Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala El-Said During the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF)on Sustainable Development for 2021 through video conference on Wednesday, July 14, 2021.
Egypt submitted its third voluntary national report (VNR) at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development for 2021, held via video conference on Wednesday.
Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala El-Said represented Egypt in the event.
El-Said said at the conference that since 2018 Egypt has embarked on updating its vision, given the need to address many challenges, including water scarcity, population increase, as well as global and regional geopolitical developments, and the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic.
El-Said noted that the process took place within a participatory framework with all development partners in line with Africa's Agenda 2063 and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
She referenced the development of the financing equation for distributing investments at the governorate level, as well as the interventions on the ground through the “Decent Life” presidential initiative, which concentrates on the poorest villages, with the participation of many development partners.
Showcasing a number of its main objectives, El-Said said, Egypt witnessed, for the first time since 1999, a decrease in poverty rates, recording 29.7 percent in FY 2019/2020, down from 32.5 percent in FY 2017/2018. The reduction reflects the success of the economic reform programme and the social protection policies Egypt has been adopting, she added.
The minister cited the government's efforts to increase public investment in human capital and ensure the provision of basic services, expand and strengthen social protection networks, including the Takaful and Karama (Solidarity and Dignity) programmes, and launch the "Decent Life" initiative, which aims to improve the livelihood of 57 million Egyptians, or more than 50 percent of the population.
El-Said asserted Egypt's commitment to ensuring the well-being of its citizens and developing the resilience of its healthcare sector against public health crises.
The minister referred to the "100 Million Health Initiative," Kickstarted in 2018 to eliminate hepatitis C and detect non-communicable diseases. The success of the initiative was evident in a 98% decrease in hepatitis C cases.
El-Said also revealed that Egypt’s GDP growth accelerated in FY 2018/2019 to hit 5.6 percent after it recorded its lowest level at 1.8 percent in 2011.
Meanwhile, the unemployment rate also dropped to 7.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2020, despite the pandemic, after it increased to 9.6 percent in the early stages of the pandemic.
On the role of the Sovereign Fund of Egypt, the minister explained that the government benefits from effective partnerships with the private sector, especially through the fund.
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