Maya Morsy, head of the National Council for Women, on Friday hailed Egypt’s launch of the national Decent Life project to develop the countryside as a project that prioritises human rights in all aspects.

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi inaugurated on Thursday evening the first phase of the Decent Life initiative in a public event held at Cairo International Stadium.

El-Sisi said the project aims to raise the standard of living of 58 million Egyptians in more than 4,000 villages in the time span of only three years at a cost of more than EGP 700 billion (about $44.6 billion).

In a Facebook post, Morsy said the project’s axes “consider and prioritise human rights within the economic, social and cultural frameworks.”

In “a message to the world,” Morsy said the project “will entirely change and enhance the lives of Egyptian women, men, children, youth, and elderly.”

Morsy cited some of the president’s remarks during the inauguration, through which he affirmed that the launch of this project is “the launch of the new republic.”

El-Sisi affirmed that this new republic “is firmly based on the concept of the modern civilian state that possesses comprehensive capabilities militarily, economically, politically and socially,” Morsy mentioned.

The president said the republic also “boosts the concept of citizenship, democracy and stability; seeks to achieve peace, stability and development; and aspires to a political development that achieves vitality for the Egyptian society based on the concepts of social justice, dignity and humanity.”

Morsy called the president’s remarks “sincere words of a president who delivered on his promise and a document for the future and history.”

The Decent Life project was first initiated in 2019 when the president charged the Ministry of Social Solidarity with developing Egypt’s poorest 1,000 villages.

In December 2020, President El-Sisi decided to expand the initiative to include 4,500 villages within the framework of the Sustainable Development Strategy: Egypt's Vision 2030.

The enormous volume of work required to develop the 4,500 villages means they have been divided into three groups of 1,500 villages each.

The first phase started in January 2021 with a budget of nearly EGP 200 billion (about $12.7 billion) and is due to be completed by the end of FY 2021-22.

During the launch, President El-Sisi honored a group of governorate executives, Decent Life volunteers and members for their work in the past two years.