Egypt and France signed on Tuesday an agreement aimed at empowering women in the job market on the sidelines of the French President François Holland's visit to Egypt.

The agreement brings together the largest French companies and banks in Egypt and the Middle East to collaborate side-by-side with the Egyptian government and civil society to build job skills for women to be employed by these companies.

The agreement was signed with the support of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment (UN Women) and the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development, which is to launch the "The Egyptian Woman: the Pioneer of the Future" programme.

The signing was attended by the French ambassador to Egypt Andre Parant, UN Women Regional Director for Arab States Mohammad Naciri, and Egyptian business tycoon Naguib Sawiris.

"The agreement signed today combines the efforts of the government, civil society, and the private sector, which is the most effective collaboration that guarantees the sustainable economic empowerment of women on the ground," Naciri said.

This is the first agreement of several planned for launch with the support of UN Women in a number of Arab states, including Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria in efforts to strengthen economic support for women in the Middle East.