LocationsSocial Inclusion and Local Development:
UNDP invests in ‘Leaving No One Behind’, to achieve the SDGs for all, eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities and end all forms of discrimination especially among persons with disabilities and vulnerable populations. UNDP continues to support the Government of Egypt in expanding its social safety net programme to boost economic growth, create jobs and livelihoods, strengthen access to health care services and education. To ensure that no one is left behind, UNDP works to eliminate gender inequalities through targeted, gender-focused programmes in cooperation with the Government of Egypt to ensure that all development efforts consider the experiences, needs, and contributions of women.
Advocacy Adds Up
UNDP works in partnership with the Ministry of Social Solidarity (MoSS) on supporting the implementation of the gender and social protection component of the Takaful and Karama Cash Transfer Program, which is expected to make social services more accessible to vulnerable groups and to implement the gender and social protection issues. UNDP supports the Ministry in developing the Women and Family Empowerment National Policy and relevant-advocacy work under the Takaful and Karama programme. 585 women rural leaders and 200 beneficiaries (80% women) under Takaful and Karama programme in 11 governorates were trained on the ‘Waai awareness raising and advocacy programme’ - a comprehensive programme that enhances awareness and knowledge of vulnerable groups on 12 key social issues. UNDP Egypt supports MOSS with all its beneficiaries to achieve social behavior change for improved outcomes for Takaful and Karama beneficiaries on women and family empowerment issues- including combating child marriage and trafficking, female genital mutilation, and social and gender exclusion.
Reinforcing Local Development
UNDP works to support the Ministry of Local Development (MoLD) in developing and rebuilding local institutional capacities, particularly creating a modernized and decentralized local administration system, which adheres to good governance through upholding excellence in local public services delivery and promoting local economic and social development as well as local planning in support to: Decent Life Initiative and Upper Egypt Local Development Program. Since 2019, UNDP has supported the development of an assessment framework for 200 local leaders in cooperation with the National Training Academy and updated the existing Local Economic Development (LED) Strategies for Fayoum and Beni Suif governorates.
Paving the Way for Sustainable Living
In partnership with the Ministry of International Cooperation and the Ministry of Defense, UNDP helped clear 1,674 km2 of land area in the North-West Coast region in 2019. The New City of El-Alamein is now being built on these cleared lands. According to initial assessments, this city will offer new 279,375 job opportunities and will be a central point for all cities of the North-West Coast and provide better quality of life for its residents.
HIV/TB and Health Responses
In line with the national HIV/AIDS response and the National HIV and TB Strategic Plans, UNDP’s HIV/TB programme supported a series of interventions to help ensure better detection and treatment of people living with HIV/AIDS and TB, through the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Gender Equality and Women Empowerment
Women’s participation in all areas of society is essential to make big and lasting change. Women and girls make up a disproportionate share of people in poverty and are more likely to face hunger, violence and the impact of disaster and climate change. UNDP integrates gender equality into every aspect of its work. Gender equality and women’s empowerment is a guiding principle that applies to everything we do. UNDP Egypt has been recognized with the Gold Gender Equality Seal, a certification process led by our headquarters.
Building Women’s Capacities
In 2021, UNDP in partnership with the National Council of Women (NCW) and the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics launched a “Violence against Women with Disabilities” case study, reaching out to nearly 6,000 women in Takaful and Karama. This process helped build the capacities of 137 women researchers from the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), including 17 sign language interpreters.
Strategic Partnership Towards Women Empowerment
UNDP is working with MSMEDA to mainstream gender equality and women empowerment principles across MSMEDA’s policies and programmes. The number of women beneficiaries of financial services reached 50%. In 2019, MSMEDA received the Gender Equality Seal Award from the National Council for Women and UNDP, becoming the first public institution in Egypt and in the Arab States to receive such award, and second at global level. The process of obtaining the Gender Equality Seal transformed MSMEDA, improved its gender balance policies and led to a higher number of jobs created for women.
Prioritizing Women’s Protection
In 2019, UNDP carried out a high-impact awareness campaign in collaboration with the National Council for Women and the Embassy of Sweden in Egypt titled ‘The Sailing Boats’ to observe the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence campaign. Sixteen different boats branded with 16 key messages against violence against women were set to sail in the River Nile, advocating that everyone should stand up for women and girls' rights.
