The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) announced that Egyptian banks will close their doors on Thursday, the 28th of September, on the occasion of El-Mawlid El-Nabawi (celebration of the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday).
In a statement released on Wednesday, the CBE said operations will resume on Sunday, October 1st.
People often laugh when Fathi Mohamed Ahmed tells them she runs the first and only all-female newsroom in Somalia, one of the most dangerous places to be a reporter.
But Bilan, the media house where Ahmed works as chief editor, is far from a punchline, producing a daily mix of hard news and in-depth features for local and sometimes international audiences.
In its almost 18 months of operation, Bilan, which means “to shine a light,” has overcome prejudice and insecurity to illuminate some of the most taboo subjects in Somalia, including a female drug epidemic, albinism, women living with HIV, and period shame.
“Sometimes my soul tells me I cannot continue the work because of insecurity and societal pressure. However, it is a career I have loved since childhood and a dream which still lives in me,” Ahmed said.
Although it is supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), success has been challenging and risk-free for Ahmed and her team.
With more than 50 journalists killed since 2010, Somalia is the most dangerous country for journalists in Africa, according to Reporters Without Borders.
The Committee to Protect Journalists ranks Somalia last in its Global Impunity Index, which measures the number of unsolved journalist murders as a percentage of a country’s population.
As a profoundly patriarchal society, some people find it difficult to discuss women’s issues publicly, Ahmed said. Others complain Bilan’s stories blemish the country’s reputation.
“We know Somalis; girls’ issues are shameful for them,” she said. “For example, signs of adolescence like menstruation periods. Girls are not taught the symptoms of womanhood in the classroom.”
A story about the stigma surrounding menstruation became one of Bilan’s most viral when broadcast earlier this year, garnering more than 130,000 views and dozens of comments on Facebook.
“I used to feel fear when I wanted to share my problems with the teacher. I failed to express my problem,” said Maria Abdullahi Jama, a 19-year-old student at Bondhere School in Mogadishu. “I urge students not to feel shame and fear.”
The story prompted the Ministry of Women to offer to work together on an advocacy campaign and has won over at least one Islamic cleric, a group that often holds the most conservative views in Somali society.
After years of fruitless attempts to pass the legislation, India’s Lower House of Parliament approved a bill that would more than double the proportion of female lawmakers in its ranks.
When the new law is implemented, which may not happen until the end of the decade at the earliest, women will have one-third of the seats in India’s lower house and state assemblies.
It wouldn’t go into force before the national elections of next year, but it will give Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party a boost in its already dominant position before those polls. Only two lawmakers abstained from the vote, which received a total of 454 in favor.
That came after six earlier attempts to pass the bill stalled in the decades since its first introduction in 1996, with sometimes vehement resistance from lawmakers.
In 2010, Mulayam Singh Yadav, the chief minister of the state with the largest population in India, advocated against passing the measure because it would force men to wolf-whistle at their female parliamentary colleagues.
It is noteworthy that, as of the most recent national election, only 104 of India’s 788 MPs, a little more than 13%, were women.
These statistics highlight the underrepresentation of women in Indian public life as a whole. According to government statistics, little under one-third of Indian women of working age participated in the formal labor force in 2016.
A two-thirds majority in both chambers of parliament is needed to pass the bill, which calls for a constitutional modification that would set aside one-third of all positions in government for women.
Due to the measure’s widespread political support, its passage through the upper chamber is anticipated to go smoothly.
The quota wouldn’t go into force until India redraws its electoral borders after completing the massive task of conducting a census for its 1.4 billion citizens, the last of which was scheduled to take place in 2021 but was postponed indefinitely owing to the coronavirus outbreak.
It has been confirmed that Yasmine Fouad, the Minister of Environment in Egypt, will co-chair the negotiations for climate finance and implementation mechanisms at the upcoming 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP28.
This crucial responsibility will be shared with none other than Steven Guilbeault, Fouad’s Canadian counterpart. This important announcement was made by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat, which is responsible for supporting the global response to climate change. The appointment of Fouad and Guilbeault was made by Sultan Al Jaber, the President-designate of COP28.
