The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development participates in the Women's Economic Empowerment Policy Makers Program

The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, represented by Dr. Shaima Siraj, Director of the Equal Opportunities Unit in the Ministry, Dr. Doaa Sobeih, supervisor of health projects at the Ministry participated recently in the Women’s Economic Empowerment Policy Makers Program, via video conference technology.

The conference was organized by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Affairs in Korea, and Sookmyung Women's University, with the participation of representatives from the National Council for Women, civil society, and in the presence of representatives from several countries, including Madagascar, Uganda, and Paraguay.

During the program, the Egyptian side received a Passion award for the proposed action plan presented during the program's activities, as an expression of the Egyptian side's outstanding performance in discussions and interaction.
For her part, Dr. Shaima Siraj reviewed a proposal for the stages of an executive action plan to overcome the low participation of women in the labor market, to be carried out in cooperation with the private sector and civil society organizations. The presentation included Egyptian efforts in the field of women's empowerment and the efforts of the Ministry of Planning in achieving equal opportunities.
Siraj analyzed the total labor force in Egypt, explaining that it reached 30 million people, of which about 22 million people work in the private sector, distributed between the formal and informal sectors.
Siraj continued that the percentage of women's participation in the private sector amounts to about 16% of the total workforce, reaching 3.5 million people, stressing the importance of encouraging women to work and participate in the private sector, which is reflected in the level of income and thus supports economic development trends.

It is noteworthy that the Egyptian proposal was praised by the Korean side.
Moreover, the program organizers from the Korean government explained that the Egyptian performance is the most distinguished and that the action plan has been clearly and integrated with its various elements.