Ministry of Planning and Economic Development Participates in the African Sustainable Development Forum in Addis Ababa

The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, represented by Dr. Mona Essam, Assistant Minister for Sustainable Development Affairs, participated in the tenth session of the African Sustainable Development Forum held from April 23-25, 2024 in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

This forum, organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in collaboration with the African Union Commission, the African Development Bank, and several UN agencies, focuses on the theme “Advancing the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030 and Africa’s Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, Eliminating Poverty Amid Multiple Crises: Effective Implementation of Sustainable, Flexible, and Innovative Solutions.”

Dr. Mona Essam also participated virtually in the expert group meeting on the African Sustainable Development Report for 2024, organized on April 19-20, 2024, alongside the forum by the African Union, the African Development Bank, the United Nations Development Programme, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. She highlighted Egypt’s important observations and comments on the referenced report in preparation for its adoption and publication in the coming period.

Participation in the forum provides an excellent opportunity to enhance Egyptian presence in regional forums related to sustainable development and showcase successful Egyptian experiences in various fields. It also allows for the exchange of experiences and best practices on the forum’s focal topics among stakeholders from governments, private sector representatives, civil society, and regional and international organizations operating in the African continent.

This year’s forum aims to discuss progress, challenges, and opportunities in implementing the UN Sustainable Development Agenda 2030 and Africa’s Agenda 2063, focusing on the following goals: the first UN goal (eradicating poverty), the second UN goal (ending hunger), the thirteenth UN goal (climate action), the sixteenth UN goal (peace, justice, and strong institutions), the seventeenth UN goal (partnerships for the goals), and their equivalents in Africa’s Agenda 2063. This is in line with the high-level political forum on sustainable development planned for July 2023 in New York.

It is worth mentioning that on the sidelines of the forum, Dr. Nahal Belbaa, Deputy Governor of El Beheira Governorate and Acting Governor, participated virtually in a workshop titled “African Voluntary National and Local Reviews.” The session, titled “From Report to Action: How Voluntary Local Reviews Contribute to Guiding Evidence-based Policies Supporting Sustainable Development Goals,” highlighted the governorate’s experience in preparing its first voluntary local review through an inclusive approach involving all local parties, including government, private sector, and local civil society. This review provided an objective analysis of the sustainable development situation in the governorate, aiding evidence-based policy-making. The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development has supported the governorates of El Beheira, Fayoum, and Port Said in preparing their first voluntary local reviews as part of its efforts towards localizing sustainable development goals.