Planning Minister’s Assistant for sustainable development affairs reviews the "Decent Life" initiative in India

The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, represented by Dr. Mona Essam, Assistant Minister for Sustainable Development Affairs, participated recently on the third day of the first meeting of the technical working group on development for the G20 countries, which was held in Mumbai, India.The participation came during the session on the "Lifestyle for Environment" initiative, which was launched by the Indian Prime Minister at the twenty-sixth session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (CoP 26), with the aim of working to modify the behavior of individuals in their daily lives, thus contributing to climate action.During her participation, Dr. Mona Essam praised the idea of the initiative. She stressed the need to find innovative and scientific mechanisms to ensure that developing countries do not fall behind in a just transition.As these countries are witnessing significant challenges due to the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic and the geopolitical situation, including the debt crisis, high inflation and unemployment, and the need to expand social protection networks.Essam added that despite this, there are still many opportunities to face these challenges. We can achieve these opportunities by designing and implementing policies and programs that take into account climate change and the principle of leaving no one behind.She drew attention to the centrality of partnerships, the exchange of experiences, and the transfer of knowledge between countries and between them. She also indicated that what distinguishes this initiative is the focus on one of the missing links, which is behavior.Essam said that in light of Egypt's presidency of the twenty-seventh session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (CoP 27), Egypt stressed the need to move from the pledge stage to the implementation stage, so Egypt launched many projects and initiatives in this regard.The Assistant Minister of Planning for Sustainable Development Affairs reviewed the presidential initiative, “A Decent Life,” noting that it focuses on improving the livelihoods of citizens in Egyptian villages to achieve balanced regional development through direct, climate-sensitive interventions with the aim of developing infrastructure, creating job opportunities, and providing quality education and health services. This is largely a continuation of the Decent Life Initiative.  Essam highlighted the inclusion of the "Decent Life" initiative among the leading global practices in the online platform "Best Practices for the Sustainable Development Goals" of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA).Essam continued that, based on the success achieved by the “Decent Life” initiative at the national level, Egypt launched during the (CoP 27) conference the “Decent Life for an Africa Resilient in Climate Change” initiative, which aims to support the implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement.Concluding her participation, Dr. Mona Essam stressed that integrating the concept of a "lifestyle for the environment" into various initiatives such as the Decent Life Initiative could represent a major step towards achieving a climate-friendly ecosystem and a push towards ensuring that no one is left behind.