Egypt launches new interactive website to visualize its SDG-aligned development story

CAIRO – 22 December 2020: Ministry of International Cooperation announced Tuesday launching a new interactive website to visualize Egypt’s SDG-aligned development story; describing it as the first of its kind that tracks Egypt’s development according to the global sustainable development goals.

It clarified that the website aims to bridge Egypt’s local success stories with global and local audiences to provide ready-made roadmaps and blueprints for all countries to follow.

It showcases Egypt’s development through a multilateral lens; illustrating how the Ministry of International Cooperation works to apply the principles of economic diplomacy and foster inclusive partnerships to push Egypt’s development forward in partnership with governments, international development partners, the private sector and civil society, according to the ministry.

Moreover, the website uses various interactive approaches to make it easier for audiences to digest in order to measure Egypt’s progress in achieving sustainable development.

The website allows the user to track the progress and projects being implemented for each SDG goal; exploring each SDG individually to see the number of projects and partners involved to achieve the targets of the goal, through an interactive map of Egypt.

“For each sector, examples of concrete projects through data-driven stories are provided as well; illustrating how Egypt is moving along global trends and development priorities for the next decade in key sectors such as agriculture, transport, energy, health, SMEs and gender equality,” it noted.

Food security has gained increased significance today, particularly due to the increasing global challenges of delivering sufficient food to populations. In the ‘The Future Breadbasket’ page, the website looks at how Egypt is looking beyond just feeding communities, but also empowering communities and strengthening agriculture value chains into “smart farming” to achieve a circular economy. 

In 2020, the Ministry of International Cooperation secured $100 million in agriculture, irrigation, and national supply through the AFD, EBRD, USAID, OPEC Fund for International Development and bilateral cooperation with Germany.

As transportation is a prerequisite for Egypt’s social and economic development, the ‘Redefining Safe and Better Transportation’ page demonstrates how Egypt is promoting sustainable transport to improve people’s productivity by connecting them to jobs, schools and healthcare, and delivering goods and service to rural and urban communities. 

In 2020, the Ministry of International Cooperation secured $1.794 billion in development financing in support of the transportation sector, with development partners that include the EIB, AFD, EBRD, China, and Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED).

Inclusive green growth has also become increasingly pertinent. In the ‘Think Green, Act Green’ page, Egypt’s strategy to reinvigorate green growth is reflected in several national strategies and success projects, particularly the Benban solar park. In Egypt, there are 34 projects within the Ministry of International Cooperation’s portfolio answering to SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy with a total of $5.95 billion, thus making up for 23.2% of the ODA; the highest ODA financing.

According to the annual report by the Ministry of International Cooperation in 2020, the ministry secured development financing agreements worth $9.8 billion during the year; $6.7 billion for financing sovereign projects, and $3.1 billion in support of the private sector.