Egypt.. UN Week highlights results of successful partnership, with Minya - the first stop

Ahead of launching the new UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2023-2027, the Ministry of International Cooperation and the UN Country Team in Egypt, led a field visit to UN-supported projects in the Upper Egypt governorate of Minya.

The visit, led by the Minister of International Cooperation, Dr. Rania Al Mashat and the UN Resident Coordinator in Egypt, Ms. Elena Panova, is part of UN Week, highlighting diverse development projects and programs being implemented as a result of the United Nations Partnership Development Framework (UNPDF) 2018-2022.

The visit started with the Sustainable Agriculture Investments and Livelihoods Programme (SAIL) project in Minya’s Aljehad Village, which aims to reduce poverty and increase food and nutrition security for poor rural women and men. Supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the SAIL project focuses on building the capacity of smallholders to improve their incomes, increase their profits and diversify their livelihoods. The project is implemented in Upper Egypt (Minia, Bani Souef and Aswan) and Lower Egypt (Kafr Sheikh), targetting 30 villages in new settlements with a total population of around 19 000 households.

The third stop was the Joint Programme entitled Women’s Economic Empowerment for Sustainable and Inclusive Growth in Egypt – known as “Rabeha”. The Joint programme is implemented by UN Women and UNIDO Egypt in partnership with the National Council for Women (NCW), the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI) and Egypt’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (MSMEDA) with the generous support of Global Affairs Canada (GAC). 

The program empowers 6300 female entrepreneurs by enhancing employment opportunities and entrepreneurial skills in the governorates of Cairo, Alexandria, Giza, Beni Suef, Fayoum, Minya, and Beheira. During the visit, the Minister of International Cooperation and the UN in Egypt Resident Coordinator listened to the experiences of many women entrepreneurs benefiting from the program as well as elaborations about their projects, which also adopt smart climate methods to find solutions to climate change. 

The field visit concluded with a press conference attended by the Minister of International Cooperation and the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in Egypt, the Deputy Governor of Minya, and representatives of the United Nations team in Egypt.