Egypt, UNDP, EU working together to promote sustainable development in Aswan

29 / 04 / 2024

By Marwa Nassar - -

Egypt’s Ministry of Social Solidarity, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the European Union (EU) are working together to promote sustainable development initiatives in the Upper Egypt governorate of Aswan.

Dr. Nivine El Kabbag, Minister of Social Solidarity, General Ashraf Attia Abdel Bary, Governor of Aswan, Ambassador Christian Berger, EU Ambassador, and Alessandro Fracassetti, UNDP Resident Representative in Egypt, embarked on a two-day visit to Aswan to address pressing social issues, promoting economic empowerment and improving community well-being.

The field visit marked the opening of the sailing boats parade, which highlights the Wa’ai Program for Community Development’s commitment to 13 important social issues. These include ending child marriage, FGM Abandonment, health and education issues, rights of the Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), and the economic empowerment of the poorest marginalized families to move them from protection to production.

During the visit, the partners witnessed a community dialogue and theater performance in the village of West Soheil on issues related to the Waai program, highlighting the importance of the community’s commitment to sustainable development and providing a platform to engage local communities.

Recognizing the significant role of civil society organizations, a session was held focusing on key thematic areas such as socio-cultural issues, crisis response measures, poverty alleviation and family planning.

The dialogue encompassed key discussions on key sociocultural and developmental issues in Aswan and the need to ensure that development programs and interventions are both evidence and needs based. In the same vein, the dialogue focused on emergency response efforts in light of the recent Sudan crisis, in addition to current and future challenges and opportunities in terms of current endeavors on family planning and supporting PwDs.

The visit concluded with a stop at the Waai training Program for social workers at the Administrative Training Center in Aswan. The training is part of a larger training program targeting 3200 social workers in 15 governorates.

The training aims at training social workers on delivering Waai social messages and conducting community surveys that feeds into the National Social Observatory.

The partnership between the EU and UNDP has a major role to play in fulfilling the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and leaving no one behind. With the Government of Egypt, working with local stakeholders and communities, the partners aim to drive initiatives that promote inclusive growth, sustainability and community resilience.