Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation, Sahar Nasr will be travelling to New York Monday to represent her country in the UNDP 50th Anniversary Ministerial Meeting. Nasr also serves as the National Coordinator of the National Committee for the Follow Up on the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In 2016 the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) celebrates its 50th anniversary. UNDP is hosting a Ministerial Meeting on 24th of February, 2016 in New-York. Ministers from all UN Member States are invited. The Ministerial Meeting will be an occasion for Member States to celebrate UNDP's past, and chart a course for the future of global development. They will discuss the next decade's Sustainable Development Goals, as well. Each state will decide which ministers to send a ministerial meeting, however, Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Planning, developments and finance are expected to attend the anniversary. Meanwhile, the Egyptian minister will also be taking part in several meetings with UN Secretariat leadership to discuss ways forward in order to ensure effective implementation of the post-2015 agenda and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Furthermore, discussions will also focus on the establishment of specific and clear indicators to ensure effective follow-up on the implementation of the goals. Nasr highlighted the timeliness of this event, in light of recent developments, both on a global and regional scale, which call for collective action to achieve a tangible impact and results in realizing these goals, as well as providing equal opportunity and social justice. She emphasized that investing in human capital is a top priority, especially for the growing youth population, which requires enhancing quality of education and skills development in order to unlock the brimming potential of this underserved segment. The importance of promoting women's empowerment, and realizing their crucial role as agents of economic and social advancement was also stressed by Minister Nasr. Moreover, Nasr confirmed strong commitment to poverty eradication and job creation through inclusive and sustainable development. She reaffirmed the commitment and dedication of the Egyptian government, as mandated by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, to provide all necessary support to help citizens achieve a life characterized by dignity, freedom, and equal opportunity, ensuring that "no one is left behind on the path to inclusive growth and shared prosperity." The minister, in her capacity as National Coordinator of the National Committee for the Follow-Up on the SDGS, will be making a formal address on behalf of Egypt during the Ministerial Meeting, where she will highlight the strong historical partnership between Egypt and the UNDP. She is set to showcase human and sustainable development stories that demonstrate the great strides taken to promote inclusive development in Egypt. She will also be taking part in several high-level meetings focused on providing the necessary funding and support to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, that was adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 2015 by leaders of all member states, including President Sisi, and which aims to end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, tackle climate change, and reinforce world peace by 2030.
