The National Council for Women, in partnership with the Ministry of International Cooperation, the United Nations Population Fund in Egypt, and the Norwegian Embassy in Cairo, has launched a new project called “A Comprehensive Approach to Population Growth and Enhancing Population Characteristics through Empowering Youth, Investing in Girls, and Confronting all Forms of Existing Violence against Women and Girls”.
During the project launch ceremony on Tuesday, Minister of International Cooperation Dr. Rania Al-Mashat highlighted the role of development partners in enhancing national priorities and supporting the achievement of sustainable development goals, especially the fifth goal, “Gender Equality and Empowering Women,” and the third goal, “Good Health and Well-being”.
The new project aims to support the development of the Egyptian family through comprehensive and integrated strategies focusing on reproductive health and well-being care services, population growth, and investment in girls and youth.
The partnership between national authorities and the United Nations Population Fund is an important part of the state’s efforts to implement the National Family Development Project President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi launched in February 2022.
This national initiative represents the cornerstone of confronting the challenge of population increase with a more comprehensive development perspective by including the social, economic, health, and family dimensions in the process of development and human building and raising awareness of the issue of population increase.
The project relies on two outcomes to achieve its goals. The first focuses on enhancing information on population priorities, investing in the capabilities of young people at the local level through innovative technologies, and expanding the scope of national initiatives that focus on empowering girls.
The second aims to strengthen national mechanisms and local programs designed to prevent and protect women and girls, provide immediate specialized response services, and institutionalize youth leadership through the National Youth Strategy.
President of the National Council for Women, Dr. Maya Morsi, praised the long-term partnership with the Ministry of International Cooperation and the United Nations Population Authority. She also highlighted the “Catalyst for Closing the Gender Gap” initiative launched by the Council in cooperation with the Ministry based on the World Economic Forum model.
Egypt is the first country to implement this cooperation model between the public and private sectors in Africa and the Middle East. The initiative aims to help governments and companies take decisive measures to close economic gaps between the sexes, increase women’s participation in the workforce, close gender gaps in wages and pay, increase the number of women in management and leadership positions, and achieve gender equality in the future of work.
Dr. Morsi emphasized that girls are at the heart of the state’s national priorities, strategies, and programs as part of Egypt’s Vision 2030. The government launched several strategies and interventions aimed at supporting and promoting the rights of children and girls in Egypt, including the National Strategy for Empowering Egyptian Women 2030, the National Strategic Framework for Childhood and Motherhood (2018-2030), and the National Project for the Development of the Egyptian Family.
The government prioritizes girl empowerment by adopting and implementing the “National Framework for Investment in Girls in Egypt.” The Council also implements the “Noura” program, which aims to build and enhance girls’ capabilities, empower them, and build their social, health, and economic skills within the framework of the national project for family development in the villages of “A Decent Life.”
Dr. Morsi concluded by stressing the Council’s interest in reaching new generations to ensure a future change in women’s issues. She also underlined the importance of investing in the new generations because they will lead the way in addressing women’s issues in the future.:
