The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Egypt, signed a new cooperation agreement for a joint project with Egypt's Ministry of Local Development (MoLD), a statement of the UNDP said on Monday. The project, ‘Supporting the Ministry of Local Development in Integrated Local Economic Development and Decentralisation with Special Emphasis on Upper Egypt' builds on previous collaboration with the MoLD since 2007, considering the lessons-learned from the previous project, mentioned the statement. Through the signed agreement of the project, the UNDP will support the MoLD's efforts to create a modernised and decentralised local administration system at the central and local levels in select governorates, noted the statement, adding that the project is expected to last for five years. It is worth noting that the 2014 Constitution sets the gradual transition timeframe to decentralisation. The project is aligned with this constitutional obligation and the current strategic orientation of the ministry reflected in its 2030 plan incorporated in the government programme and the strategic plan for 2030 with respect to the ministry's and local administration reform agenda. This includes increasing local resource utilisation and supporting local job creation. The project also ties coherently with the United Nations Partnership for Development Framework (UNPDF) and the UNDP's Egypt's Country Programme 2018 – 2022. This also contributes to two of the key outcomes of the UNDP's Strategic Plan 2018 – 2021. This is namely outcome 1: advance poverty eradication in all its forms and dimensions and outcome 2: accelerate structural transformations for sustainable development, in addition to multiple sustainable development goals (SDGs). “The MoLD is looking forward to the fruitful cooperation with the UNDP and to the joint efforts of institutional development and capacity enhancement of the ministry and select governorates to further fulfil their mandate as per the government programme in targeting development gaps in the most needy regions especially Upper Egypt, and supporting local economic development that aims to create decent and sustainable jobs through the utilisation of local resources and comparative advantages of each governorate,” Minister of Local Development, Mahmoud Shaarawy said. “We will support the courses of action to be taken within the project implementation and will closely monitor the attainment of tangible results, with the ultimate aim of satisfying the needs of Egyptian people and improving their quality of life wherever they live in different regions of country," the minister added. "The UNDP is delighted to once again collaborate with the MoLD and build on its joint rich history of fruitful cooperation, through the new project that is rather ―both― timely and significant given its massive contribution to the 2030 Agenda,” Randa Aboul-Hosn, UNDP resident representative in Egypt stressed. The project will also be key in developing important policy tools such as a new ‘Decentralisation National Strategy', and a ‘National Local Economic Development Strategy'. This will all help in laying out the decentralisation architecture for Egypt with the larger goal of attaining sustainable development for all Egyptians, she asserted.
