The Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation, Rania al-Mashat, said on Tuesday that Egypt outscored all other Arab countries by 50 percent in implementing United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
According to the UN’s website, the 17 SDGs are aimed at improving the lives of people and the planet. The goals include eliminating hunger and poverty, as well as improving sanitation and promoting clean energy.
Mashat stated that Egypt has pioneered as regional leader in SDGs, according to a report by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).
The report, which was developed by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) in collaboration with the United Nation’s Children Fund and Egypt’s UN Resident Coordinator, includes a comprehensive analysis using data visualization tools and proxy indicators to track progress and identify areas of improvement.
Egypt was one of few countries to conduct a mapping exercise that closely examined its development projects and their alignment with relevant SDGs, according to Mashat.
The exercise found that there are more than 300 projects valued at US$25 million that fall into the SDG categories, including projects in education, transportation, water desalination, renewable energy, entrepreneurship, and women empowerment.
Mashat reiterated Egypt’s commitment to achieving the SDGs through the country’s three-pillared Global Partnerships Narrative, which was launched by the ministry in April.
The initiative seeks to showcase development projects and their local impacts by focusing on people at the core, purpose as the driver, and projects in action.
The ministry hopes to engage international development partners, governments, private business and the public in the process of implementing SDGs to create a circular economy in Egypt.
