• WFP: We are guided by the results achieved in the previous strategic framework to create new partnerships, establish smart technologies in agriculture and stimulate public-private partnership opportunities.
• Al-Mashat: The “Investing in Human Capital in Rural Upper Egypt” is consistent with the goals of the government's program and the presidential initiative "Haya Karima" and the state's efforts to promote school nutrition.
•118,000 children have benefited from school nutriton, 2,600 of them in Aswan, and efforts are continuing to expand in many upper provinces.
•67,000 female entrepreneurs have been trained in Upper Egypt and providing micro loans to 28.8 of them to develop their businesses.
H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation, and Elena Panova, UN Resident Coordinator in Egypt, began their visit to Aswan m by reviewing the results of the “Investing in Human Capital in Rural Upper Egypt” at the Al-Raghama, within the field visits being organized as part of the Egypt-UN Partnership Week , to highlight the results of projects implemented under the previous 2018-2022 partnership, and in preparation for United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2023 - 2027.
The field visit was attended by Major General Ashraf Atiya, Governor of Aswan, Engineer Mustafa Al-Sayyad Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Praveen Agarwal, Country Director of the World Food Programme, and representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Ministry of Social Solidarity, Ministry of Education and Education, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Health and Population, National Council of Women, Civil Society, Private Sector and Academic Institutions, as well as leaders of the Ministry of International Cooperation and UN agencies.
During the visit, Al-Mashat applauded the efforts made, integration and continuous coordination between development partners and UN agencies on the one hand, and the concerned national entities, which are reflected in maximizing the return achieved from development cooperation program. This particular project is consistent with the government's vision and especially the second pillar on the development of human capital.
The Ministry of International Cooperation is working to align the goals included in the country strategies implemented with development partners with the country's vision, the government's action program and all national initiatives and strategies, and it is also consistent with the presidential initiative “Haya Karima" for the development of the Egypt’s rural areas; supporting both human development and social programs.
Investment in Human Capital in Rural Upper Egypt
Al-Mashat and the accompanying delegation, listened to a detailed explanation on the results of the Aswan Human Capital Investment Programme as applied to Community Schools by Abdul Karim Latif, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education in Aswan, and Amany Jamaluddin, Program Manager of the World Food Programme, a programme implemented between the United Nations World Food Programme, and national entities including the Ministries of Health, Population, Education, Education, Social Solidarity, Agriculture, Land Reclamation, the National Council for Women and others.
The programme promotes the state's efforts and vision to promote human capital and is implemented within the pillars of social justice, women's empowerment and inclusive economic development in the 2018-2022 partnership, through the development of children's skills, providing them with appropriate schooling and nutrition, and training women workers in target communities on entrepreneurship and various skills.
So far, the program has contributed to providing school feeding support to about 2,600 children in 105 community schools, and has also contributed to providing entrepreneurship skills by training about 3,100 women, 560 of whom have obtained small loans to enable them to start and develop their businesses. Within the framework of the program, 100 employees have been provided from local administrations in 10 villages, in order to enhance the state’s priorities in expanding proper nutrition for children through the National School Feeding Program. Community schools in Aswan; contributing to graduating 20 batches of children benefiting from educational opportunities who benefited from educational, training and educational programmes addressing the educational role played by rural women pioneers.
At the national level, about 118,000 children in 3,800 community schools in 11 governorates of Upper Egypt benefited from the meals provided. Moreover, training was provided to about 67,000 women entrepreneurs, of whom about 28,000 received small loans for the development of their businesses, and 720 employees were trained in administrative and local units in 72 villages in 6 governorates.
The programme also includes a focus on childcare in the first 1000 days through the "Takful and Karama" programme, which benefited 1298 children in Aswan, and 26.3 thousand children at the provincial level, and provided training to 2,300 workers from social solidarity departments, 588 doctors and 600 nurses in 21 provinces to enhance childcare services in the first 1000 days.
Praveen Agrawal WFP Representative and Country Director in Egypt said that “WFP's close work with the Government, has established solid ground for communities under national development initiatives, such as Haya Karima - Decent Life, not only to improve their food & nutrition security, but also thrive with access to education, health, improved livelihoods and advance SMART agriculture. The WFP will be amplifying these results in the new 2023-2027 UNSDCF through new partnerships, SMART technologies, and designing a innovative Private Public Alliance that will help us move closer to achieving the SDGS and Egypt’s Vision 2030.”
The United Nations is one of the most important multilateral development partners of the Egyptian government. The Egyptian government has set clear development goals and vision aimed primarily at the primary care and most needy groups. The United Nations and its specialized agencies have been the cornerstone of many joint development strategies and activities due to its extensive experience in all areas of economic, social and environmental character.
Since mid-2021, the Ministry of International Cooperation and the Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator have begun to prepare a roadmap for launching the Strategic Framework for Partnership for Sustainable Development 2023-2027. It is worth noting that the Egyptian government has followed many internationally recognized scientific concepts in preparing and formulating country strategies, Where the government followed a unified participatory approach that adopts a unified national vision through the concept of integrated government in formulating and designing the Strategic Partnership Framework document, where nearly 40 ministries and national destinations, about 28 United Nations agencies and programs, and about 125 representatives from development partners, the private sector and society participated, civil, academic, think tanks and research centers, through joint and specialized workshops and consultations, with the aim of coming up with a document that reflects within it national development priorities and the unified national vision for a better future for all groups living on the land of Egypt.
The Strategic Framework for the Partnership for Sustainable Development (UNSDCF) sets out 5 priorities to be achieved by 2027, namely enhancing human capital through equal access to superior services, social protection and social justice for all, promoting inclusive sustainable economic development driven by productivity growth, decent jobs, integrating the informal economy, strengthening resilience to climate change and efficient management of natural resources in a sustainable environment, achieving inclusive equity in safe and equitable access to information, in line with a governance framework characterised by transparency, accountability, efficiency, interaction, and inclusive participation of women and girls, and promoting political and economic empowerment.