Egypt's Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala El-Said has issued decision No 9 of 2021 to establish the Equal Opportunities Unit, headed by Shaima Serraj, at the Ministry. El-Said said that the terms of reference for the Equal Opportunities Unit include preparing databases on employees at the Ministry and its affiliated agencies, and classifying them according to type and analysing them. The unit will also enumerate and study the problems any of the workers are exposed to as a result of qualitative discrimination, and proposing solutions to the problems. The unit will also work on preparing reports on problems of a general nature, as well as documenting data, information, studies, and research that reflect the reality of women working in the ministry. It seeks to help women in obtaining their rights in the field of training, entertainment, and educational programmes, while working to empower women to reconcile family duties with the requirements of work. El-Said noted the importance of establishing equal opportunities units in the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development's various departments. This comes in support of Goal 5 of the UN's sustainable development goals (SDGs) on gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. El-Said stressed the importance of cooperation and coordination with the ministry's central unit and the various sectors. This would showcase the ministry's efforts in the field of empowering women and their participation in reaching the desired economic development. For her part, Serraj held an introductory meeting on the unit, its objectives, and its pillars of work, in the presence of representatives of the Ministry's sectors and affiliated agencies. She reviewed the unit's tasks, the reasons for its establishment, and its specialisations. She added that the unit's vision is to establish equal opportunities for employees of both genders at the Ministry and its affiliated bodies. The unit's mission is also to consolidate a culture of gender and work to integrate it into all activities and plans. This would come in addition to innovation in promoting the implementation of the UN's SDGs concerned with equality and the national strategy for the empowerment of Egyptian women 2030. El-Said drew attention to the unit's goals, which include supporting the capabilities of its members and representatives in the sectors and affiliates. This would also include integrating gender perspective in all stages of plan preparation, follow-up, and evaluation across all parties. The minister highlighted the importance of good preparation for distinguished employees of the second and third grades without discrimination, in addition to cooperation with all entities from inside or outside the ministry.
