Planning Ministry reviews Egypt experiment in sustainable development strategy at high-level forum in NY

CAIRO - 16 September 2018: Ministry of Planning, Follow-Up and Administrative Reform, represented by Deputy Minister for Planning Affairs Ahmed Kamali, will take part in a high-level forum under the title of "Knowledge as a Driver for Sustainable Development in the Arab States Region" which is organized by the UN Development Program (UNDP) on Monday in New York.

In a press statement released on Sunday, Minister of Planning, Follow-up and Administrative Reform Hala el Saeed said knowledge is one of the basic drivers for sustainable development in the Arab region, not only at the level of economic sector, but also as a tool for achieving equality and inclusiveness.

She said the Ministry will review Egypt's expertise as one of the prime Arab countries which have outlined a vision for sustainable development for 2030.

She asserted that the whole world is swiftly marching towards modern technology and knowledge to achieve sustainable and comprehensive development. She noted that the twinship between knowledge and technology has created a new dimension especially with the digital gap decreasing in the Arab region after most of the areas have been connected with the internet.

The UNDP’s Strategic Plan 2018-2021 aims to facilitate the development of innovative, data-driven solutions by investing in improved analytical capacities and strong knowledge management platforms. Creating an environment conducive to sharing, refining and disseminating knowledge requires long-term investments and a business model that is responsive to the changing needs of consumers of knowledge, be it policy-makers, entrepreneurs, academics, civil society organizations, advocacy groups and media.

With the objective to promote thought leadership and evidence-based policymaking for sustainable development, the UNDP Regional Bureau for Arab States (RBAS) has been investing on an innovative and technologically-advanced knowledge base that promotes research, analysis, data gathering and dissemination.

RBAS had said in a released statement that its planned event under the theme “Knowledge as a driver for sustainable development in the Arab States region” will help showcase different tools and initiatives that aim to intensify the impact knowledge has on promoting inclusive sustainable development in Arab countries. This half-day, to be held in New York in September 2018, will be an opportunity to present and discuss the Global Knowledge Index (GKI) and the Arab Development Portal (ADP), with its first regional SDGs tracking tool, it added.

The event will also be an opportunity to celebrate the key and long-standing partnership that UNDP has established with the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF) which culminated in the development of the GKI, it also said.