Under the patronage of Egypt's 1st lady, Mrs. Intisar El Sisi, and within the framework of the National Project for Family Development:
11 December 2022
H.E. Dr. Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, participated in the celebration of the National Initiative for Empowering Girls (Dawwie), which was held at the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), under the auspices of Egypt's 1st lady, Mrs. Intisar El Sisi and within the framework of the National Project for the Development of the Egyptian Family.
The celebration witnessed the presence of several officials, ministers and governors such as Dr. Maya Morsi, head of the National Council for Women, Dr. Iman Karim, Secretary General of the National Council for Persons with Disabilities, Dr. Nevin Othman, Secretary General of the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood, and Mr. Jeremy Hopkins, representative of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Egypt, and gentlemen representatives of regional and international organizations.
During her speech, Dr. Hala El-Said said that the celebration is the culmination of fruitful cooperation and serious national work contributed by many state institutions, foremost of which is the National Council for Women and the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood, in cooperation with some international development partners, including UNICEF. El-Said indicated that the goals of the initiative are compatible and integrated with the Egyptian state's approach to supporting and empowering women, which is a bright meeting point in all pillars of the Egyptian state's vision and development programs, as interest in supporting and empowering women has become rooted in the state's development approach. The Minister of Planning asserted that the goal of gender equality is a major goal of the (Dawwie) to ensure that girls and boys have equal opportunities to develop self-expression and participation skills and to develop the ability to make future decisions.
El-Said also affirmed that the Egyptian state has a firm conviction that the empowerment of women must be viewed from a comprehensive and integrated perspective, whether politically, economically, socially, as well as healthily, as women represent the pillar of the family and the cornerstone for building a healthy and sound society. The Egyptian state is also aware that promoting the economic empowerment of women in turn contributes to maximizing the utilization of the productive and creative energies of Egyptian women. This increases the added value and achieves sustainable and comprehensive growth for all members of society.
El-Said pointed out that today marks the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which is considered the international charter that guides all countries when drafting and amending the texts of their national constitutions and the practical measures they adopt aimed at defending human rights and addressing issues related to all rights and freedoms. El-Said said that the Egyptian state is working to support and empower women through many national projects, most notably the national project to develop the villages of the Egyptian countryside, "A Decent Life", which aims to change the face of life for the better for more than half of Egypt's population in villages and rural areas, and at the heart of them are women and girls in rural communities. El-Said referred to the national project for the development of the Egyptian family, where the most prominent comprehensive pillars of this development project were the economic empowerment of women, which intersects with all other axes.
El-Said added that the economic empowerment dimension of the national project for the development of the Egyptian family focuses on motivating women to establish small and micro projects and providing the necessary financing for that, in addition to providing integrated care for women in the age group from 18 to 45 years, and enabling them to contribute to the workforce and achieve material independence.