During HLPF 2023 activities in NY:The Minister of Planning and Economic Development meets with a group of Egyptian youth members of the Children and Youth Major Group

H.E. Dr. Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, met with a group of Egyptian youth members of the " Children and Youth Major Group" at the headquarters of the Egyptian mission in New York.

 

 

This meeting came on the sidelines of her participation in the high-level political forum for sustainable development at the United Nations in New York, held under the theme ‘Accelerating the Recovery from Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all levels’.

 

The meeting witnessed the presence of Dr. Mona Essam, Assistant Minister of Planning and Economic Development for Sustainable Development Affairs, Mr. Ambassador Osama Abdel Khalek, Permanent Representative of Egypt in New York, and the Egyptian delegation members.

 

During the meeting, El-Said said that the Egyptian state made a significant stride in reforms and serious efforts eight years ago to achieve comprehensive and sustainable development. This was done through the launch of "Egypt's Vision 2030" in February 2016 and its recent update in line with international & local developments.

 

 

El-Said indicated that Egypt has implemented the first phase of the national program for economic and social reform since November 2016. This included many institutional and legislative reforms and incentive measures to create a business environment.

 

The National Program for Structural Reforms was also launched in April 2021 to transform the path of the Egyptian economy into a productive, knowledge-based economy that enjoys competitive capabilities in the global economy, to encourage inclusive growth and create decent and abundant job opportunities, by enhancing the flexibility and effectiveness of the labor market and diversifying and developing economic patterns.

 

 

El-Said referred to the "State Ownership Policy" document, which explains to investors the role of the state in various sectors as a regulator of economic activity according to market mechanisms, and how the state can exit from activities in which the private sector will assume the most significant role.

 

 

This document contributes to providing a fertile and stimulating environment for investment and development. It aims to increase domestic and foreign investments and raise public investment efficiency and effectiveness.

 

 

El-Said pointed out the role of the Sovereign Fund of Egypt as an investment arm of the state, aiming to increase the participation of the domestic and foreign private sectors, maximize the return from unutilized or less efficiently exploited assets, and preserve the state’s wealth for future generations.

 

 

El-Said explained that the Egyptian state has implemented many legislative and institutional reforms to support competition policies and competitive neutrality and to support partnerships between the public and private sectors.

 

 

 

 

These amendments aim to further encourage the private sector's participation in the implementation of infrastructure projects and the expansion of business fields.

 

 

 

El-Said talked about the national project for the development of the Egyptian family, which the state attaches great importance to during this stage, to advance demographic characteristics such as education, health, and job creation, in addition to regulating population growth rates.

 

 

The project includes five axes, which are women's economic empowerment, service intervention, cultural awareness-raising, and educational intervention to raise awareness and correct misconceptions related to the population issue, in addition to the digital transformation axis to monitor, follow up and evaluate services provided to the Egyptian family, as well as the legislative intervention axis, to establish a regulatory framework governing policies related to the issue of population growth.

 

 

 

 

The Egyptian youth participating in the meeting praised Dr. Hala El-Said's keenness and interest in continuous communication with young people and providing them with the opportunity to benefit from comprehensive information about development efforts in the Egyptian state.

 

 

 

 

 

They also praised the youth initiatives launched by the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development during the previous period. These initiatives included the "Be an Ambassador" initiative, which raised youth awareness about sustainable development goals and efforts to achieve them.