Egypt's Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait said on Sunday that 80% of state agencies and 69% of economic authorities adopted the "programs and performance based budgeting" concept in their budgets for the current fiscal year. He pointed out that PPBB contributes to raising the efficiency of public spending, achieving optimal utilization of state resources, making better use of the financial appropriations of the various budget agencies, setting spending priorities and following up on the implementation of programs within various government agencies and institutions. Maait added that more than 3 years ago, the ministry launched an ambitious programme to build the capacities of government workers specialized in preparing and implementing the PPBB, in a way that contributes to the development of human cadres and ensures the achievement of the desired goals. Ahmed Kochouk, Deputy Minister for Financial Policies and Institutional Development, said that the ministry sought to achieve harmonization and linkage between the budget, which includes state revenues and expenditures, and sustainable development goals, noting that the state is interested in green bonds as a basic pillar for establishing projects with international specifications. He added that the coming period will witness focusing on quality bonds that achieve sustainable development goals, through programs that achieve equality in general or between genders. He added that these tools contribute to making a qualitative leap for Egypt, which ranks nineteenth in the world, and first in the Middle East and North Africa, in issuing green bonds, noting that the preparation for issuing green bonds took several years; because its procedures are difficult, and need real projects with international standards, and it is reviewed annually; to find out the extent of its impact on the ground in terms of reducing harmful carbon emissions, and other factors aimed at laying the foundations for clean energy. Mohamed El-Sobky, Advisor to the Minister of Finance and Head of the Programs and Performance Unit, said that, during the last period, the ministry succeeded in implementing the "capacity building" programme for workers specialized in the PPBB, and linking the sustainable development goals with the programs of the Egypt 2030 vision and the government's work programme 2018-2022. He pointed out that the PPBB was developed in accordance with the latest international experiences, standards and applications issued by the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations organizations, and the United States Agency for Development, explaining that the actual implementation of the "programs and performance" budget for ministries and agencies is monitored every three months, to measure the results of the implementation of these programs and projects, and see what has been achieved. This gives the state a degree of flexibility in the face of crises, achieves the optimal use of state resources efficiently and effectively, and ensures the achievement of the objectives of the economic and social development plan and the strategic objectives of the state. Dalia Fouad, Head of the Equal Opportunities Unit at the Ministry of Finance, said that the government is striving to achieve more political, economic and social empowerment of Egyptian women as an authentic partner in the economic reform process, through the implementation of the National Strategy for Women Empowerment 2030, which serves as a working document and roadmap for the government to implement all programs and activities related to women's empowerment and gender equality. She added that the "Sustainable Development Goals Financing Strategy in Egypt" programme, which is being coordinated between the Ministry of Finance, the National Council for Women, and the United Nations Women, aims to empower women competencies in leadership positions in all ministries and bodies as they are the key to economic development, by preparing workshops on gender-responsive budgets.
