Egypt’s NIGSD issues a report on the harvest of its work during 2021

The National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development (NIGSD) - the training arm of the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development - issued a report on the harvest of its work and activities during 2021.

Dr. Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development and Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of NIGSD, said that the effective and distinguished role played by the Institute comes in light of the implementation of the sustainable development agenda "Egypt Vision 2030", and in support of the state's orientation to expand investment in people, and qualify young people for leadership. El-Said indicated that NIGSD has adopted a new approach based on the expansion of training partnerships with the most prestigious regional and international institutes, in addition to working to develop the services it provides by taking advantage of technological progress, and keeping pace with the latest management methods and sciences, in a way that contributes at the same time. For her part, Dr. Sharifa Sharif, Executive Director of the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, said that the institute's vision is to support, strengthen and develop good governance systems to achieve competitiveness and sustainable development.El-Said affirmed the institute’s keenness to implement its mission of strengthening and developing Egypt’s position in the field of governance and sustainable development by providing consultations, research, and training programs that seek and emphasize the dissemination of the culture, values ​​, and practices of sustainability and activate governance mechanisms in all sectors of the state.The report of the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development indicated that the Institute's activities during 2021 included some areas, including:Workshops, Seminars, and Discussion Sessions


Throughout the year, the Institute held a series of dialogue sessions on governance and sustainable development within the group of dialogue sessions and periodic meetings conducted by the Institute for workers in different sectors in the state’s administrative apparatus, the private and public sector, and civil society to introduce the areas of governance and sustainable development, in addition to holding a set of seminars for university students to introduce the objectives of Sustainable development and Egypt's vision 2030.The Institute also held two community dialogue sessions on the Citizen’s Charter and its importance in continuously improving the quality of services provided to citizens in the public and private sectors, in addition to a remote interactive session hosted by Mr. Arat Kray, Deputy Chief Economist and Director of Development Policy at the World Bank, to talk about indicators of global governance.In 2021, the Institute also held an awareness session on the reports of governance and sustainable development indicators, which discussed Egypt's position in the sustainable development report, and its classification in governance indicators and others, in addition to holding a virtual seminar entitled "Gender and Good Governance", which was organized by the Institute's Tanmia Network.The institute's report added referred to the launch of the student activity "Youth for Sustainable Development" at the British University, which aims to involve students in achieving sustainable development goals through critical thinking and finding solutions to various environmental problems, in addition to participating in the discussion panel "Enhancing the readiness of the Egyptian industrial sector to adopt Concepts of the Fourth Industrial Revolution" organized by UNIDO.The institute also held an awareness session on the sustainable management of e-waste to raise awareness of e-waste management practices and their effects on health and the environment, and a workshop on presenting and discussing the draft national indicator structure for governance, in addition to a symposium on the use of virtual simulation methods to enhance the goals of social responsibility in the public and private sectors, with the attendance of about 136 trainees from 32 African countries.Moreover, a webinar entitled “Renewable and Sustainable Energy in Africa” has been organized with the participation of 17 African countries, and another on Egyptian trade relations in Africa, which was organized by a development network for 13 African countries. The Development Network also organized a webinar entitled “Crisis Management” with the participation of 39 trainees representing some countries. The webinar announced the launch of the “She is for a Digital Future” initiative in Arabic in Africa.





Memoranda of Understanding and Cooperation ProtocolsThe National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development signed several memoranda of understanding and cooperation protocols during 2021, including; a memorandum of understanding with the United Nations University for cooperation in the training and advisory fields, a memorandum of understanding with the business incubator of the Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University for cooperation in the field of supporting and developing human capacity building and entrepreneurship, and a protocol of cooperation with the Helm Foundation in the field of training and advisory services to integrate people with special needs In various fields of life, as well as a memorandum of understanding with the Egyptian Center for Global Governance and Development for cooperation in the areas of governance and sustainable development.The Institute also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Danish Embassy in Cairo, within the framework of the distinguished and historical relations between Egypt and Denmark, and to implement some activities to support the development of human capabilities by holding a series of pieces of training in the areas of supporting governance, sustainable development, and green transformation.The memoranda of understanding signed during 2021 included; One sign was signed with the Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government to enhance cooperation in the field of human capacity development, research and studies in governance and government administration sciences, and another with the Egyptian Exporters Association Expolink regarding strengthening cooperation in supporting the building and developing human capabilities in the field of entrepreneurship, as well as continuing Cooperation with Hertie University of Governance, Germany.The year 2021 also witnessed cooperation between the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization UNIDO in the areas of social and economic development at the local level, as well as the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) in areas related to governance and sustainable development.Moreover,  a memorandum of understanding with the National Commission for Sustainable Development and governance in the Academic Research Academy to establish units in the areas of sustainable development and governance within universities, as well as a memorandum of understanding with the Synergy Center for International and Strategic Studies on cooperation in the field of governance and sustainable development.The report of the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development added that during 2021 a cooperation agreement was signed with Aswan University in the field of governance and human capacity development, and a memorandum of understanding with the Judges Club of Egypt in the fields of building and developing human capabilities.

