The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development holds a workshop on "Localizing SDGs in the Egyptian Governorates" in cooperation with UNDP.

The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, in cooperation with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), held a high-level workshop entitled "Localizing the Sustainable Development Goals at the Egyptian Governorates Level: Preparing Voluntary Local Reports." The workshop witnessed the presence of H.E. Dr. Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Major General Hisham Amna, Minister of Local Development, Alessandro Fracasti, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program in Egypt, Major General Khairat Barakat, Head of the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMS), Dr. Ahmed Kamali, Deputy Minister of Planning, Dr. Mona Essam, Assistant Minister for Sustainable Development Affairs. Dr. Ahmed Kamali reviewed the state's general planning law during his speech. He explained that it aims to achieve a participatory approach to the development process within the state with the participation of all concerned parties. It also aims to draw up a holistic integrated system for balanced development planning at the national, regional, local, and sectoral levels by establishing principles and basic rules. This includes decentralization. Dr. Kamali referred to the initiatives to localize the sustainable development goals at the governorate level, pointing to the financing equation for the governorates, the competitiveness index at the governorate level, the national accounts for the governorates, and the human development index (HDI).   The financing equation for the governorates. The Deputy Minister of Planning explained that the ministry began implementing a financing equation for the governorates in 2018. The objective was to improve the efficiency of public investment management in the governorates.       Dr. Ahmed Kamali also referred to the governorate competitiveness index, which will be announced soon at the governorate level, explaining that the ministry is cooperating with the Information and Decision Support Center, the Egyptian National Competitiveness Council, and the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMS).Kamali explained the importance of the national accounts for the governorates, which are used to calculate the available resources for each governorate and the volume of economic activities in it, and monitoring and evaluating development policies at the regional level by following the development in the size of the domestic product, the size of capital formation, employment, and wages at the level of governorates and regions. Dr. Ahmed Kamali explained that the human development index, which is prepared by the ministry in cooperation with the Institute of National Planning, aims to track human development indicators at the regional level, in preparation for its issuance as part of the Human Development Report, to be launched in 2023. For her part, Dr. Mona Essam, Assistant Minister of Planning and Economic Development for Sustainable Development Affairs, indicated that the ministry launched Egypt's Vision 2030 in its first edition in February 2016, which represents the first strategy to be formulated according to the methodology of long-term strategic planning and participatory planning.Essam pointed out that the vision represents a roadmap aimed at maximizing the utilization of competitive elements and advantages. He explained that in 2018, the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development started updating Egypt's Vision 2030 to keep pace with the developments on the stage. This is because it is a living document affected by political, economic, and social variables locally and internationally.Dr. Mona Essam explained that the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals are intertwined and integrated. They affect various aspects of life, including poverty and inequality, the environment and climate, social and human development, economic factors, governance, and partnerships.Regarding Egypt's updated Vision 2030 and the promotion of spatial and local development, Dr. Mona Essam confirmed that the updated vision paid significant attention to achieving social justice and equality for all groups without discrimination, by reducing the gender gap, providing social protection, as well as achieving inclusion and equal opportunities. The second session was entitled "A participatory session with the governorates on the importance of preparing voluntary local reports: best practices and major challenges," with the participation of Dr. Ahmed Kamali, Deputy Minister of Planning and Economic Development, and Dr. Hisham El Helbawy, Assistant Minister of Local Development and Director of the Local Development Program in Upper Egypt.     The session was moderated by Dr. Khaled Zakaria, Director of the Center for Macroeconomic Policies at the Institute of National Planning. The session witnessed some questions and contributions from the governors about the proposed structure of voluntary local reports in the governorates. It also witnessed the mechanisms for their implementation.