President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi announced the launch of the “New Beginning for Building the Egyptian Citizen” initiative in September that is aimed at bolstering human development and investing in the nation’s most valuable resource – its people.

Following this announcement, the initiative was officially launched on 22 September at a meeting attended by Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli. The document outlining the initiative emphasised the reaffirmation of Egyptian national identity, encompassing all citizens and striving to improve their quality of life through its various programmes and plans.

The document covers both the material and intangible elements that contribute to human development, addressing citizens of all ages from children to the elderly. Central to the initiative is the principle of the equitable distribution of resources and opportunities across all Egypt’s governorates.

Scholars and sustainable development experts agree that the progress of any society relies on two fundamental pillars. The first is physical infrastructure, which includes roads, bridges, canals, ports, airports, and access to water, electricity, gas, and Internet services. It also extends to industrial, agricultural, and service infrastructure that creates jobs and supports livelihoods.

The second pillar is human infrastructure, which is directly linked to improving the health, education, training, employment opportunities, and cultural development of the population – what is often referred to as human and social capital. These terms encompass the values, skills, and mutual trust within a society, which underpin social solidarity and the ability to work collectively within social and political institutions.

Equally significant is cultural transformation, a vital component of human development. Cultural transformation refers to the shift in societal values, concepts, and common beliefs that shape public behaviour. It influences how individuals interact with one another and with state institutions.

The pressing question thus arises of whether prevailing cultural values propel society towards progress in an ever-evolving world or whether they serve as a conservative force that resists change. This dilemma is evident in Egyptian society, as well as in many other Arab societies, where certain entrenched social customs and beliefs conflict with the goals that both society and the state aim to achieve. In such cases, the dominant culture becomes an obstacle to societal advancement.

For many years, Egypt’s social and economic reform policies have sought to combat illiteracy, curb the population growth that strains resources, eliminate domestic violence and gender discrimination, and end child marriage. Historically, Egypt’s elites have had lofty ambitions. In the first constitutional document issued under the Khedive Ismail in October 1866, for example, when the first elections in Egypt’s history were held to select members of the country’s new Advisory Council, it was stipulated that illiterate citizens would be allowed to participate in elections for only ten years, as it was assumed that the expansion of education would eradicate illiteracy within that period.

Similarly, the first post-independence government led by Saad Zaghloul in the early 1920s drafted a national programme for literacy. Efforts to curb population growth and promote family planning began in the 1960s under president Gamal Abdel-Nasser. I recall that the National Centre for Social and Criminal Research conducted a comprehensive study of this issue at that time, and warnings from the presidency and government programmes have continued until today.

However, despite these efforts, the results have been modest, largely because prevailing cultural attitudes have thwarted the achievement of vital reforms that are crucial for fostering social change and economic development. In such contexts, the importance of cultural transformation and human development becomes even more evident. The focus here is on creating an environment in which all citizens can develop their abilities, skills, and opportunities for a dignified life. This includes encouraging them to rethink their perspectives on themselves, their capacity for positive change, and their surroundings, while fostering values of self-directed learning, positivity, and innovation.

Recognising this issue, both state institutions and reform advocates have introduced successive campaigns and slogans aimed at addressing the need for cultural transformation, often labelled as “Rebuilding the Citizen,” “Changing Prevailing Cultural Values,” or “Reviving the Positive Aspects of the Egyptian Character.”

Egyptian universities and research centres have held dozens of seminars and meetings on these topics, alongside numerous theoretical and field studies that have offered recommendations for achieving these goals. Yet, it seems that the desired cultural shift towards a more open, science-embracing, and progressive public mindset has not materialised. In many cases, field research and surveys indicate that public culture has shifted in the opposite direction, becoming more conservative, insular, and less appreciative of scientific methods in understanding and analysing societal challenges.

The responsibility now falls on intellectuals and thinkers committed to spreading the spirit of enlightenment in our society. They must analyse the reasons behind the failure of previous programmes aimed at cultural change and human development and provide insights into what those overseeing the current initiative should consider in order to ensure that it achieves its objectives and brings about tangible progress.

The writer is a professor of political science at Cairo University.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 3 October, 2024 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly