• Dr. Rania Al-Mashat: The Human Development Report is one of the most important tools that provides an objective and realistic analysis of development issues in Egypt.
• The 2025 report holds special significance in light of global fluctuations and their impact on the development path. It provides evidence-based recommendations for decision-makers.
H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation, attended the inception workshop for the preparation of Egypt's Human Development Report 2025, organized by the Ministry in cooperation with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), with the participation of Dr. Ashraf Elaraby, President of the National Planning Institute, Dr. Maged Othman, President of Baseera Center for Public Opinion Research, Mr. Alessandro Fracassetti, UNDP Resident Representative in Egypt, Dr. Ahmed Darwish, Advisor to the Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation for Governance and Information Infrastructure, a number of experts, and representatives from national entities and civil society, including the National Council for Women, the American University in Cairo, the Egyptian Center for Women's Rights, the Sawiris Foundation for Development, and the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS).
During the inception workshop, discussions began among stakeholders to prepare the Egypt Human Development Report 2025, within the framework of a participatory process between various relevant parties, especially given the high importance the state attaches to this report, which diagnoses the state of development in Egypt in the context of regional and international conditions and developments in the local economy, identifies development gaps, and analyzes human development issues in Egypt.
H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat delivered the opening speech, emphasizing that the Egypt Human Development Report 2025 is one of the most important tools that provides an objective and realistic analysis of human development at the national level - by measuring progress in the fields of education, health, standard of living, and the Human Development Index in Egypt, as well as providing recommendations for public policies, especially in light of the compounded challenges the world faces today, which are exacerbating day by day, contributing to the narrowing financial space for developing countries and thus affecting their efforts toward achieving development.
Al-Mashat added that Egypt's human development reports have effectively contributed to positively influencing decision-making and policy-making circles and promoting societal dialogue on human development issues, ensuring transparency and impartiality in addressing these issues and identifying the development gaps that need to be addressed in the medium and long term.
The Minister explained that this report is the 13th report in the series of national human development reports that began in Egypt in 1994, and this is an important indicator of the Egyptian government's keenness to benefit from various expertise in related fields, so Baseera Center was chosen as one of the independent think tanks and research houses with expertise in many developmental areas, emphasizing that the resumption of issuing human development reports in Egypt in 2021, after more than ten years reflects the Egyptian state's keenness to present its development experience for discussion and evaluation, with the participation of all national stakeholders and international partners.
H.E. affirmed that in the context of preparing the report, integration with all relevant national initiatives and strategies, such as the "Decent Life Initiative", "Bedaya Initiative", "100 Million Health", the government's work program, Egypt's Vision 2030, the localization of the Sustainable Development Goals, and country platforms concerned with following up the implementation of development projects at the level of all sectors, especially those aimed at investing in human capital and improving the lives of citizens, noting that the government has launched three ministerial groups, one for industrial development, one for human development and one for entrepreneurship, to drive growth and employment rates.
For his part, Mr. Alessandro Fracassetti, UNDP Resident Representative in Egypt, said that HDRs go beyond the idea of data and analysis, but are a national and inclusive platform for dialogue, based on citizens' priorities and experiences, explaining that in light of complex global changes in technology and climate variability, the report provides an opportunity to reimagine Egypt's development path.
During the workshop, Dr. Magid Osman, head of the Baseera Center for Public Opinion Research, presented the methodology and mechanisms for preparing the report and the ideas to be discussed, explaining that the current report will build on the findings of previous human development reports in order to advance Egypt's development efforts.
Meanwhile, Dr. Ashraf Elaraby, President of the Institute of National Planning, explained that the Institute is a key partner in the preparation of human development reports, as the report is of great importance to various decision makers by providing recommendations to support development efforts in Egypt, as well as a key reference for researchers and academics, and reflects fruitful cooperation with various stakeholders.
It is worth noting that the Egypt Human Development Report 2025 builds on the results of the previous report for 2021, titled "Development, a Right for All: Egypt’s Pathways and Prospects" which provided a comprehensive review of Egypt's development process between 2011 and 2020, providing an in-depth analysis of a set of key human development issues that significantly affect the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as it analyzes the policies adopted and implemented during this period and their impact on the Egyptian citizen.