Discussed: Empower women in Southern Upper Egypt

CAIRO 7 January 2023: For many years, Upper Egypt women have suffered from some inherited customs and traditions, which have marginalized them and kept them away from participating in the political and social life.

 

In a few years, and specifically with the launch of the 2017 Women's Year, Egypt witnessed fundamental changes into the conditions of women in general and Upper Egypt women in particular. Women were empowered at various levels, as they assumed leadership positions and were supported by the state under a strong legislative umbrella.

 

The report reviews the most important axes for women's empowerment in Upper Egypt.

 

 

Political empowerment

 

A study by the Egyptian Center for Thought and Studies revealed that the Egyptian state has sought during the past few years to improve mechanisms for empowering women in leadership positions and enhancing their performance, especially in Upper Egypt governorates, where women's representation in such positions has decreased.

 

The report of the National Council for Women on following up the role of ministries, universities and various agencies in implementing the national strategy for the empowerment of Egyptian women 2030, shows the proportions of women’s representation in leadership positions in the governorates of Upper Egypt in 2020.

 

The highest representation of women was in Assiut governorate at 40%, followed by Minya governorate at 40%. 31%. Some governorates in Upper Egypt still need some interventions to raise the proportion of women's representation in leadership positions, according to the nature of each governorate.

 

Full support and unprecedented interest directed by the Egyptian state to support Upper Egypt women and empower them economically, after overcoming all obstacles and providing them with all necessary support, which was evident in the following:

 

Females accounted for 52% of total financing for small and micro projects directed to Upper Egypt regions, compared to 48% of total financing for males.

 

The Minister of International Cooperation announced that about 16.8 thousand women have been trained in Upper Egypt in the fields of agriculture and the development of special skills related to Egyptian crafts, in more than 70 villages of Upper Egypt.

 

Launching the “Girls Empowerment” project in Upper Egypt, in cooperation between the Egyptian Foundation for Integrated Development “Al-Nida” and the Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Services, funded by the United States Agency for International Development in the amount of $3 million, which aims to achieve development in the areas most in need of services in Upper Egypt, where it will benefit Minya and Qena governorates.