National Council for Women.
In her speech, Alameldeen said: “UN Women is pleased to continue its implementation of the programme in close partnership with the National Council for Women and UNHCR Egypt with the generous support of the Embassy of Japan.” She highlighted that the programme has reached over 3,000 refugees, primarily women and children, fleeing the conflict in Sudan and explained that the new phase builds upon that success, focusing on Sudanese refugees in Aswan, Cairo, and Alexandria. She concluded her remarks by saying: “UN Women looks forward to a successful year of implementation in partnership with its partners to achieve even deeper results.”
“We are proud to launch this initiative, a testament to the power of collaboration between UN Women and UNHCR. This initiative aims to build stronger, more resilient communities by focusing on sustainable livelihoods and social cohesion. We are especially grateful to the Embassy of Japan and NCW for their invaluable support and partnership. Together, we can empower individuals, particularly women and vulnerable groups, to thrive and contribute meaningfully to their host communities and countries of origin upon their return,” said Imomberdiev.
The representative of the Embassy of Japan in Egypt praised the roles of UN Women, UNHCR, and the National Council for Women to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable women and girls including refugees and host community women in Egypt living under a severe condition. He highlighted that Japan has been cooperating with UN Women through Leadership, Empowerment, Access and Protection (LEAP) related projects since 2017 based on the human security concept that “no one is left behind”, by offering protection from gender-based violence, capacity building, vocational training, and psychological and financial support, and by promoting women’s leadership in peacebuilding. He also stated that the LEAP projects, to which Japan has provided a total of 14 million USD, contribute to the achievement of gender equality, empowerment of women, and WPS (Women, Peace and Security).
In her remarks, Mai Mahmoud expressed her happiness with the completion of the successful project in partnership with the National Council for Women, UN Women, UNHCR, and the Government of Japan. She emphasized that what distinguishes this project is that it integrates Egyptian women with refugee women, contributing to the enhancement of cultural exchange and benefiting from successful experiences. She also expressed her pride in the project’s graduates from previous phases, as they have become business owners, participating with the National Council for Women in various exhibitions and events, including Expo 2020. Concluding her remarks, she added that she looks forward to witnessing more success stories and sustainability of projects by the beneficiaries of the project since its inception.
The event also included several testimonials from the beneficiaries of the previous phases of the programme, including Sudanese refugee women and vulnerable host community members, where they shared the programme’s impact and their success stories of overcoming challenges and building resilience. The day concluded with a heartwarming gesture as attendees and participants received samples of the chocolates developed by the project’s previous beneficiaries.
