Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation witnesses the celebration of The Institute of National Planning marking 65 years since its establishment

Dr. Rania Al-Mashat applauded the effective role of Dr. Ashraf El-Araby and the Institute’s team in preserving its position as one of the leading scientific institutions in the region and the Arab world

 

Al-Mashat: The Institute of National Planning has played a tangible role in Egypt’s development planning process over the past 65 years

 

 

The celebration embodies an extended trajectory of the Institute’s research and development work as a beacon of thought and a fundamental pillar linking knowledge to policymaking

 

 

The National Planning Institute led an effective societal dialogue on the pillar of regional planning and the localization of development within “Egypt’s Narrative for Economic Development”

 

 

Dr. Ashraf El-Araby: The Institute has gained significant value through supporting and accompanying Egypt’s development planning experience since the first five-year plan in the 1960s up to the launch of Egypt’s Narrative for Economic Development

 

H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation and Chairperson of the Board of The Institute of National Planning, attended the celebration marking the 65th anniversary of the establishment of The National Planning Institute, held at the Institute’s headquarters, in the presence of Dr. Ashraf El-Araby, President of the National Planning Institute; Eng. Ibrahim Mahlab, former Prime Minister of Egypt; Eng. Essam Sharaf, former Prime Minister of Egypt; Dr. Ashraf Sobhy, Minister of Youth and Sports; Dr. Sherif Farouk, Minister of Supply and Internal Trade; Ambassador Sherif Kamel, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Economic Affairs; Dr. Khaled Zakaria Amin, Director of the Macroeconomic Policies Center at the National Planning Institute; Dr. Jimmy Boxall, Executive Director of the Local Public Sector Alliance (LPSA) – Global Decentralization Network; in addition to a distinguished group of former officials, faculty members, experts, and researchers.

 

The Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation delivered a speech expressing her pleasure at participating in this celebration, alongside a distinguished gathering of scientific figures, to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the establishment of The Institute of National Planning, which plays a tangible role as one of the leading scientific institutions at the Arab and regional levels in the field of development planning, and serves as the scientific and research arm of the Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation.

 

The Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation extended her sincere thanks and appreciation to Dr. Ashraf El-Araby, President of the Institute, as well as to the members of the scientific committee and the work team, praising their continuous efforts to preserve the Institute’s effective role and the excellent preparation and organization of this celebration. H.E. explained that this celebration embodies a long history of research and development work, during which the Institute has been a beacon of thought, a fundamental pillar of planning, and a bridge linking academic knowledge with policymaking. Over the decades, it has contributed to the graduation of cadres and supported the Egyptian state's efforts to achieve comprehensive and sustainable development.

 

The Minister reviewed the contributions of a number of prominent figures and experts in planning who played a pivotal role in building this journey, including the founder Prof. Ibrahim Helmy Abdel Rahman, Prof. Ismail Sabri Abdallah, Prof. Mohamed Mahmoud El-Imam, and extending to Prof. Kamal El-Ganzouri, former Prime Minister of Egypt. H.E. affirmed that their scientific and professional contributions laid the foundation for deep-rooted values of sincerity, national impartiality, and openness to different schools of thought and development experiences.

 

The minister emphasized that this legacy of contribution continues today through the Institute’s experts, researchers, professors, and successive boards of directors, who represent the true intellectual capital. She noted that since its establishment in the early 1960s, the Institute has kept pace with the development of national planning ideas and tools and has played an active role in enriching planning work in Egypt and Arab and African countries.

 

H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat addressed the various stages the Institute has undergone, since its establishment in 1960 as the first institute for research and training in planning and development issues in the Arab region and the Middle East, through its interaction with economic transformations in the 1970s, and the evolution of development thinking, which was reflected in the emergence of the concept of human development and the launch of the Iynternational Human Development Report series in the 1990s, the expansion of its research and training activities in the new millennium, and culminating in the issuance of the new law governing the Institute in 2015. This came within the framework of the support and patronage of H.E. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Republic, to strengthen the role of think tanks and scientific research centers in supporting sound decision-making.

 

The Minister explained that the new law contributed to consolidating the Institute’s position as a leading center locally, regionally, and internationally in the fields of research, training, and education in development and planning issues, in addition to its role in supporting policymaking, disseminating scientific knowledge, and raising societal awareness of the importance of planning in achieving sustainable development.

 

H.E. also pointed to the efforts exerted to develop the Institute’s institutional performance through the preparation of successive strategic plans, aligning performance with global quality standards, and its inclusion in international rankings of think tanks, in addition to obtaining a number of quality certifications (ISO), reflecting its continuous commitment to excellence and modernization.

 

The Minister reaffirmed that the importance of the Institute’s developmental role has grown in recent years with the launch of the Sustainable Development Strategy: Egypt Vision 2030, the medium-term and annual plans, and the launch of Egypt’s Narrative for Economic Development, praising the pivotal role played by the President of the Institute in managing the societal dialogue on issues of regional planning and the localization of development within Egypt’s Narrative for Economic Development.

 

H.E. also highlighted the effective partnerships established by the Institute with a number of international organizations, including the United Nations Development Program, which resulted in leading publications and reports. H.E. emphasized that the Institute’s research and advisory activities have supported the State’s efforts in preparing, implementing, and evaluating development plans and programs, as well as building planning capacities across various State institutions and the private and civil sectors.

 

In concluding her remarks, Dr. Rania Al-Mashat extended her greetings and appreciation to the members of the Institute’s scientific and administrative staff, expressing her aspiration to continue supporting its distinguished journey through further development and modernization, thereby contributing to Egypt’s advancement and progress. H.E. renewed her thanks to the President of the Institute and the team, wishing everyone success and prosperity.

 

For his part, Dr. Ashraf El-Araby, President of the Institute of National Planning, delivered the opening speech of the celebration, affirming that we are gathered today to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the founding of the Institute of National Planning, which has, since the early 1960s to the present day, crowned a bright era in the history of national planning in Egypt, which has witnessed numerous developments in planning tools, methodologies, experiences, and expertise. The Institute has contributed over the decades as the first think tank at the national and regional levels primarily concerned with planning and development issues, playing a significant role in enriching planning and development thinking and work in Egypt and other countries in general, and Arab and African countries in particular.

 

He added that the importance of the Institute’s roles has doubled in recent years, beginning with the launch of the Sustainable Development Strategy: Egypt Vision 2030, its updates, and the associated medium-term and annual plans, and culminating in the launch of the first edition of Egypt’s Narrative for Economic Development. The Institute supports all the roles of the Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation in preparing and implementing strategies and developing monitoring and evaluation systems. Therefore, in parallel, the Institute has launched academic and professional programs in planning and development, as well as monitoring and evaluation, to refine and develop professional national cadres across the various institutions of the State in the fields of sustainable development.

 

He emphasized that the Institute of National Planning did not acquire its value arbitrarily; rather, it earned it through supporting and accompanying Egypt’s development planning experience, with all its developments and transformations, since the launch of the first five-year plan in the 1960s (1960–1965), through the launch and implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy: Egypt Vision 2030 and its updates, as well as the launch by the Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation of the first edition of Egypt’s Narrative for Economic Development.