Government of Egypt and UN partner for the SDGs Summit

The Egyptian Ministry of Planning and Economic Development hosted on 11 September 2023 in Cairo a national consultation to present and receive views on Egypt’s draft commitments to accelerate SDG progress. The Government plans to announce the commitments at the SDG Summit during the UNGA High-Level week. The event gathered 80 participants from across Egyptian society representing government, civil society, private sector, parliament, think tanks, academia and media. The aim was to build national consensus and ownership—a core principle of the SDGs.

Following a keynote address by the Minister of Planning and Economic Development Dr. Hala El-Said, UN Resident Coordinator (RC) Elena Panova gave remarks on the global context, purposes of the SDG Summit, and the importance of ambitious national commitments to support SDG acceleration. The RC stressed: “Egypt’s new national commitments and engagement in the SDG Summit are examples of this commitment in action. Today’s national consultation with representatives from across Egyptian society is an important step in building a consensus on what needs to be done to reach the SDGs and how everyone can play a supportive role.”

During a series of interactive sessions, participants provided feedback on the commitments and engaged in a wide-ranging dialogue on the critical sustainable development issues facing Egypt, such as poverty, gender equality, economic transformation, and climate action. The Deputy Minister and the Economist of the Resident Coordinator’s Office gave closing remarks on the path to the SDG Summit and beyond.

Participatory Stakeholder Engagement

The national consultation was part of an inclusive and innovative stakeholder engagement plan developed by the Government in collaboration with the UN Country Team in Egypt. An online survey was also launched to gather perspectives from an even wider range of Egyptian stakeholders on SDG progress, forward-looking priorities, and challenges to SDG implementation. Targeted outreach to civil society groups representing youth, women, and vulnerable populations also sought to ensure the collection of an inclusive range of views.

Inputs from both the consultation and survey are helping to refine the national commitments in advance of the SDG Summit.

Diverse stakeholder engagement was not the only area of collaboration between the UN and Government of Egypt in preparation for the SDG Summit. Working closely with the Government, UNDP developed an SDG Insights Report to inform the commitments that identified priorities for accelerating the SDGs building on key national strategies such as the National Climate Change Strategy 2050, National Human Rights Strategy, and Egypt Vision 2030. Additionally, the UN Country Team provided inputs to the analysis at both the design and draft report stages.

The RCO and UNIC supported the SDG Summit communications and advocacy strategy, including the preparation of a joint media engagement between the Minister of Planning and Economic Development and Resident Coordinator following the consultation.

Moving Forward to the SDG Summit

In addition to announcing commitments at the SDG Summit, Egypt will actively engage on SDG Acceleration Day especially on SDG localization. Egypt has long been an innovator in localizing the SDGs, developing localization reports for all governates, presenting three Voluntary Local Reviews  at the 2023 High-Level Political Forum, and launching a governorate competitiveness index. The SDGs have also been brought tangibly to the local level through “Decent Life”, Egypt’s flagship initiative for improving the quality of life in poor villages through improved infrastructure, access to basic services, decent employment opportunities, and women’s empowerment. The Government will share its experiences at the High Impact Initiative session on SDG localization and host a side event focused on financing the SDGs at the local level.

Looking ahead, the SDG Summit is an important but intermediate step towards the SDGs. What matters most is what happens after. Collective action over the medium- and long-term are needed to make the pledges a reality. The UN in Egypt is a proud partner of the Government of Egypt. The new UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2023-27 signed earlier this year outlines a shared vision of partnership in support of a sustainable future. The cooperation framework will continue to guide the UN’s collaboration with Egypt to help meet its national commitments for SDG acceleration and fulfill the promise of the 2030 Agenda.