Under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Hala El-Said The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development organizes a workshop for the draft investment spending guide responsive to human rights

The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development held an internal workshop for the draft investment spending guide responsive to human rights, under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Hala EL-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development.

The workshop witnessed the presence of Ambassador Hazem Khairat, Director of the Ministry’s International Cooperation Office, Dr. Mohamed Alaa, Director of the Ministry’s Human Rights Unit, Eng. Nihad Morsi, Assistant Minister for Infrastructure Affairs.

Mr. Ismail Youssef, supervisor of the plan preparation and follow-up sector, and Dr. Khaled Abdel Halim, teacher at the Regional Development Center at the National Planning Institute, were also present, with the participation of representatives of the relevant departments of the Ministry.

Ambassador Hazem Khairat explained that the workshop is the first internal step towards achieving the main goal of the project, which is to formulate indicators to follow up and measure the impact of investment projects funded from the state’s general budget in a way that ensures the inclusion of human rights in the tasks carried out by support agencies.

Khairat added that the launch of the National Human Rights Strategy came as an expression of personal conviction and patriotism about the necessity of adopting an integrated approach to promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms for citizens and ensuring commitment to them in all policies and programs undertaken by the state.

 He further pointed out that the guide comes within the framework of the ministry’s endeavor to integrate human rights into the state’s general policies, especially regarding investment spending and the formulation of the economic and social development plan.

Khairat referred to the effort made by the Ministry's Human Rights Unit, stressing the Unit's belief in the participatory effort undertaken by the Ministry, which prompted the Unit to prepare an action plan that includes all stakeholders in the decision-making process and formulate standards and indicators.

For his part, Dr. Muhammad Alaa reviewed the investment spending guide, its objectives, its theoretical framework, as well as the parties concerned with it.

  Alaa explained that the main objectives of the guide were to direct government agencies towards placing human rights issues among the basic considerations when designing development programs and projects and at the top of their work priorities.

Alaa noted that the objectives of the guide include monitoring the institutional and legislative reforms required to facilitate the inclusion of human rights within the state’s plan and the programs and projects that the government is working on.

Alaa added that the draft guide has two outcomes, the first of which is the standards that will be sent to the granting agencies so that they include clear standards for human rights in every request and every expenditure, and the second is the indicators to measure the performance of projects that are funded through Chapter Six, and investment spending at all stages. 

Alaa added that the Institute of National Planning (INP) is one of the main partners in preparing the guide, as it represents the academic and research partner in the work, in addition to the participation of the technical secretariat of the Permanent Higher Committee for Human Rights of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the body concerned with coordinating the achievement of the goals of the National Human Rights Strategy.

Regarding the upcoming executive steps, Alaa indicated that it is planned to hold a series of workshops and meetings with partners from the national authorities concerned with drafting the guide’s outputs, in addition to presenting the final text to several experts and readers in preparation for launching the final text of the guide and putting it into practice.

Alaa also announced that the Human Rights Unit is preparing a series of monthly awareness-raising seminars on human rights issues.