The primary role of these two ministers will be to facilitate negotiations on issues related to climate finance, as well as to implement critical measures such as technology transfer and capacity building throughout the duration of COP28. This highly anticipated conference is scheduled to take place from mid-September to mid-December and is expected to be a major milestone in the ongoing fight against climate change.
Gameela Ismail, the chairman of the Dostour (Constitution) Party, wrote on Facebook on Wednesday evening she was “ready” to run in the upcoming presidential race.
Referring to women and her readiness to run for office, she added: “The (other) half of society will govern for the first time in Egypt towards a new road for freedom and a dignified life.”
Ismail made the announcement in a message that was addressed to the party’s supreme council and general assembly.
She called for active political participation to end current social and economic hardships in the country.
She expressed her desire for “a transition from protest and quarreling with the government… this cannot be achieved by abstract demands but through participation.”
Ismail, 57, became first known to the public during her work as a TV presenter who worked in the Egyptian state TV in the 1990s.
She launched her political career in 2001, running for parliament in an unsuccessful bid.
In 2003 she co-founded the liberal Ghad (Tomorrow) and served as the spokesperson for its presidential elections in 2005.
After the January Revolution in 2011, she hosted a TV program on the Al-Nahar TV channel.
She co-founded the Constitution Party in 2012.
In 2014, Ismail ran for the post of chairman of the Constitution Party but lost to Hala Shukrallah.
In 2020, she was finally elected chairman of the Constitution Party after beating journalist Khaled Dawoud for the post.
On Tuesday, the Executive Director of the National Election Authority (NEA) Ahmed Bendari announced that the NEA will release the schedule of the upcoming presidential elections next Monday.
In a press conference, Bendari stressed that the NEA will maintain neutrality and safeguard the rights of all candidates who meet the nomination requirements,
Ismail is the only woman who announced intentions to run for the president’s seat so far.
In recent weeks, five political figures announced their intention to nominate themselves for the presidency.
These include Abdel-Sanad Yamama, head of the Wafd Party; Fouad Badrawi, a former MP and member of the Wafd Party’s higher council; Hazem Omar, head of the People’s Republican Party; Ahmed El-Fadaly, chairman of the Democratic Peace Party; and Ahmed Tantawi, a former MP and former head of Nasserist Karama Party.
President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, whose current term ends in 2024, has yet to declare his intent to run for a third term.
However, a host of political parties have urged President El-Sisi to run for another term.
GIZ Egypt on behalf of the German Government and Enactus Egypt have signed an agreement to bridge the gap between the needs of the private sector and youth unemployment among university graduates over two consecutive years.
The agreement was signed by Mr Younes Naguib, the Director of the Private Sector Development Programme at GIZ Egypt and Ms Fatma Serry, the CEO of Enactus Egypt.
This agreement is part of the joint efforts of both parties aimed at analyzing training needs involving more than a hundred private sector companies in various fields. It also involves designing training programmes tailored to the needs of the job market.
Additionally, a special competition will be launched to find innovative and sustainable solutions to the challenges facing the agricultural manufacturing and food industries. These solutions will be adopted and implemented by private sector companies in one of the industrial zones targeted by GIZ Egypt.
Furthermore, as part of the annual local competition by Enactus Egypt, a career fair will be held for the first time exclusively, with the participation of a large number of private sector companies.
This collaboration aims to utilize the United Nations platform under the “Youth of the Nation” international initiative, which has been launched in more than 54 countries worldwide. Its goal is to support and empower youth to acquire the necessary skills to find decent job opportunities.
The signing of the agreement witnessed the presence of several local and foreign companies operating in Egypt. Additionally, a panel discussion was held on the employment needs of the labour market, with the participation of elite private sector companies in various fields, including telecommunications and information technology, construction, petroleum, food industries, and international development.
