Ivanka Trump praises Egypt’s reform program on women empowerment

CAIRO – 5 April 2019: US President Donald Trump’s Advisor, Ivanka Trump, praised Egypt’s reform program on women empowerment, saying on her Twitter account “We encourage & support these reforms, & look forward to working w/ the Egyptian government to advance these efforts.”

Egyptian President Al Sisi delivered an important speech last weekend calling for major reforms aimed at empowering Egyptian women. We encourage & support these reforms, & look forward to working w/ the Egyptian government to advance these efforts.@AlsisiOfficial #WGDP

— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) April 4, 2019

On Egyptian Women Day, President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi announced seven decisions on women empowerment, including adoption of laws that aim at protecting women’s rights, putting an end to demotic violence and tackling the issues of early marriage and deprivation of education and post-divorce rights.

Moreover, Sisi proposed establishing a fund to address the challenges faced by the Egyptian women after he reviewed with the health minister the possibility to screen and treat women nationwide for breast cancer.

President Sisi will meet with US President Donald Trump in the White House on April 9.

Sisi’s visit to Washington cames at Trump’s invitation to discuss bilateral relations and regional and international issues of mutual concern, said Egyptian presidential spokesperson Bassam Radi in a statement last week.

The White House announced in a statement that the meeting comes in light of the continuing cooperation between both countries on economic, military and counter-terrorism levels.

“The two leaders will also discuss developments and shared priorities in the region, including enhancing regional economic integration and addressing ongoing conflicts, and Egypt’s longstanding role as a lynchpin of regional stability,” the statement read.

In April 2017, President Trump welcomed Sisi to the White House for the first time in eight years, pledging close cooperation with the Egyptian leader on counterterrorism operations and praising his leadership of the Middle Eastern nation.

“I just want to let everybody know, in case there was any doubt, that we are very much behind President al-Sisi,” Trump said, sitting next to his counterpart in the Oval Office.