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Egypt receives $3.3bn in funds to support women: Al-Mashat Egypt celebrated for implementing Positive Mental Health Initiatives for Women in World Bank report
Egypt has received $3.3bn in funds to support women, according to the Ministry of International Cooperation. The financing comes as part of the development funds concluded by the Ministry with its multilateral and bilateral development partners. It will be given to support women's empowerment and their participation in development efforts, and will be used to implement 34 projects in various development sectors. In a statement, the Ministry of International Cooperation said that development funds enhancing the empowerment of women have been distributed across various development sectors. These include: 20% towards the health sector; 15% to the education sector; 14% in the education sector; 9% to the agriculture sector; 6% each to the irrigation and governance sectors; and 3% each to the trade, investment, social protection, transportation, water, and sanitation sectors. Many development partners have contributed to securing these funds, including: the World Bank Group; the United States Agency for International Development (USAID); the European Union (EU); the African Development Bank (AfDB); the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD); the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD); Germany; and France. Egypt was also celebrated in a World Bank report as a country with Positive Mental Health Initiatives for Women, according to Rania Al-Mashat, Egypt's Minister of International Cooperation Minister Al-Mashat announced that Egypt is put forward as one of the countries that has taken positive strides in protecting the health and safety of women in dire times. This was outlined by the "Women, Business and the Law 2021" report, published by the World Bank Group. According to the report, Egypt scored an average 45 out of 100 for its WBL index, measuring the economic empowerment of women. The index consists of mobility, workplace, pay, parenthood, entrepreneurship, assets, and pension. Egypt scored highest in pension with 100 points, followed by 75 in both entrepreneurship and workplace. While the world was taken aback by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic's health and global economic crisis, many households around the world struggled financially. This was coupled with health anxieties creating increased mental stress. "Egypt launched the ‘Our Mental Health Is a Priority' initiative in May 2020," the World Bank Group report noted, "With the help of psychologists and professional institutions, this initiative has supported the mental health of Egyptian women and has raised the public's awareness of mental health during this challenging time." Egypt's "Our Mental Health is a Priority" initiative was launched in May 2020 in collaboration between the National Council for Women (NCW) and UN Women. It is focused on raising awareness on the mental health issues caused by the pandemic, and on supporting the mental health of Egyptian women in particular. Women are at the forefront of the Egyptian Government's development plan, leading on socio-economic efforts within its reform agenda. By the end of February 2021, the Ministry of International Cooperation and the NCW launched the Action Plan for implementing the "Closing the Gender Gap Accelerator". This took place in collaboration with the private sector, and in partnership with the World Economic Forum, to unleash the full potential of Egyptian women. The action plan consists of 10 pillars, each including several tasks and sub-actions for all stakeholders to implement, bringing their own expertise to the gender agenda plan. The pillars cover a wide array of fields where development is necessary to ensure women's inclusion: empowering work regulations; leadership mentorship and protocols; educational reskilling and preparation; digitalisation of businesses; and social inclusion measures and policies.
