Egypt will be one of the first countries to implement the UNDP’s Gender Equality Seal Programme, in the tourism sector. The Ministry of Tourism, in cooperation with the National Council for Women (NCW) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) office in Egypt, announced the launch of the steps required to obtain the UNDP’s Gender Equality Seal (GES). The Gender Equality Seal incentivises UNDP Country Offices to integrate gender equality into all aspects of their development work.

Last Thursday, the Ministry of Tourism stated that “it has been working for 16 months to draft a unified vision on a structural reform programme to develop the tourism sector.” Putting into consideration that the “global tourism trends and economic empowerment of women are among the pillars of the prediction of structural reforms.”

Also as mentioned in Cairo 360, Her Excellency Rania Al-Mashat stressed on the importance of increasing the number of women working in the tourism sector, focusing on the cooperation between the ministry and the private sector, especially in the fields of training and providing a suitable working environment for women.

Additionally, the NCW’s Chairman, Maya Morsy, stated that “Egypt is the first country in the world to launch the ‘Seal of Equality’ in the tourism sector, and many countries will benefit from Egypt’s experience.”

All in all, this is what women deserve, and we can see the light towards equality by breaking stereotypes that all women face day by day, regarding their jobs and rights; it is proven that Egypt has been walking on the right road.