Egypt and the United Nations (UN) have signed a cooperation protocol to finance sustainable development goals (SDGs) in Egypt in collaboration with the UN's SDGs Fund. Egypt's Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala El-Saeed and the UN's Resident Coordinator in Egypt, Elena Banova, inked the protocol on Tuesday during a meeting between the two sides. During the meeting, El-Saeed affirmed Egypt's keenness to enhance cooperation with the UN's organisations and agencies for the sake of supporting Egypt's SDGs agenda. El-Said also reviewed the actions taken on the ground regarding the "Decent Life" presidential initiative and the developmental practices that Egypt is adopting and aiming to localise the SDGs and bridge the developmental gaps. Additionally, the minister reviewed Egypt's vision 2030 and the how the COVID-19 pandemic has given a push to its related critical issues, particularly digitalisation, population, renewable energy, and water. El-Said unveiled that Egypt plans to invest in SDGs accelerators to achieve Egypt's SDGs by 2030 and create a sustainable economy and community, especially in the education, health, social protection, water, sanitation, and transport sectors. She also said that the state will work in sectors that represent a priority in light of the challenges the pandemic has imposed. For her part, Banova noted that financing is a key factor for accelerating the SDGs achievement. She added that the joint project between the UN and Egypt includes increasing additional financing for the SDGs, supporting Egypt's efforts in calculating the cost of its SDGs implementation strategy, designing suitable finance plans, diversifying the SDGs finance resources, and uplifting the efficiency of the public management department. It also involves catalysing partnership mechanisms with the private sector, civil society, and development partners, as well as increasing public spending, and adapting programmes and budgets with the SDGs requirements, according to Banova. In January, Banova was named as the UN's Resident Coordinator in Egypt.
