The Ministry of International Cooperation has disclosed key outcomes of the development cooperation programmes and projects executed in 2023. These initiatives fall under the Egypt-United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, spanning from 2023 to 2027. The disclosure occurred at the inaugural session of the Joint Steering Committee, convened yesterday. The meeting was co-chaired by Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation, and Elena Panova, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Egypt. Representatives from UN agencies and national bodies reviewed the collaborative achievements of 2023, structured around the strategic framework's five pillars: Fostering Human Capital, Sustainable and Inclusive Economic Development, Enhanced Climate Resilience, and Resource Management Efficiency, Transparency, Accountability & Efficient Governance, and Women's Empowerment. Collectively, these programmes were supported by grants totalling $178m. Minister Al-Mashat emphasized the collective efforts of national entities and UN agencies, illustrating the power of multilateral cooperation to propel progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This progress is facilitated by development grants provided by bilateral partners. UN agencies, in partnership with national authorities, implement programmes aligned with Egypt's strategic priorities. 1st Pillar: Fostering Human Capital Over 1,000 individuals accessed basic nutrition services, while 3.6m benefited from healthcare services. Additionally, 310,000 youths and children engaged in skills development and training programmes. These interventions bolstered the Ministry of Education's efforts to enhance the preparatory education phase. Furthermore, 7m individuals were reached through initiatives aimed at eradicating child labour and trafficking. The grants allocated for these purposes in the past year amounted to approximately $97.3m. 2nd Pillar: Sustainable & Inclusive Economic Development This year's endeavours reinforced technical support for roughly 50,500 private sector entities, including micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). Approximately 282,900 individuals received entrepreneurship and skills development training. The income levels of around 18,600 people improved, and 29 institutions, encompassing MSMEs, were integrated into value chains. Moreover, 207,530 MSMEs gained access to new markets. The grants designated for these initiatives last year totalled about $12.9m. 3rd Pillar: Enhanced Climate Resilience In 2023, initiatives aimed at environmental protection and sustainable resource utilization directly impacted 28,400 individuals. Land rehabilitation efforts covered 9,100 hectares, and 12 strategies, policies, and plans were developed for disaster risk reduction and management. Early warning information reached 150,800 people, and 9 national mechanisms were fortified to support sustainable consumption and production transitions. These efforts resulted in the reduction of 104.9 million tonnes of environmental pollutants and waste. Additionally, participatory urban planning and efficient land use were promoted in 6 governorates, with 18 national urban frameworks developed to incorporate comprehensive management and planning. The grants used for these projects were valued at $23.8m. 4th Pillar: Transparency, Accountability & Efficient Governance Interventions contributed to supporting 22 national institutions to strengthen public administration and basic government functions, in addition to supporting data collection and analysis mechanisms/initiatives to monitor progress towards achieving the SDGs and enhancing the coherence of sustainable development policies, enabling 318,500 people to register to obtain a legal identity, and strengthening efforts reporting on the exploitation and extortion of children via the internet, and implementing 13 initiatives and programmes for South-South and triangular cooperation. Grants during 2023 amounted to about $28.6m. 5th Pillar: Women's Empowerment Regarding the empowerment of women and girls, grants to programmes implemented during the past year amounted to about $15.4m.
