Planning and International Cooperation: Human Capital is a Key Pillar for Sustainable Development

Planning and international cooperation..Human capital is the most important ingredient for achieving sustainable development

Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation, participated in the third edition of the World Conference on Population, Health and Human Development, under the patronage of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Republic, and in the presence of Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister, Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister for Human Development, Minister of Health and Population, and a number of ministers, representatives of international organizations and concerned parties.

During her speech at the opening ministerial session of the conference, Dr. Rania Al-Mashat affirmed the Egyptian state’s commitment to achieving sustainable development by addressing population challenges.And its constant interaction with issues of population, health and human development globally and regionally. It also makes efforts at the local, regional and international levels to maximize the benefit from the demographic dividend and human capital, which is the real wealth of societies and countries.

The Egyptian citizen is the focus of development

The Minister indicated that the Egyptian citizen is the focus of comprehensive and sustainable development, as human capital is the most important component of achieving development, and investment in people is one of the most important basic pillars for achieving economic development and boosting economic growth rates.

I also explained that the general framework for comprehensive sustainable development includes a group of tributaries that aim to achieve economic development, and at the top of these tributaries areHuman development, as there is no economic development without achieving human development because it is the true guarantee of sustainable growth and development.

The efforts of the Egyptian state reflect the state’s interest in creating human development that contributes to improving the quality of living for the Egyptian citizen through the different stages of life, ensuring that he enjoys good health, that he learns a distinguished education, that he possesses the abilities and skills of the future, that he possesses the elements of creativity and knowledge, that he enjoys security and safety, and that he has the ability to contribute effectively to development and the right to reap its fruits.

Public investments to advance the human development sector

Within this framework, the state takes into account the provision of public investments necessary to advance human development, especially in the sectors of health, education, cultural, youth and sports services, and to enhanceCreative abilities and skills.

In her speech, the Minister indicated directing investments to service sectors, such as adequate housing services, provision of drinking water and sanitation, safe transportation methods, and services related to the development of digital skills, which indirectly affect human development, pointing out that the annual economic and social development plan, which is presented to the House of Representatives and the Senate, includes all vital programs and projects related to human development, which are included taking into account standards of efficiency and effectiveness to maximize development returns.

These investments are estimated at about 7.6 trillion pounds during the past 12 years (14/2015 – 25/2026), and the percentage of public investments directed to direct human development sectors increased from 17% of the total public investments in (14/2015) to 28% in (25/2026).

Economic Diplomacy and International Partnerships

The Minister also pointed out that economic diplomacy efforts have succeeded in mobilizing concessional international funds of about $9.5 billion for areas related to human development in coordination with international partnerships since 2014, of which 25% are funds through grants, and international partnerships are being used in implementing these projects through “Egyptianization” of international best practices, including, for example, “social housing projects, solidarity and dignity, comprehensive health insurance, and education schools.” Community and others.”

These partnerships resulted in a doubling of allocations to the education, health and scientific research sectors, which works to improve the quality and competitiveness of human development, by focusing on addressing development gaps, especially in the governorates of Upper Egypt and the border governorates.

  The Minister spoke about the projectsThe pioneering initiative implemented by the state to advance the human development sector, the most important of which is the “Decent Life” initiative, which in its first phase only targets about 18 million citizens at an investment cost exceeding 350 billion pounds, which will help reduce poverty rates, especially in light of the fact that 70% of those investments are directed to human building in the fields of public health, educational and sports services, in addition to the fact that 68% of the beneficiaries are residents of the Upper Egypt governorates, which confirms consideration of “spatial justice” in the distribution of public investments. For the state.

A new economic model based on productivity

The Minister revealed that in the next stage, the state aims for a new economic model based on productivity and based on competitiveness, innovation, knowledge and technology as basic pillars of sustainable growth, with the participation of the private sector, as well asIt depends on directing investments to the sectors most capable of creating decent job opportunities and increasing productivity and exports, especially tourism, agriculture, information and communications technology.

This trend aims to raise the real annual growth rate in average per capita income to about 4.5%, which will reflect positively on improving the quality of life.

The Earth Guards Foundationsupports the existence of an Egyptian economic model based on productivity, encouraging the entrepreneurship sector, and creating new investments in vital fields, such as agriculture, tourism, and information and communications technology, which will reflect positively on improving the quality of living, in line with the comprehensive Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Egypt’s Vision 2030.