Including women as a key partner in the future of work will drive economic growth, empowerment, and raise the GDP by 34%.

Incorporating human capital development is a key area in all strategies with multilateral and bilateral development partners. The Minister of International Cooperation H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat inaugurated the First National Forum on the Future of Work in Egypt, organized by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), within the framework of bilateral cooperation with the Government of Egypt under the slogan “Joining Forces For Tomorrow and Beyond”. This took place in presence of the German Ambassador in Cairo Frank Hartmann, the President of the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) General Khairat Barakat, and several representatives from other relevant ministries. The forum is held under the auspices of the Ministry of International Cooperation, the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, the Ministry of Education and Technical Education, the Ministry of Manpower, and CAPMAS. In her speech, Al-Mashat stressed the importance of the forum, which aims to enhance discussions and the exchange of knowledge on future developments and expectations of the labor market, and new and necessary skills. The Minister also elaborated on the development efforts undertaken by governments around the world, aiming to achieve the common goal of increasing employment rates, and the inclusion of youth into the workforce, in the backdrop of an increasing population and a dynamic labor market. Al-Mashat explained that investing in human capital is at the top of the Government of Egypt’s priorities, and falls within cooperation with multilateral and bilateral development partners through the multi-stakeholder engagement framework that is based on three main principles: hosting multi-stakeholder platforms, mapping the Official Development Assistance (ODA) to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the Global Partnerships Narrative to document Egypt’s development stories. The Minister pointed out that the ongoing development cooperation portfolio includes 372 projects amounting to $26.5 billion, distributed across priority sectors, which is reflected in both achieving sustainable development and in investing in human capital, while also stimulating engagement with the private sector. In 2021, Egypt secured $10.2 billion in development financing for the public and private sectors, including $2.47 billion (nearly 25%) in investing in human capital across sectors such as health, education, SMES, food security, and gender equality. Al-Mashat said that within the framework of implementing the directives H.E. President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, in the past year, the Ministry of International Cooperation has mapped the ODA to the SDGs, which was a pioneering experience documented at the London School of Economics (LSE). Through the mapping, the development financing dedicated to each of the 17 SDGs was made clear. For instance, the SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being includes 33 projects worth $1.5 billion, SDG 4: Quality Education includes 35 projects worth $2 billion, and SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth includes 47 projects worth $2.6 billion. The Minister elaborated that the figures reflect constructive relations between Egypt and its multilateral and bilateral development partners, based on supporting development efforts and directing synergies towards increasing growth rates, employment and investing in human capital, all in line with the 2030 SDGs and national priorities. “When discussing investing in human capital, it is necessary to point out the importance of women’s participation in the labor market, as their empowerment on the economic, social, and political levels, stimulates development efforts and multiplies development results. The global gender gap in the labor market is a gap that the entire world is seeking to overcome, as a recent report issued by the World Bank Group (WBG) indicates that $2.4 billion women of working age do not have equal economic opportunities,” added Al-Mashat. The Minister said that the participation of women in the labor market has become indispensable, as reflected in the positive results achieved through economic indicators. The equal participation of women in the labor market is reflected in an increase of GDP by 34%, and in this regard, over the past years, the Government of Egypt has taken many steps to empower women. In 2017, H.E. President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi declared it to be the “Year of Women”, and the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Women 2030 was launched, paving the way for women to be a key partner in the sustainable development strategy; focused on political, economic and social empowerment. Al-Mashat pointed out that these efforts were reflected in Egypt’s rank in international indicators in the report on “Women, Business and the Law 2022” issued by the WBG. The report showed that Egypt is at 50.6 points compared to 45 points in the 2021 report, coming within a list of countries that have taken positive measures in enhancing the participation of women, in line with accelerating progress towards sustainable development. Al-Mashat added that the Ministry of International Cooperation, within the framework of building the capacity of Egyptian citizens, is working to promote investment in human capital as a main focus in all its country strategies with multilateral and bilateral development partners. Most recently, the 2022 - 2027 Egypt- European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) strategy was launched, and among its key objectives is to achieve comprehensive and sustainable economic growth by supporting human capital development efforts, and by empowering girls and women, and youth. The Ministry is currently working in coordination with all relevant parties from relevant ministries, the private sector, civil society to prepare country strategies with the UN, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the USAID, and the WBG. The Minister also referred to hosting a multi-stakeholder platform titled “Investing in Human Capital for Sustainable Development” with the National Training Academy, with the aim of presenting the NTA’s vision in providing multidisciplinary training programs and building potential leaders. This included the participation of the UN, the EBRD, the AfDB, the USAID, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the German Embassy, and the European Union (EU). Al-Mashat stressed the strategic cooperation between Egypt and Germany, through both multilateral and bilateral cooperation, where the current cooperation portfolio amounts to €1.7 billion of development financing, including technical support, used in the implementation 30 development projects in various fields; renewable energy, water, sanitation, irrigation, solid waste management, and private sector engagement. She added that the joint relations with the German side is reflected in supporting Egypt’s efforts in development investment in human capital, and in supporting the labor market, education, and health sectors, including other priority sectors, via several projects that include the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Reform Programme (TVET), Supporting Innovation and Private Sector Project, the Labor Market Access Project, and the Egyptian-German Center for Jobs, Migration and Reintegration. This is in addition to many programs with other development partners such as the STEM schools projects with the USAID; the outpatient building of the Abu Al-Rish Children’s Hospital, affiliated with Cairo University, in cooperation with Japan; and over 1,100 training programs in the past 4 years benefiting over 4,000 government employees and officials.