Deputy Minister of Planning and Economic Development chairs Technical Secretariat Meeting to Follow up on SDGs in Egypt

Dr. Ahmed Kamali, Deputy Minister of Planning and Economic Development chaired the technical secretariat meeting to follow up on the implementation of the sustainable development goals (SDGs), in the presence of Dr. Mona Essam, Assistant Minister of Planning for Sustainable Development Affairs, and with the participation of the members of the committee, representatives of government agencies, the private sector, and civil society.

During the meeting, Dr. Ahmed Kamali stressed the importance of the participation of the private sector and civil society, as the achievement of sustainable development goals must be achieved through the concerted efforts of all segments of society.

Moreover, the Deputy Minister of Planning reviewed the most important developments in the sustainable development file in Egypt during the last period and also discussed some topics, including updating Egypt's Vision 2030, the localization and financing of the SDGs, in addition to the report of the national consultations on the implementation of Africa's Agenda 2063.

Concerning updating Egypt's Vision 2030, Dr. Ahmed Kamali explained that the Ministry of Planning is responsible for leading efforts to update the vision to keep pace with changes in the local and international arena, as the vision is a living document that reflects the changes taking place at all levels, referring to the governing principles of the updated vision represented by the human being as the focus of development, justice and availability, flexibility and adaptation.

 

He further explained that 7 possibilities accelerate the achievement of the goals of Egypt’s Vision 2030, which are providing financing, achieving technological progress and innovation, promoting digital transformation, producing and making data available, creating a supportive legislative and institutional environment, in addition to providing a system of supportive cultural values, and controlling population growth.

 

Dr. Ahmed Kamali referred to the localization of sustainable development goals. He explained that Egypt's Vision 2030 focuses on balanced development sectorally and spatially, which is linked to equality and justice without discrimination to achieve the leave no one behind (LNOB) principle.

 

 

 

She referred to the cooperation with United Nations organizations and national experts to launch 27 reports on localizing sustainable development goals at the governorate level. This was done in 2021.

Kamali added that the governorates showed significant interest in these reports. These reports explain the development situation in each governorate, and what is the target for each governorate in each indicator of the UN Agenda for Sustainable Development 2030.

 

In the same context, the Deputy Minister of Planning said that the decent life initiative must have a reflection on the developmental situation in Egyptian villages and aims to eradicate poverty in all its forms, pointing to the launch of the competitiveness index at the governorate level soon, which will have a reflection on the competitive situation of Egypt as a result of the positive competition between the governorates in order to improve their arrangement.

Dr. Ahmed Kamali explained that in 2021, Egypt was among the 10 countries worldwide to submit 3 voluntary reports on sustainable development goals. These reports were submitted to the High-level Political Forum in New York.

He noted Egypt's intention to prepare local voluntary reports at the governorate level on achieving sustainable development goals and efforts in this regard.

He noted the willingness of many governorates to provide such reports. The governorates of Fayoum, Lake, and Port Said were selected as the first stage for providing their local voluntary reports this year.

On financing the Sustainable Development Goals, Dr. Ahmed Kamali referred to the launch of the Financing Sustainable Development Report in Egypt in 2022. This was under the Arab League umbrella.

 

He referred to the role of the Ministry of Planning as a coordinator for the Egyptian government during the drafting of the Sustainable Development Financing Report in Egypt. This report was the first of its kind globally in enhancing national and international bodies' participation and interaction.

 

The Deputy Minister of Planning stated that concerning the African Agenda 2063, Egypt submitted two national reports to follow up on the implementation of the agenda in 2019 and 2021, pointing to the increase in Egypt's overall performance from 19% in 2019 to 45% in the 2021 report, as a result of the availability of more data and the improvement of Egypt's performance in the 2021 report. Implement some goals.

 

 

 He added that Egypt would submit, during the next few days, a report to the national consultations on Africa's Agenda 2063.

 

Kamali reviewed the most significant steps taken to prepare the report.

 

For her part, Dr. Mona Essam, Assistant Minister of Planning for Sustainable Development Affairs, indicated that the Sustainable Development Unit in the ministry prepared a questionnaire on the role of various stakeholders in achieving the African agenda.

 

She explained that this questionnaire was sent to the national authorities represented on the National Committee. It was sent to monitor the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

 

She stressed that the Ministry of Planning attaches significant importance to continuing communication with all stakeholders.

 

“The Ministry launched the electronic platform "Partnerships for Sustainable Development" to ensure permanent interaction with all parties and concerted efforts towards sustainable development,” she said.