“Decent Life” Initiative represents a major umbrella for all national projects in Egypt: Dr. Jamil Helmy

Dr. Jamil Helmy, Assistant Minister of Planning and Economic Development for Follow-up Affairs of the Sustainable Development Plan reviewed the Egyptian pioneering experience in the field of the settlement of sustainable development goals, through the national project for the development of the Egyptian countryside, "Decent Life".
He also explained the aforementioned initiative's role in accelerating efforts to achieve sustainable development goals.
This came during his participation via video conference, at a symposium held recently by the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, on the sidelines of Expo 2020 in Dubai.
Helmy spoke about Egypt's Vision 2030, which was launched by the President of the Republic in 2016, as a comprehensive plan of action for the state, including economic, social, and environmental aspects. agricultural.
 The social dimension also includes a program to achieve geographical balance in the distribution of services, a program to raise the quality of providing health services, as well as a program to improve the quality of educational facilities.

Helmy, General Supervisor of a Decent Life at the Ministry of Planning, said that the "Decent Life" project represents one of the main pillars of "Egypt Vision 2030", explaining that the Egyptian state does not start over, but builds on the gains it achieved in the previous stage.

 Helmy pointed out that Egypt was able to make great progress towards settling the sustainable development goals, which was reflected in improving infrastructure and human services in rural areas.
 Helmy reviewed several indicators that witnessed notable achievements, most notably the number of villages with a health unit reaching 71.6% in 2020, and the percentage of villages with natural gas connections to 7.4% in 2020, and the increase in the percentage of villages with civil and charitable societies to 83 % in the year 2020.
Helmy pointed out that the introductory phase of the "Decent Life" initiative, which covers 375 villages in 14 governorates, contributed to reducing the poverty rate by 11%, which led to an improvement in the quality of life index related to the rate of availability of basic services.
 He stressed that Egypt is progressing steadily towards the "New Republic", which upholds the concept of citizenship and seeks to achieve peace, stability, and development.
Helmy added that the Egyptian President launched the official document of the "Decent Life" project in July 2021, which is the largest development project in the world, and the largest comprehensive development project in Egypt in terms of budget allocations, implementation schedule.
Helmy pointed out that the Rural Development Project is the first project that improves the standard of living of all Egyptian rural residents, as it covers more than 4,500 villages, with a total of 175 centers in 20 governorates.
 Helmy stressed that the "Decent Life" project represents a major umbrella for all national projects in Egypt, describing it as "the largest humanitarian development initiative in modern history".
The Assistant Minister of Planning explained that the "Decent Life" project achieves all sustainable development goals, most notably poverty eradication, quality education, health services, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, and decent job opportunities.
Helmy added that the financial appropriations directed to the villages of the first phase of the initiative amounted to  EGP 200 billion with a total of 52 centers, in 1436 villages.
He stressed that the inclusion of the United Nations for the "Decent Life" project on its platforms is a major achievement due to its excellence in achieving all sustainable development goals.
Helmy stressed that the "Decent Life" project aims to completely change the face of life in the Egyptian countryside, by including all dimensions of sustainable development, gender-responsive planning, and green recovery.
The Assistant Minister of Planning pointed to the application of environmental sustainability standards in a "Decent Life", by increasing the percentage of green public investments from the total directed investments to reach about 20%, as well as rehabilitating and lining canals, establishing sewage treatment plants.
Helmy touched on the implementation of the Egyptian family development plan within a "Decent Life", which aims to improve population characteristics and control population growth, through the expansion of family development centers, the development of integration hospitals, and the mechanization of services provided.

 Helmy reviewed the most prominent positive effects of the "Decent Life" project on the situation of Egyptian women. He also referred to the launch of the first integrated electronic system that includes instant updates of the "quality of life" indicator in the targeted villages.