Egypt’s Minister of Labor, Mohamed Gibran, chaired a meeting of the Steering Committee for the National Plan to Promote Gender Equality in the Workplace at the Ministry’s headquarters in the New Administrative Capital. In his opening remarks, Minister Gibran emphasized the importance of the plan in supporting and empowering women in alignment with Egypt’s national objectives and the directives of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
The meeting featured a presentation by Omnia Abdel Hamid, a technical assistant in the Minister’s office, alongside contributions from committee members representing various relevant ministries and organizations. The presentation outlined the goals and progress of the National Plan for Gender Equality in the Workplace (2022-2026), developed through a collaborative approach involving the Ministries of Labor, Industry, Finance, Social Solidarity, the National Council for Women, the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, the Egyptian Federation of Trade Unions, and the Federation of Egyptian Industries. The plan, launched in April 2022, is developed in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO).
The plan seeks to create a comprehensive and supportive framework to empower women in the workforce, with six key objectives:
- Establishing a supportive framework for gender equality in the workplace.
- Increasing women’s participation in both the workforce and leadership positions.
- Creating a safe work environment free from violence and discrimination.
- Developing updated, gender-sensitive knowledge and skills in the workplace.
- Raising societal awareness and advocacy on gender equality in the workplace.
- Promoting collaboration with key stakeholders and entities that share common goals.
Minister Gibran explained that the plan has been integrated into the National Plans and Strategies Platform, managed by the Cabinet Information and Decision Support Center. The Ministry is working closely with the center to keep the platform updated with completed activities and reports from stakeholders. Additionally, all committee members have been requested to provide reports on progress made and outline plans for future initiatives.
The Ministry of Labor is deeply committed to supporting women in the workplace, focusing on policies that promote gender equality, eliminate workplace discrimination, and economically empower women. The ministry is also working to bridge the gap between family responsibilities and work requirements, while enhancing the principle of equal opportunities.
Furthermore, the Ministry is dedicated to equipping women with the necessary technical skills to join the labor market, close gender pay gaps, increase female representation in leadership roles, and ensure equal access to better opportunities in future jobs.
The meeting was attended by representatives from the Ministries of Industry, Finance, and Social Solidarity, the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, and the National Council for Women, as well as senior officials from the Ministry of Labor, including Rasha Abdel-Baset, Head of the Central Department for International Relations, Hend Mohamed, Director General of the General Department for Labor Market Information, and Omnia Abdel Hamid, Technical Assistant to the Minister.
