2023-2027 Egypt-UNFPA program stresses commitment to SDGs

16 / 06 / 2023

By Marwa Nassar - -

The launch of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)’s 11th Country Program for Egypt (2023-2027) underlined commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Egypt Vision 2030.

The UNFPA’s 11th Country Program envisions creating an enabling policy and social environment where girls and young women can live up to their full potential.

The program works on creating positive social norms towards adolescent girls within their households and communities and strengthens systems to ensure quality and accessible services.

It is centered around “Noura,” a symbol for all adolescent girls in Egypt, and the face of the Girls Assets Framework, an intensive girl-centered program that empowers girls by providing them with social, health, economic and digital assets.

Noura is part of the Investment Framework for Girls in Egypt, led by the National Council for Women, under the patronage of the First Lady of Egypt, Entissar El Sisi, and was integrated in the flagship National Project for Development of the Egyptian Family.

The 2023-2027 Country Program will contribute to realizing the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) outcomes and is aligned with the UNFPA Strategic Plan (2022-2025). It was developed based consultations with stakeholders and in partnership with the Government of Egypt.

The program also encourages multi-sectoral coordination to address gender-based violence against women and girls and harmful practices, reproductive health and family planning and maternal health.

“The new Country Program opens the door for accelerated efforts to deliver on our promise of a world with Zero Unmet Need for Family Planning, Zero Preventable Maternal Deaths and Zero Gender-Based Violence against women and girls and Harmful Practices,” Frederika Meijer, UNFPA Representative in Egypt, “but in order to deliver on global commitments, we must prioritize women and girls’ empowerment.”

When girls have their rights and choices, Meijer explained, they can reach their full potential, and grow up to be a generation of women who contribute to the health and prosperity of whole families and communities.

“We will work to reach the furthest left behind,” Meijer said, “because everyone counts.”

Meanwhile, Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation Rania Mashat stated that the partnership with the UNFPA enhances investment in capacity building, with a special focus on youth, girls and adolescents, family planning programs, and facing challenges related to climate change, noting the Egyptian government’s commitment to implementing the required policies and reforms to support family development, capabilities of the youth and females and improve their access to quality services and care through national programs and initiatives, such as a “Decent Life” (or Hayat Karima), in line with Egypt’s Vision 2030 and SDGs.

Mashat applauded the role of the UNFPA in supporting the national population strategy, in cooperation with the EU, the Ministry of Health and relevant entities in Egypt, as well as civil society organizations, with the aim of supporting the country’s vision to provide family planning services and strengthening efforts to empower women and girls and combat all forms of gender-based violence and support the Egyptian government in achieving SDG 5: Gender Equality.

The minister applauded the joint efforts made with the government in implementing the goals of the 2018-2022 Country Partnership Document (CPD) , through multilateral partnerships to advance positive change and achieve progress in many areas including supporting national policies, development plans and initiatives related to family planning, maternal health, and developing youth capacities in line with Egypt’s Vision 2030.

Mashat also referred to the UNFPA efforts in cooperation with the relevant entities to develop capabilities and raise awareness among women, and to contribute to launching the general framework of the Egyptian National Strategy for Youth and Adolescents 2021-2026 in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports and with the participation of all relevant ministries, as well as supporting the National Project for the Development of the Egyptian Family, which aims to make a tangible positive impact on the citizen’s livelihood.

She said the achievements made present a strong foundation that can be focused on in the new CPD for the period 2023-2027, noting that the partnership comes after the launch of the UNSDCF 2023-2027. This represents a new chapter of cooperation between the Government of Egypt and the UN to implement SDGs, as the framework was launched after extensive consultations involving more than 40 national entities and 28 UN agencies, as well as multilateral and bilateral development partners and relevant parties.

Mashat noted that, in line with the partnership between Egypt and the United Nations, the CPD plays a vital role in supporting national priorities and the common vision to support development based on the objectives of the partnership framework, which aims to promote investment in human capital, achieve comprehensive economic development, enhance governance and transparency, and empower women and girls.

This reflects a comprehensive and unified approach by mobilizing development cooperation efforts and integrating them in line with national priorities, to create a more sustainable and prosperous future, she said.