Egypt’s Minister of Planning and Economic Development discusses with (UNICEF) child issues in Cop27

H.E. Dr. Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, received Mr. Jeremy Hopkings, United Nations Children 'S FUND (UNICEF) Representative in Egypt, and the accompanying delegation to discuss the effects of climate change on children.
The meeting also discussed issues of concern to children, which will be addressed within the framework of Egypt's hosting of the COP27 Summit of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change.
At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. Hala El-Said stressed the importance of the effective role of UNICEF in protecting children and youth, helping to meet their basic needs, and providing opportunities for society to benefit from their potential, which is fully consistent with the development priorities in Egypt. El-Said pointed out that the Egyptian society is a young society that represents about 65% of the total population, and this segment is considered the real wealth of Egypt.El-Said added that the state aims to exploit its energies as a productive workforce, and this goal represents the main pillar of the country's development plans and programs, the most important of which is Egypt's Vision 2030.
El-Said referred to the "Be an Ambassador" initiative, explaining that this initiative is characterized by the fact that it brings together more than one value and achieves many considerations that the Egyptian state attaches great importance to, including strengthening the state's efforts to qualify human cadres capable of leading development efforts within the framework of expanding investment in people.In the Egyptian family development plan, El-Said explained that the general strategic objective of this plan is to improve the quality of life of the Egyptian citizen and families by controlling the rapid growth rates and improving the characteristics of the population.


El-Said referred to the plan’s axes of economic empowerment, service intervention, cultural and awareness intervention, digital transformation, and axis of legislative intervention. 
El-Said talked about the state's efforts to increase the percentage of green projects in the medium-term plan and the investment plan through the application of environmental sustainability standards.
 El-Said pointed out that the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment, launched a guide to environmental sustainability standards for the first time.
El-Said explained that the percentage of green projects in the investment plan for the year 2021/2020 was 15%, but the current year 2021/2022 reached 30%, and it is targeted to reach 50% by 2024/2025.

El-Said emphasized the role of the private sector as a key partner in achieving sustainable development goals. The role of Egypt's Sovereign Fund in attracting green investments commensurate with Egypt's vision of transforming into a green economy.
El-Said noted the launch of a package of incentives for green economy projects; In light of the great interest that the Egyptian state attaches to these types of projects.


For his part, Jeremy Hopkins confirmed UNICEF's keenness to work with the Egyptian government on all issues of concern to children, pointing out that Egypt's hosting of the Cop27 meeting is a good opportunity to raise awareness among Egyptian and African children in particular.


During the meeting, the Minister of Planning and Economic Development agreed to coordinate with UNICEF to expand cooperation, especially in the field of awareness-raising, using appropriate tools and curricula, as well as expanding the use of the RAPIDRO technology, which relies on sending short messages to raise awareness on various topics.


This technology allows its user to have a great deal of interaction with correct information about health issues, climate, and other topics.