It is worth mentioning that the programme will be implemented over two consecutive years and will provide comprehensive support and guidance to students with the assistance of a selected group of top trainers in Egypt and the Middle East. Its goal is to develop the skills of young graduates and integrate them into the job market by connecting the programme graduates with private sector companies across various sectors.
President of the National Council for Women and Member of the Executive Council of the Arab Women Organization (AWO), Dr. Maya Morsi, delivered a speech at the opening session of the Ninth Conference of the Arab Women’s Organization entitled “High-level Regional Dialogue on Promoting Women’s Political Participation in the Arab Region”.
The conference witnessed the presence of Dr. Fadia Kiwan, Director-General of the organization; Ambassador Mohamed Arfi, Egypt’s permanent representative to the League of Arab States; an elite group of Arab women ministers; and a number of female and male members of the House of Representatives in Egypt and the Arab countries.
In her speech, Morsi stated: Our meeting today comes under exceptional, difficult circumstances, whose two sister countries, the Kingdom of Morocco and the State of Libya, are suffering as a result of the humanitarian catastrophe resulting from the devastating earthquake in Morocco and the devastating storm in Libya, and we offer them our deepest condolences and sympathy for all the victims and our sincere wishes for a speedy recovery for the injured.
Moreover, she addressed the women’s rights issue, saying: There is still a widespread belief that women’s pursuit of their rights and equality with men in all fields is a matter of luxury, but the truth of the matter is that the essence of women’s pursuit of their rights is their true desire to present their opinions, ideas, and viewpoints, and also fulfill their needs, especially in areas that concern and affect women the most.
Egypt launched the National Strategy for Human Rights and Women, as its main axis is consistent with the objectives of the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Women 2030.
The National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030 includes a special axis for political empowerment and leadership.
During the conference, the head of the council also touched on different subjects related to women and their status in the Arab world in a fruitful speech.
For her part, Dr. Fadia Kiwan, Director General of the organization, honored Dr. Maya Morsy and presented her with the organization’s shield in appreciation of her tireless efforts to serve women’s issues.
Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation, met with Neo Gim Huay, Managing Director for the WEF’s Centre for Nature and Climate, during the WEF’s Sustainable Development Impact Meetings in New York, which coincided with the 78th session of the UN General Assembly.
They talked over ways to work together to advance development efforts and gain from WEF initiatives, with a focus on maximizing the role of Giving to Amplify Earth Action (GAEA), stepping up philanthropic organizations’ efforts to finance climate action, working with the private and public sectors, and promoting the shift to a green economy.
The Minister spoke about the integration and synergy between the GAEA initiative and the country platform of the “NWFE” program as well as the significance of carrying out the initiative through the program that aims to mobilize climate investments to accelerate the transition to a green economy and implement the national strategy for combating climate change through collaboration between the government, private sectors, multilateral and bilateral development partners, and philanthropic organizations.
Al-Mashat and Huay wrote an article for the WEF in the same vein, discussing the synergies and overlaps between the NWFE program and the GAEA initiative as well as the significance of philanthropic organizations’ involvement in efforts to finance climate action, accelerate the pace of progress towards achieving climate ambitions, and support efforts to transition to a green economy.
A model for national platforms aiming to advance climate action and broaden the scope of climate investments in developing nations and emerging economies, the article highlighted Egypt’s presidency of COP27 and the activities that took place over the past few months within the framework of the “NWFE” program, the nexus of water, food, and energy projects.
The Minister emphasized that the water, food, and energy sectors have grown to be among the most essential sectors; those most affected by climate change. She also emphasized that developing resilience and preparing for the future has become an absolute necessity to protect future generations.
Additionally, she noted that the program includes many projects within a clear methodological framework, such as replacing thermal power plants with conventional power plants, enhancing small farmers’ ability to adapt to the risks of climate change, establishing early warning systems, and building resilience.
She also noted that the program experienced significant international momentum during COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh. In connection with the UAE hosting the next iteration of the conference, further efforts will be made in the upcoming term to achieve the required goals.
