Egypt's Minister of Planning and Economic Development meets UNDP regional programme director

H.E. Dr. Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development met recently with the Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the UNDP’s Regional Bureau for the Arab States Khalida Bouzar.
 The meeting was attended by Dr. Alessandro Fracasiti, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program in Egypt, Sylvain Merlin, Deputy Resident Representative, and Reham Youssef, Head of Policy and Partnerships. The meeting was attended by Dr. Ahmed Kamali, Deputy Minister, Ambassador Hazem Khairat, Director of the International Cooperation Office, and Dr. Mona Essam, Head of the Sustainable Development Unit at the Ministry.


During the meeting, the Minister of Planning indicated that Dr. Khalida Bouzar's visit to Egypt comes at an important time for cooperation between Egypt and the United Nations Development Program.

El-Said stressed that the United Nations Development Program is an important partner for Egypt, pointing to the aspiration to strengthen that partnership in a wide range of programs and activities, and also confirmed that the Ministry of Planning is fully prepared to work with the UNDP team to support basic development priorities in Egypt.


El-Said said that Egypt prioritizes the development of citizens, finding solutions to the challenges of youth unemployment and inequality, in addition to the challenges of the energy transition to build a resilient nation.


El-Said pointed out that Egypt was able over the past years to introduce reforms in the areas of health, education, scientific research, and adequate housing, and that Egypt has increased its investments in large projects that focus on investing in human capital. Like the "Decent Life" initiative.


During the meeting, the Minister of Planning praised; The commitment of the United Nations Development Program to support Egypt to achieve sustainable human development and lead development innovation in the Arab region, noting its aspiration for the global launch of the Human Development Report 2021/2022 on September 8, 2022.


On Egypt's hosting of the COP 27 climate summit next November in Sharm El Sheikh on behalf of Africa; The Minister of Planning indicated that during the conference, innovative solutions that will help reduce climate change will be reviewed, pointing to cooperation with all stakeholders in this regard, youth, women and civil society.

El-Said indicated that the Ministry of Planning is participating in the preparations for Egypt's hosting of the COP 27 conference, pointing to the implementation of the "Solutions Day", which will be organized by the ministry for entrepreneurs who have ideas and projects aimed at improving the environment.


 El-Said pointed to the ministry's supervision of the national initiative for smart green projects, which represents a sincere effort and reflects the joint work of the relevant ministries and all governorates to confront climate change.


Regarding Egypt's Vision 2030; Dr. Hala El-Said explained that the sustainable development strategy reflects the national development goals that take into account the national context and development priorities and are linked to the international sustainable development goals.


 El-Said pointed out that to reach Egypt's Vision 2030; The country must overcome several challenges, including population growth, and water scarcity, and address funding shortfalls, and the unpredictability caused by global geopolitical conflicts.


The Minister of Planning indicated that Egypt has made great strides in development in many vital sectors over the past eight years, which will be highlighted on the website of the Economic Development Program of the United Nations Development Program "Egyptian Development Gateway.".


For her part, Dr. Khalida Bouzar confirmed; Emphasis on strengthening and deepening cooperation with the Egyptian government and supporting joint projects between the two countries, praising the 2021 Human Development Report recently launched by Egypt, and Egypt's efforts concerning small and medium projects and providing the necessary support for them.