Egypt’s Ministries of Immigration and Planning launch fundraising campaign for "Decent Life" initiative
02 October 2021
H.E. Dr. Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development (MPED) along with H.E. Nabila Makram Abdel Shahid, Egyptian Minister of State for Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs (MoSEEA) launched the first fundraising campaign for Egyptians abroad to support and promote the national project for the development of the Egyptian countryside, “Hayah Karima” (Decent Life).
The campaign was launched in an event held this evening, Saturday, under the auspices of H.E. Egypt’s Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, in the presence of representatives of the "Decent Life Foundation" and members of the Egyptian Parliament.
Through the video conference, several media figures such as Mr. Mohamed Sherdy attended the event; he also was assigned to moderate the event.
Moreover, the event witnessed the presence of Mrs. Laila Pence, a wealth management advisor in the US state of California, and her husband, Dryden Pence, an American businessman and owner of the "Pence" Foundation for Financial Consulting and Wealth Management.
Representatives of the Egyptian "New Egypt" Foundation in the United States, and representatives of the Rotary Club "Maple Valley" in the United States also participated, along with several members of the Egyptian community there.
During the event, some videos were shown that included the objectives of the national project "A Decent Life", its fruits and results, to its target groups.
It also included excerpts from President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi's influential and inspiring speeches during the "Decent Life" celebration, which was held at Cairo International Stadium last July, and clips of the initiative's ambassadors, including artists, businessmen, politicians, and senior public figures.
H.E. Dr. Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, gave her speech at the event, in which she praised the efforts of the Ministry of Immigration in enhancing communication with Egyptians abroad through a variety of innovative and effective mechanisms.
El-Said pointed out that the "Decent Life" initiative launched by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi comes within the framework of the Egyptian government's efforts to improve the quality of life and services for citizens and achieve comprehensive and sustainable development.El-Said explained that the "Decent Life" initiative is unprecedented in terms of its coverage and scope of financing, given that it aims to improve the living standards of more than 58 million citizens (more than half of the population) with an estimated budget of $52 billion.El-Said added that the initiative is an affirmation of the state's readiness to adopt a participatory approach with the participation of citizens.
El-Said noted that the "Decent Life" initiative was recently highlighted by the United Nations' inclusion of the initiative among the international best practices "Good Practices for the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)".
“The initiative is specific and measurable; it has a timescale and is compatible with many of the United Nations sustainable development goals,” El-Said said.
El-Said emphasized that the initiative's approach is not limited to economic, social, environmental, cultural, and infrastructure interventions only, but also supports gender equality and women's empowerment, in addition to reaching resilient, equal, and sustainable societies.
El-Said concluded her speech by saying that the objectives of the initiative are consistent with the strategic objectives of Egypt's Vision 2030, which include improving the standard of living in terms of social protection, providing adequate housing, raising community awareness, and increasing investment in human capital.
Ambassador Nabila Makram, Minister of State for Immigration and Egyptians Abroad Affairs, praised the great support provided by Mr. Dryden Pence, the great American businessman, husband of the Egyptian woman, Laila Pence, for the initiative.Makram reviewed the ministry's role in introducing the Egyptian state's tremendous efforts in building and developing the governorates most exporting illegal immigration.