Planning Minister launches the guide for a gender-responsive sustainable development plan

Dr. Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, launched the guide for a gender-responsive sustainable development plan, on the sidelines of her participation in the celebration of honoring the Egyptian woman and the ideal mother 2021 yesterday, with the presence of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.Dr. Hala El-Said pointed out that the guide is the first of its kind that establishes clear and applicable mechanisms and controls for integrating social groups such as women, children, and people with special needs in development plans.The Minister of Planning and Economic Development added that the guide places Egypt at the forefront of countries in the region that give top priority to integrating the gender-responsive plan into all development programs and interventionsThrough an integrated process, the guide includes monitoring the qualitative gaps between the different groups, developing plans and programs that meet these gaps, as well as following up and evaluating the developmental impact them in all sectors, while giving priority to financing projects that take into account these categories.On the importance of the guide, El-Said pointed out that it aims to create an encouraging environment to increase the participation of women in economic activity in light of the directions of Egypt's Vision 2030 and mitigate the effects of the Corona pandemic.The guide also directs government agencies towards implementing development programs and projects that work to implement the state’s vision in the field of social care for women and children.It also gives priority to funding for these programs and projects in sustainable development plans and provides women with the opportunity to prioritize plans, programs, and development projects.El-Said explained that the guide was prepared in cooperation with the "Macroeconomic Reform and Stability" project funded by the United States Agency for International Development and with the participation of experts from 20 bodies, most notably the National Council for Women, the National Council for Disability Affairs, and the College of Economics and Political Science.El-Said pointed out that the guide includes developmental interventions to meet gender needs in 11 sectors, namely education, health, culture, sports, media, agriculture and irrigation, transportation, local development, workforce, social solidarity, housing, industry, investment and financing, of which more than 60 interventions specific to women, and 65 indicators to evaluate the performance of these interventions.The guide includes; the legislative and institutional framework for gender-responsive planning and the relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals, the pioneering international experiences in this field, the lessons learned from them, and the responsive planning matrix in the various sectors.