On September  10^th AICS Cairo staff participated to the graduate ceremony of pioneering mothers from the "Integrated Development Classes" organized during the last quarter and attended by a total number of 713 woman. An average number of 100-120 women will attend the celebration and will be awarded a package containing a fan and some feasibility materials of the program, out of which 20 women will be honored with a certificate of appreciation.  This activity is part of the Program “Rights of Minors and the Family Empowerment in the Fayoum Governorate” . The Programme aims to establish an integrated model of development in the Governorate of Fayoum, whose data, information and evidence can be used by the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM) for the identification and formulation of appropriate strategies to implement the National Action Plan (NAP) for children at the local level. The Programme has two components (central and local) and promotes a “bottom - up” approach. At the local level (Fayoum Governorate), the Programme envisages an empowerment action to improve the socio-economic conditions of selected families and reduce practices and phenomena such as female genital mutilations, child marriages, school drop-out, child labour, non-registration at birth, and maternal and infant malnutrition. Micro-credits to selected families are included among the activities. At the central level, the experience gained will give rise to indications and guidelines to be taken into account by NCCM when implementing the NAP in other parts of the country. Furthermore, NCCM, with the support of the programme, will refine its capacity to monitor and evaluate ongoing projects dedicated to the protection and promotion of children's rights, as well as its institutional ability to formulate and elaborate local action plans, in coordination with other relevant ministries (Social Solidarity, Health and Population, Education, Interior, Local Development).

Cairo– The Ministry of State for Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates’ Affairs (MoSEEA) and IOM held a workshop with Egyptians residing in Italy to discuss mechanisms for their involvement in the implementation of small-scale local community development projects in Egypt on 14 July in Milan, Italy. The workshop was organized in cooperation with the Egyptian diplomatic mission in Milan, with the participation of H.E. the Egyptian Consul General, Egyptian expatriates from various private, academic and development fields, and representatives from MoSEEA and IOM.

The expatriates welcomed the initiative, stressing the importance of more institutionalized and regular means of engaging Egyptians abroad. As part of the workshop, participants reflected on the proposed local community development projects, the steps forward and modalities for engaging Egyptians in Italy and other countries of destination. Expatriates also proposed exploring additional areas of interest such as linking academic institutions in Italy and Egypt, promoting linkages between health service providers to support in the treatment of vulnerable cases, technology transfer, amongst others.

H.E. Consul General, Mr Ihab Aboserie, delivered opening remarks highlighting the Government of Egypt’s (GoE) new approach toward sustainably engaging Egyptian expatriates in the local development of Egypt. Dr Saber Soliman, Assistant MoSEEA Minister for Institutional Development, stressed on the importance of establishing sustainable and inclusive communication mechanisms between Egyptian expatriates and the GoE. He highlighted that there are a number of initiatives that the GoE has been and will be developing with Egyptians from around the world to promote their roles in Egypt’s development, as well as continue enhancing GoE services to suit expatriates’ needs.

The workshop built on the outcomes of the videoconference held on 26 June this year to initiate dialogue with Egyptians expatriates in Italy and engage them in local community development projects in Egypt. The workshop and videoconference were conducted in the framework of the “Initiatives for Local Development of Egypt through the support of Egyptians Abroad” project, funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, and implemented by IOM in partnership with MoSEEA and the Egyptian Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (MSMEDA).

The project supports the realization of Egypt’s Sustainable Development Strategy: Egypt Vision 2030. It also falls in line with the United Nations agenda 2030, specifically the UN Sustainable Development Goals, namely Goal 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth; Goal 10 Reduced Inequalities, and Goal 17 Partnership for the Goals.

Cairo– In the framework of IOM’s Initiatives for Local Development of Egypt through the Support of Egyptians Abroad (ILDEA) project, the Egyptian Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (MSMEDA) signed contracts on 14 May 2018 with five non-governmental organizations (NGO) that were selected to implement small-scale, local community development projects in the Assiut Governorate. These initiatives are foreseen to contribute to the overarching aim of curbing irregular migration and supporting the achievement of Egypt’s Sustainable Development Strategy: Egypt Vision 2030.

The projects, funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, will benefit around eighteen thousand households in Abnoub district, through interventions that promote youth and women empowerment, employment, health awareness, and environmental sustainability. The implementation of all such interventions will start upon contract signature and last for a period of six months.

Ms. Nevein Gamea, MSMEDA Executive Director, highlighted the importance of this model and the partnership established with IOM and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation. She indicated that the model should be extended with the strategic goal of curbing irregular migration through building the awareness of youth and increasing their employability and access to employment.

Dr. Felice Longobardi, Head of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, stated that the Agency continues to closely follow the implementation of the project, indicating that the launch of the community development projects marked an important milestone in the collaboration between MSMEDA, IOM and IADC. He added that the local knowledge of the NGOs and their strong outreach to local communities, in addition to the importance of coordinating efforts through partnership with MSMEDA, was key to responding to community needs on the ground.

Ms. Tanja Pacifico, IOM Egypt’s Head of Coordination Unit, indicated that IOM’s intervention would serve as a pilot in linking Egyptians expatriates with local community development projects. She further stressed the importance of IOM’s partnership with Ministry of State for Emigration and Egyptian Expatriate Affairs (MoSEEA), MSMEDA and the IADC on expatriate engagement, and congratulated the NGOs selected to implement such interventions.

The community development projects are an integral part of the ILDEA project, funded by the IADC and implemented by the IOM Country Office in Egypt in partnership with the MoSEEA and MSMEDA. Its objective is to develop and promote institutional mechanisms for engaging Egyptian expatriates in local and national economic development.

The launch of the community development projects represents a key project milestone that will link qualified Egyptian abroad with local development interventions which require specific expertise not readily available locally. MoSEEA will facilitate the engagement of Egyptian expatriates to contribute the necessary knowledge and expertise towards ensuring the successful implementation of the community development projects.

For more information, please contact Monica Ibrahim at IOM Egypt, Tel: +2 02 2736 5140/1, Email: mgibrahim@iom.int

Cairo-  AICS staff in Cairo visited the Egyptian NGO Hope Village Society (HVS), which implemented a project titled "Reintegration and protection of the social, health and legal rights of young women and street children in Greater Cairo Governorate" financed under the third phase of the Italian-Egyptian Debt Swap Programme. The NGO strives for the reintegration and protection of the social, health and legal rights of young women and street children. The visit took place to the NGO's center in the Mokattam area in Cairo, that at the moment hosts about 25 girls and young mothers. In three years, the project has succeeded in reaching out to more than 25,000 children and young mothers, offering them psychological and medical services, vocational courses in soap making and sewing, and provided microcredit loans for 489 mothers of children at risk for a total of EGP 1,917,000.