The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development and "UN Women" discuss strengthening cooperation in the “Decent Life” presidential initiative

The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development held a video conferencing workshop with the United Nations Women in Egypt to discuss executive steps to maximize women's benefit from the national project for the development of the Egyptian countryside entitled “Decent Life”

Dr. Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, praised the distinguished cooperation with all development partners at the international level, especially UN Women, concerning empowering women at various levels, to which the political leadership attaches great importance.Dr. Jamil Helmy, Assistant Minister for Follow-up Affairs of the Sustainable Development Plan, reviewed the role of "a Decent Life" in improving the living conditions of Egyptian women, the electronic system for following up on the presidential project, and how to follow up and evaluate the developmental effects of all interventions included in “Decent Life”. Helmy pointed out that the "Women's Dependency Rate" is one of the most important indicators based on which the 52 centers were selected within the first stage, as well as the selection of the centers of the second stage, which will be announced in the next few years, in addition to other indicators, including the rates of availability of sewage services and drinking water.Helmy stressed that women are strongly present in all the interventions of "a Decent Life" in various sectors, which reflects the state's interest in the economic, social, and environmental empowerment of women.Helmy also touched on the steps that have been taken in this framework, including the launch of the Ministry of Planning's first guide to a sustainable development plan that is responsive to gender.He explained that the "Decent Life" projects contribute greatly to making a qualitative leap in the level of services provided to the Egyptian rural population, especially women.The General Supervisor of "A Decent Life" at the Ministry of Planning added that women are also on the list of beneficiaries of human and social development projects, by providing adequate health services, basic care units, and adequate housing, and encouraging them to join the labor market by providing early childhood nurseries.



 Helmy explained that women precede men in benefiting from some interventions, for example, related to the pillar of economic development and employment, where one can find that the share of women in vocational training programs ending in employment reaches 80%, and loans to associations and microfinance companies reach 58%. For her part, Dr. Gilan El-Mesiri, Deputy Representative of the United Nations Women in Egypt, praised the positive results achieved by women from the "Decent Life" projects, and the electronic system for project follow-up, especially concerning its inclusion of indicators for measuring and following-up the development impact of all interventions, especially those related to women.The workshop touched on the executive steps that will be taken during the coming period to coordinate efforts between the Ministry of Planning and UN Women to maximize women's benefit from "a decent life" projects.The attendees pointed to the need to launch awareness campaigns for women in the countryside about the importance of the projects being implemented and the economic and social return targeted from them, and the need to maintain these projects after their implementation.