On behalf of the Minister of Planning and Economic Development, NIGSD’s director participates in the UN anti-corruption conference in Sharm El-Sheikh

Empowering youth ensures more integrity and combats corruption: Says Hala El-Said





Cairo - December 15, 2021
Dr. Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, delegated Dr. Sharifa Sharif, Executive Director of the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development (NIGSD), to participate in the high-level event entitled: "Anti-Corruption and Youth Integrity" within the activities of the ninth session of the Conference of States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption. The conference was held in Sharm El-Sheikh from December 13 to 17.
 The session was chaired by Dr. Ghada Wali, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and Director of the International Organization headquarters in Vienna.Dr. Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, said, in a speech delivered by Dr. Sharifa Sharif, Executive Director of NIGSD, that this high-level event focuses on promoting and popularizing anti-corruption education, integrity, and ethics at all levels of education, and engaging youth in Preventing and combating corruption.


El-Said added that corruption is a global problem that requires collective intervention at the national and international levels, explaining that corruption still has a serious impact on the global economy, as it impedes progress towards development, threatens and undermines fair competition, and discourages investment and trade.El-Said indicated that the importance of combating corruption is highlighted in Goal 16, which requires states to “promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.”El-Said explained that progress towards achieving the sustainable development goals will be undermined without responsive and accountable governance frameworks, adding that countries that can confront corruption use their human and financial resources more efficiently, attract more investments, and grow more quickly.El-Said stressed that everyone plays a key role in preventing and combating corruption, the public and private sectors, as well as all citizens, regardless of age or gender, following up on that because youth are the future and the driving force for all countries.El-Said explained that young people have the ability and responsibility to change for the better, adding that there is a union today to address and highlight the importance of empowering young people in the fight against corruption.On the question of how youth empowerment can support social and economic development, El-Said indicated in her speech that the number of young people in the world is expected to reach 1.29 billion by 2030, and about 1.34 billion by 2050, explaining that youth represent More than 60% of the total population of Egypt, where the growth of the number of young people has rationalized the need for the contribution of young people to support social and economic development.El-Said referred to the efforts of the Egyptian government in terms of investing heavily in its human capital, as the National Training Academy was established to meet the human development requirements for youth cadres in all sectors and to upgrade their abilities and skills. Over the past years, the Academy through the Presidential Leadership Program has trained more than 27,000 young men and women between the ages of 20 and 30 in 27 governorates in Egypt.El-Said also referred to the launch by the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development of the “Rowad” “Pioneers” 2030 project to facilitate the development of entrepreneurship, as it requires accelerating social and economic change, as well as the establishment of 11 incubators throughout Egypt, benefiting more than 340 young men and women who joined the Master’s Program in Entrepreneurship in cooperation with the University of Cambridge.





In her speech, El-Said concluded, stressing that corruption is a "global problem that requires global action," noting the need to exert more effort in empowering citizens, especially young people, by introducing innovative approaches to citizen participation and creating a culture of integrity and zero tolerance for corruption.