The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development runs a workshop to discuss the steps to implement the "Green Village" initiative

The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, represented by Dr. Jamil Helmy, Assistant Minister for Follow-up Affairs of the Sustainable Development Plan, held a workshop via video conference technology, to complete the discussion of the implementation steps of the "Green Village" initiative within the national project for the development of the Egyptian countryside "Decent life" with 5 governorates.

Helmy stressed the keenness of the Ministry of Planning to continue implementing the "Green Village" initiative, to rehabilitate the villages of the "Decent Life" project to comply with the latest international environmental standards set by the World Green Building Council, and to obtain a "Tarsheed" certificate for green communities.

  Helmy indicated that this initiative comes within the framework of the efforts exerted to transform into a green economy, increase the percentage of green public investments, and integrate the environmental dimension into development plans and the "Decent Life" project.

He noted that the first phase of the initiative includes the rehabilitation of 19 villages, one village in each rural governorate.

  The second phase aims to rehabilitate 175 villages, one village in every rural center nationwide, according to Helmy.

The general supervisor of the "Decent Life" project at the Ministry of Planning stated that the "Decent Life" project achieves all 17 sustainable development goals, with the certification of the United Nations, which registered the project among the best international practices regarding accelerating sustainable development goals.

He pointed out that 30% of the total investments of the project are geared towards implementing green projects.

  Helmy indicated that these projects contribute significantly to the fulfillment of the nominated villages from the governorates to the criteria of the "Green Village" initiative, including, for example, the exploitation of solar and renewable energy in lighting, sewage treatment plants (dual/triple), the use of modern irrigation methods and organic agriculture. , waste treatment, lining and rehabilitation of canals, and paving roads for easy movement between villages and between villages and centers.

 

Helmy stressed the importance of stimulating community participation and spreading awareness among citizens regarding the optimal utilization of resources, energy, and water, as they are the main axes of the "green village" standards, to reach sustainable rural communities, and the sustainability of environmental efforts and practices, after the villages obtain "Tarsheed" certificates.

 

The Assistant Minister of Planning pointed out the need to achieve integration between all initiatives that contribute to integrating the environmental dimension in the "Decent Life" villages, including the "100 Million Trees" initiative, and the "Incentives for Excellence in Performance Management at the Local Level" initiative, which the Ministry of Planning continues to implement. Implemented for the second year in a row, which includes a standard about greening the investment plan.

Regarding the implementation steps during the coming period, Helmy explained that field visits will be organized in cooperation with the "E-Consult" company to the nominated villages from the governorates, to assess the situation on the ground, and to provide all aspects of support to the governorates to meet the criteria of the "Green Village".

For her part, Eng. Sarah El-Batouti, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of “E-Consult” company, reviewed the importance of obtaining “Tarsheed” certificates for the “Decent Life” villages, pointing out that the village of Fares in Aswan Governorate is not only the first village in the country to obtain the “Tarsheed” certificate. rationalization", but at the level of Arab countries and the African continent.

  Al-Batouti pointed out that this certificate is granted by the Egyptian Green Building Association, which is the local branch of the World Green Building Council, where the World Council plays a promotional role in various international activities for villages that obtain this certificate, as it is a pioneering experience that all countries of the world can benefit from.

In turn, Dr. Nihal Balbaa, Deputy Governor of Buhaira, in the "Green Village" initiative, stressed the need to spread awareness among citizens of the importance of preserving the projects implemented within the framework of "a decent life", through seminars, awareness lectures and informative panels in the villages.

MP Heba Makram stressed the importance of spreading environmental awareness to sustain and achieve maximum benefit from projects, noting that this is the responsibility of all relevant parties, including the executive leaders in the governorates, universities, and civil society organizations.

Moreover, Dr. Haitham Al-Sheikh, Deputy Governor of Dakahlia, said that the "Decent Life" projects contributed to the availability of a large number of the standards of the "Green Village" initiative on the ground, praising the efforts made to integrate environmental sustainability into the projects of the presidential initiative.

The participants in the workshop praised the cooperation and coordination with the Ministry of Planning and the "E-Consult" company in meeting the criteria of the "Green Village" initiative and stressed that the governorates are fully prepared to harness all efforts to obtain the "Tarsheed" certificate for green communities.

The workshop witnessed the presence of the team of the “Decent Life” unit at the Ministry of Planning, Ahmed El-Shimi, Mohamed Sharif Al-Hali, Ahmed Reda, Omar Metwally, and from the “E-Consult” company, Eng. Ayman Mukhtar and Eng. Ahmed El-Sharif.