In her article, Al Mashat further emphasized that the cooperation between “NWFE” and GAEA aims to establish a type of comprehensive partnership that unleashes green investments and serves as a model for other nations that can be applied and expanded to enhance climate financing for adaptation and resilience projects, to encourage methodologies for transitioning from pledges to implementation while gaining knowledge and consolidating successful practices.
IFC is partnering with Banque du Caire to develop a climate finance strategy that will help protect the bank from climate risks, invest in green activities, and support the decarbonization of Egypt’s economy.
With 95 percent of Egyptians living on roughly 5 percent of the country’s land near bodies of water, Egypt is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change including water scarcity, droughts, rising sea levels, and extreme weather.
To support the move to a greener, climate-resilient economy, the government of Egypt in June 2023 updated its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) – the country’s self-defined national climate pledges – with an ambitious goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 37 percent by 2030.
IFC’s climate advisory project with Banque du Caire supports the country’s NDC goals by helping the bank increase its strategic exposure to projects that will improve the country’s climate outlook.
As part of the project, IFC will conduct an internal assessment of Banque du Caire, review the bank’s portfolio of existing climate finance assets, and screen its portfolio against climate risks. The goal is to ultimately assist the bank in transforming its climate finance strategy into an actionable work plan.
“Our strategy at Banque du Caire is to develop the instruments and tools that provide us with long-term sustainable growth and security. This new project we are embarking on marks a nexus point where all of our efforts, previous, current, and moving forward connect to boost our sustainable transformation” said Tarek Fayed, Banque du Caire Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “These new changes will showcase Banque du Caire’s ability to smoothly transition into the green economy, ensuring financial growth and profitability while protecting all that we hold dear to our hearts.”
“The project marks a significant step forward in Egypt’s efforts to address climate change,” said Riadh Naouar, IFC Regional Manager for Financial Institutions Group Upstream and Advisory for North, Western, and Central Africa. “By helping Banque du Caire develop a climate finance strategy, we are helping to ensure that the bank can meet the financing needs of its clients as they transition to a green economy.”
Heidi El-Nahas, Head of Corporate Communications and Sustainability at Banque du Caire, stressed the importance of the agreement in enhancing the bank’s steps in the field of sustainability, which the bank started since 2015. Continuing “This cooperation is based on many pillars, which are based on promoting and consolidating the principles of sustainability within the bank’s internal policies and considering it to be a main pillar towards creating a unique business model for Banque du Caire in this field.
Supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), the project is part of IFC’s climate program, which aims to scale up private sector financing in the financial sector for climate mitigation and adaptation projects while helping mitigate climate risks.
Addressing climate change is a priority for the World Bank Group, which is committed to aligning 100 percent of all new financing operations with the goals of the Paris Agreement by 2025.
IFC has an investment portfolio amounting to nearly $1.6 billion USD and an active advisory portfolio of $33 million USD. IFC’s projects have supported the private sector in key areas such as access to finance, fintech, climate finance, manufacturing, infrastructure and renewable energy, healthcare, and gender inclusion.
Nahdet Misr Publishing House’s CEO, Dalia Ibrahim, will be awarded at the Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF) 2023.
She will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the awards ceremony, according to the “Amwal Al Ghad” website.
The AWIEF Awards will occur on the ninth and tenth of November 2023 at the Kigali Convention Centre in Kigali, Rwanda. The AWIEF launched in 2017 and has been held annually since then.
The event is an initiative to recognize, honor, and celebrate women entrepreneurs and business owners in Africa in various sectors.
The ceremony chooses women who have contributed to the continent’s inclusive economic growth and social development.
Dalia Ibrahim has been working in Nahdet Misr since 1994 and has more than 25 years of professional experience in the publishing sector.
Top 50 Women Forum is the first platform in Egypt to work exclusively on empowering women professionals, with the purpose of strengthening their contribution development & decision-making processes.
Top 50 Women Forum is the first platform in Egypt to work exclusively on empowering women professionals, with the purpose of strengthening their contribution development & decision-making processes.