British Co-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Women, Peace, and Security, Baroness Fiona Hodgson, met with government officials, universities and civil society organizations to discuss enhancing cooperation, as part of her first official visit to Egypt.
Baroness Hodgson discussed with Dr. Maya Morsi, President of the National Council of Women, how Egypt and the UK can work together on the women, peace, and security agenda, according to the “Sada Elbalad English” website.
They also discussed the UK’s focus on combatting violence against women, a shared challenge in both the UK and Egypt, and how both parties can work together to increase cooperation.
According to a statement recently issued by British Embassy, Baroness Hodgson and Dr. Morsi commended successes to date, including the development of the Gender Equity Seal in Egypt, a code that helps certify that large companies are contributing to gender equality in the workplace. Baroness Hodgson also praised the Council’s role in setting The National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030, contributing to the advancement of women’s rights.
One of the highlights of the visit was the launch of the UK Laha wa Maha Fund (For Her, With Her), dedicated to combating gender-based violence. Laha wa Maha will provide up to £2m in grants over the next two years to Egyptian organizations, including charities, local community groups, schools and universities, business and private sector, and local government, helping them find innovative solutions to prevent gender-based violence and support survivors.
The launch included a roundtable discussion with the 11 projects chosen from across Egypt, from Minya to Alexandria, and Aswan to Cairo. Baroness Hodgson, the British Ambassador to Egypt Gareth Bayley, and the British Embassy’s Social Affairs Ambassador Actor Ahmed Hatem took part in the conversation, followed by a reception attended by civil society, academia, business leaders, and women’s rights advocates.
The fund supports Egypt and Egyptian organizations working on preventing violence against women and girls. Egypt has made great progress in this regard and this fund is another important sign of our commitment towards advancing gender equality and women’s rights with our Egyptian partners.”
