UN resident coordinator in Egypt praises ‘Haya Karima’ projects that raise living standards of millions of citizens

CAIRO – 25 August 2021: UN Resident Coordinator in Egypt Elena Panova praised the projects implemented under “Haya Karima” initiative that serves the needy villages across Egypt, expressing her desire to participate in the initiative’s projects.

This came during a meeting between Egyptian Minister of Manpower Mohamed Saafan, UN Regional Coordinator Panova and Aaron Jacob, the development coordinator and director of programs in the UN organization. The three discussed plans of cooperation on a set of files including Egypt’s national strategy for employment, and projects supporting neediest people in the society.  

For her part, Panova showed her interest in cooperation with Egypt in the national strategy for employment to create decent job opportunities for targeted Egyptian youths, as well as working with the informal labor sector and the projects of the Haya Karima initiative that aims to raise the standard of living of 58 million citizens in its first phase.

She commended the great efforts made to care for the neediest society groups, develop employment plans, provide training and employment opportunities for young people and provide support for irregular employment and the citizens in the Egyptian countryside.

She further hailed the efforts made to reduce unemployment rates to 7.3 percent, and provide decent job opportunities for young people, as well as on managing the crisis of the spread of the Coronavirus, reducing its effects on the private sector, protecting and caring for the irregular workers most affected by this crisis, and providing them with exceptional grants for their social and health care.

In turn, the minister welcomed the UN regional coordinator, and thanked her for the continuous cooperation with the ministry regarding all joint works, wishing for more cooperation, participation and activation of all works that affect the life of the Egyptian citizen.

The minister stressed the need to harness all the capabilities of the ministry to achieve the desired results of cooperation between the two parties, and to develop joint work plans for the coming periods, noting that reducing unemployment rates to 7.3% is the role of the entire Egyptian state and not for a specific ministry.

Regarding the file of dealing with the Corona pandemic, the minister indicated that dealing with its effects was a state strategy led by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in dealing in a momentary manner.

The minister explained that the women is at the heart of the country’s agenda and strategy with many plans are set to protect and care for women, provide them with decent job opportunities, and support them to reach a better life in the near future.