Meetings & ConferencesConcerning the most important meetings; The report of the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development indicated that the year 2021 witnessed several important meetings, including; Dr. Sharifa Sharif, Executive Director of the Institute, received an Iraqi government delegation from the officials of the ministries of Planning, Finance, Labor and Social Affairs in Iraq to learn and benefit from the Egyptian experiences in the field of governance and sustainable development. The first meeting of the Egyptian Governance Indicators Working Group was also held, as well as the first meeting of the Institute’s Board of Trustees the National Authority for Governance and Sustainable Development after the decision of its new formation.Sherifa Sherif also participated in the MENA Youth Conference and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development 2021 as a speaker in the “Regional Dialogue: Building Resilience with and for Youth in the Middle East and North Africa” session, in addition to holding the first meetings to develop a national indicator for development in Institutions of higher education and scientific research.The year 2021 witnessed the participation of Dr. Sherifa Sherif, as the representative of Egypt in the Public Governance Committee of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, in the policy dialogue for the Governance Program in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as participating in the high-level policy dialogue on the project “Towards Child-Friendly Justice in Egypt”.Dr. Sherifa also participated in the 14th International Conference on the Theory and Practice of Digital Governance held in Greece. The Institute presented Egypt's experience in implementing effective governance principles for sustainable development in Kenya. It also included meetings; The meeting of the Executive Director of the Institute with its leaders to discuss the executive position of the Citizen’s Charter in preparation for its launch, in addition to participating in the African Peer Review Mechanism High-Level Forum on South-South and Triangular Cooperation, held under the title “Building Resilient Societies in Africa and the Global South”.The National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development also held a roundtable during 2021 on “Empowering Women and Agricultural Technology in the Middle East and North Africa” in cooperation with USAID and UN WOMEN, and the Institute participated in a training workshop for the African Peer Review Mechanism on “Aligning National Action Programs with Development Plans.” Sherifa Sherif also met with the Executive Director of the Egyptian Institute of Directors of the Egyptian Financial Supervisory Authority to discuss aspects of cooperation.Dr. Sharifa Sharif, on behalf of the Minister of Planning and Economic Development, participated in the activities of the ninth session of the Conference of States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption in Sharm El Sheikh.


Training Programs & Initiatives
On the training programs, the Institute’s report indicated that a series of pieces of training was held at the local and regional levels during 2021, the most important of which was the launch of training for some groups within the “Be an Ambassador” initiative for youth aged 18-35 years to spread the thought and culture of sustainable development. About 1,100 young men and women, in addition to training a specialized group from the “Be an Ambassador” initiative for the institutions of a decent life, Misr El Kheir, Caritas City, Aswan University, and the Rotary Club, as well as a specialized group for media professionals and journalists.The Institute also held during 2021 the first training program for localities in African countries under the title "Governance and sustainable development and their impact on the performance and objectives of the institution" for workers in localities in African countries in its first edition in cooperation with the Egyptian Agency for Partnership for Development. The second version of the same program was also launched in cooperation with the German Hans Seidel Foundation. The report added that the Institute had launched the second edition of the African Women Leaders Program through virtual education technology for 100 African women leaders in senior administrative positions, in cooperation with the Egyptian Agency for Partnership for Development and Gemini Africa.Training programs included; The “Reliable and Effective Government and Leadership” program for several government employees, which was implemented in light of the memorandum of understanding signed with the National Institute for Political Studies in Japan to enhance participants’ understanding of the concepts of governance, good governance, and anti-corruption, in addition to cooperation with the United Nations Development Program in launching the open innovation challenge for people People with disabilities, in partnership with Nile University, the Nile Pioneers Initiative, the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, the Nitros project, and the Business Incubator of the Faculty of Economics and Political Science.The National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development also launched, during 2021, the activities of the third batch of the Women Leaders Qualification Program “Executive Leadership for Women in the Egyptian Government” in cooperation with the National Council for Women from the governorates of Gharbia, Dakahlia, Beheira, Cairo and Damietta, and the examination phase of the program was launched for 128 Women leadership, as well as the scholarship on “equal opportunities between the sexes” in Denmark for some employees of the Ministry of Planning and the Institute of Governance.


It comes from the most important initiatives launched by the Institute during 2021; The “She is for a Digital Future” initiative, in cooperation with the United Nations Development Program and Cisco International, aims to bridge the digital gender gap and train about 2,000 women as the first stage in computer skills and others.
The pieces of training provided by the institute included; A scholarship module in cooperation with the College of Business Administration at the American University in Cairo on leadership and gender for some trainees representing 5 African countries who are graduates of the training programs of the institute and a development network for the years 2020 and 2021, in addition to launching some courses in the training program on governance, digital transformation and anti-corruption in Portugal for several One of the government leaders, in cooperation with the United Nations University in Portugal.The institute's report explained; During 2021, discussions were launched on the self-development and professional development program for women leaders in the government sector in cooperation with the National Council for Women and the Economic Governance Project of the United States Agency for International Development, and a training program entitled “Strengthening the Understanding of International Trade for Youth” was held for some representatives of small and medium-sized companies.
Decisions
The Institute’s report indicated that several important decisions were issued during 2021, including the issuance of the Prime Minister’s Resolutions No. 505 and 506 of 2021 to form the Board of Trustees of the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, and the Advisory Board for Governance for three years headed by Dr. Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development. Among the important honors in 2021; Honoring Dr. Sherifa Sherif, the Executive Director of the Institute, as one of the 50 most influential women in Egypt for the year 2020 during the celebration of the "Egypt for the Best Summit", which was held under the auspices of the Forum of the 50 Most Influential Women under the patronage of the Prime Minister.

The year 2021 also witnessed the selection of Dr. Sharifa Sharif as a member of the Committee of Experts on Public Administration at the United Nations Economic and Social Council; which includes 24 experts representing some countries around the year for 4 years.