The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development organizes a symposium on Decent Life initiative at Expo 2020 Dubai

The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development organized recently a symposium on the national project for the development of Egyptian rural villages entitled, “Decent Life" at the Egyptian Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.The symposium witnessed the presence of Dr. Heba Mogheib, Head of the Regional Planning Sector at the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, Dr. Jamil Helmy, Assistant Minister of Planning and Economic Development to follow up on the affairs of the sustainable development plan, Dr. Maged Othman, Director of the Egyptian Center for Public Opinion Research “Baseera”, and Dr. Frederica Meyer, Representative of the United Nations Population Fund in Cairo, and Ms. Sarah El-Batouty, President of EcoConsult.Dr. Heba Mogheib, Head of the Regional Planning Sector at the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, said that Egypt launched a number of unprecedented initiatives that are in line with the UN goals for sustainable development, including the Decent Life Initiative, the Local Development Program in Upper Egypt, the Pioneer (Rowad)2030 Program, health care initiatives for women and children, and the Women and Child Health Care Program Elimination of slums.Mogheeb indicated that the Egyptian state has developed, since 2018, a new system for financing local investments in the various governorates of Egypt, in a way that enhances the principles of equality and achieves the effectiveness of managing local investments.Mugheeb pointed out that the Egyptian government is keen on automating the system of procedures and applying electronic systems in providing services, which enhances the achievement of sustainable development goals.Dr. Jamil Helmy, Assistant Minister of Planning and Economic Development to follow up on the affairs of the sustainable development plan, explained that rural development came as one of the objectives of Egypt's 2030 vision for sustainable development through the Regional Comprehensive Economic Development Program.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Development Program include the program for establishing clusters for agricultural industries, the program to raise the quality of health service delivery, and the quality improvement program as well as the program to raise the efficiency of the solid waste management system. Helmy added that the Decent Life project represents a major umbrella for all national projects in Egypt, which include the 100 Million Health Project, the National Roads Project, the Solidarity and Dignity Initiative, Lifeboats, the Canals Lining Project, the Digital Egypt project and other projects.He pointed out that EGP 200 billion have been allocated to villages in the first phase within the framework of the Decent Life initiative, which covers 52 centers and includes 1,436 villages.For his part, Dr. Maged Othman, Director of the Egyptian Center for Public Opinion Research "Baseera" pointed to the importance of setting goals in each governorate separately, especially since a number of Egyptian governorates succeeded in achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, while others faced difficulties in implementation. Othman pointed out that the most important challenges facing the achievement of the UN goals for sustainable development include the centralization of the economy, information and innovation.Dr. Frederica Meyer, representative of the United Nations Population Fund in Cairo, said that the Fund cooperates with the Egyptian government in basic areas, namely providing support in the population strategy, supporting women's empowerment, maintaining their reproductive health, family planning, providing job and education opportunities, as well as providing and analyzing data.Mrs. Sarah El-Batouty, President of Eco-Consult Design for Engineering and Environmental Consultations, stressed the importance of linking the UN goals for sustainable development to rural villages by encouraging villages to set up comprehensive, high-impact projects within their reach, and reviewing international and local models that have succeeded in achieving success in this field.In this context, she pointed to the importance of the role of the private sector and entrepreneurs in achieving sustainable development in villages and rural communities and applying the best international standards in implementing "a decent life" projects.