NIGSD, United Nations University sign MoU in training, advisory fields

Egypt’s National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development (NIGSD) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), on Wednesday, with the United Nations University that will see cooperation in a range of fields.

The MoU was signed by NIGSD Executive Director Sherifa Sherif and Delfina Soares, Head of the United Nations University Operating Unit on Policy-Driven Electronic Governance (UNU-EGOV). The meeting was also attended by Luis Barbosa, Deputy Head of UNU-EGOV, and Elisabete Simoes, Head of Administration at the UNU-EGOV.

 It took place through the "United Nations University Operating Unit on Policy-Driven Electronic Governance" in Portugal.

Egypt’s Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala El-Said, who is also Chairperson of the NIGSD’s Board of Trustees, said the MoU aims to provide a cooperation framework that covers areas of common interest. These include research activities, capacity building, training, and advisory services, as well as the exchange of knowledge and experiences.

The minister added that the close cooperation between the two sides contributes to increasing the impact and effectiveness of each other's programmes, and the faster achievement of their common goals.

She said that the institute has opened communication channels with the United Nations University, as part of the NIGSD’s plan to implement the Sustainable Development Strategy and Egypt’s Vision 2030.

The plan includes preparing Egyptians in the fields of governance and sustainable development, given the university's international standing and previous distinguished business experiences in cooperation with UN member states.

For her part, Sherif said that the cooperation agreement aims initially to implement the training and qualification of 150 trainees in the fields of digital governance, smart administrative governance, smart cities, and societies.

She also said that this training will be the first of the cooperation activities to be implemented in light of the MoU. As part of this, a programme will be implemented to prepare and qualify executive leaders in the areas of administrative governance, digital governance, and smart cities.

El-Said noted that the programme will be put in place due to the critical importance of governance issues and digital transformation in support of the state's administrative reform process.

It also aims to support the endeavour to provide easy and convenient services to citizens, whilst working to save time and costs.

The programme will additionally work towards achieving the current sustainable development goals, especially Goal 16 related to corporate governance, and Goal 17 concerning partnerships as key enablers of the sustainable development plan.

UNU-EGOV, a think-tank dedicated to e-governance, is part of the United Nations University (UNU) and is headquartered in the northern Portuguese city of Guimarães.

It provides a core centre for research, advisory services, and training as well as a bridge between research and public policy. At the same time, it is supportive of innovation, and acts as a strong partner within the UN system and its member states, with a special focus on sustainable development, social inclusion, and active citizenship.