During her extensive meeting with governors and their deputies at the Ministry of Local Development, H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation: Social spending a priority to improve citizens' living conditions

    We are implementing several initiatives that promote the localization of Sustainable Development Goals in governorates, within the framework of complementarity with the "Hayah Karima" initiative, engaging citizens in development efforts.

The Citizen Investment Plan enhances transparency and communication with citizens, activating community participation in localizing Sustainable Development Goals.

 Human capital development through health, education programs, water projects, and sanitation are among the priorities of the second phase of the "Hayah Karima" initiative.

  Continuing to implement performance incentives to enhance the role of public investment in localizing development goals and improving services for citizens, and enhancing expenditure efficiency at the local level.

  Engaging citizens in climate change mitigation efforts in coordination with provinces and relevant parties through the National Initiative for Smart Green Projects.

 

H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation, emphasized that the state prioritizes social spending as a paramount concern, asserting that investment governance will not compromise social spending, especially in education, health, and human capital investment, directly impacting citizens' welfare. H.E. Dr. A. Al-Mashat added that the "Hayah Karima" presidential initiative tops the agenda for the upcoming phase.

 

This was stated during her participation in the comprehensive meeting organized by the Ministry of Local Development with new governors and their deputies, in the presence of Dr. Manal Awad, Minister of Local Development. H.E. Minister Al-Mashat reviewed the framework of investment governance during the current fiscal year, the executive steps to prioritize projects, and the developmental initiatives implemented by the ministry in various provinces.

 

Regarding initiatives related to "Hayah Karima" implemented by the Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation in provinces; H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat pointed out that the ministry issues the Citizen Investment Plan annually for all provinces, including essential information and sectoral distribution of investment projects, aiming to localize Sustainable Development Goals, enhance transparency and accountability, and promote program and performance culture. The Citizen Plan releases are available on the ministry's website, integrated into the UN Economic and Social Affairs Acceleration of Sustainable Development Goals platform, enhancing awareness among citizens about annual sustainable development plan priorities.

 

"Hayah Karima"  Initiative

 

H.E. Minister Al-Mashat outlined ongoing projects under the presidential initiative "Hayah Karima" in its first and second phases, focusing on implementing numerous projects in priority sectors such as health, education, household gas connections, drinking water, sanitation, and roads. H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat mentioned the "Green Village" initiative aiming to align several "Hayah Karima" villages with the latest global environmental standards. Notably, in 2022, the village of "Faris" in Aswan was rehabilitated, followed by "Nahtay" in Gharbia in 2023, with 2024 focusing on the rehabilitation of "Shma" village in Menoufia.

 

H.E. Minister Al-Mashat also discussed the Urban Development within “Hayah Karima” initiative, emphasizing its importance in integrating with state efforts to develop rural Egypt, achieving a balance between rural and urban development, and aligning with state goals to localize Sustainable Development Goals in provinces.

 

Performance Incentives Initiative

 

H.E. Dr Al-Mashat highlighted the “Performance Excellence in Public Investment Management at the Local Level” aimed at improving the quality of local services provided to citizens, enhancing the role of public investment in localizing Sustainable Development Goals, and developing mechanisms for allocating public investments, while also upholding transparency and accountability. The initiative encourages provinces to adopt best international practices in planning, monitoring, and performance evaluation, offering incentives based on criteria including participatory planning, investment planning, implementation monitoring, self-reliance development, greening investment plans, transparency, disclosure, and capacity building.

 

H.E. Minister Al-Mashat also addressed the Performance Incentives Initiative in managing population issues at the provincial level, aimed at incentivizing provinces to contribute to achieving goals of the National Family Development Project through setting quantitative targets for implementation.

 

Localization of Sustainable Development Goals

 

Emphasizing the importance of localizing Sustainable Development Goals in provinces, H.E. Minister Al-Mashat highlighted the ministry's efforts to integrate these goals and Egypt Vision 2030 into local development planning, execution stages, monitoring, and evaluation. H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat noted that in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund, the ministry launched 27 reports in 2021 to localize Sustainable Development Goals in provinces, providing an overview of the current status of goal implementation in each province.

 

Regarding local voluntary reviews, H.E. Al-Mashat mentioned that Egypt presented these reviews for Port Said, Fayoum, and Beheira (first phase provinces), which are crucial for providing an objective assessment of Sustainable Development Goal achievement at the provincial level, reviewing achievements and challenges, and providing accurate and updated data on Sustainable Development Goal indicators, guiding effective resource allocation, addressing challenges, bridging developmental gaps, and following a participatory approach in preparing local voluntary reviews, capacity building, and raising awareness of Sustainable Development Goals. She clarified that the second phase provinces include Cairo, Gharbia, and Beni Suef.

 

National Initiative for Smart Green Projects

 

H.E. Minister Al-Mashat presented the National Initiative for Smart Green Projects being implemented under the patronage of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, combining all relevant stakeholders and playing a pivotal role in Egypt's transition towards a green economy for sustainable future, localizing climate action, encouraging provinces to innovate solutions to climate change, and facilitating various projects including large-scale, small and medium-sized enterprises, startups, women-related, and non-profit projects. The initiative also engages citizens in climate action efforts in collaboration with different provinces and relevant stakeholders.

 

Egyptian Government Excellence Award

 

H.E. Minister Al-Mashat also mentioned the Egyptian Government Excellence Award launched in 2018, in alignment with the directives of President El-Sisi to establish an efficient administrative apparatus applying governance concepts, contributing to achieving Sustainable Development Goals, enhancing Egypt's leadership and competitiveness, and improving citizens' quality of life.

 

Governance Service Development in Governorates

 

H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat presented ongoing efforts to develop government services in governorates through enhancing citizen service centers and reconciliation system, achieved through collaboration between the ministry and Ministry of Local Development, upgrading numerous technological centers in governorate offices, neighborhoods, and cities.