Cairo: Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister, participated this evening in the activities of the National Conference to announce the winning projects of the third cycle of the National Initiative for Smart Green Projects, attended by a number of ministers, governors, members of the House of Representatives, Dr. Mahmoud Mohieldin, the United Nations Special Envoy for Financing the Sustainable Development Agenda, Ms. Elena Panova, UN Resident Coordinator in Egypt, and Mr. Alessandro Fracassetti, UNDP Resident Representative in Egypt, in addition to representatives from several UN organizations, international institutions, the private sector, civil society, and development partners.
According to State Information Service Egypt, the conference began with a welcoming speech by Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning and Economic Development and International Cooperation, followed by a presentation on the third cycle of the National Initiative for Smart Green Projects, delivered by Ambassador Hesham Badar, the initiative’s General Coordinator. Dr. Mahmoud Mohieldin, the UN Special Envoy for Financing the Sustainable Development Agenda, then gave a speech about the Sustainable Development Goals.
Recorded interventions from the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Egyptian Expatriates, Local Development, Communications and Information Technology, and Environment were broadcasted, highlighting their ministries’ efforts in activating this initiative related to smart green projects. They discussed the projects and initiatives launched that serve the goals of the national initiative. Contributions from the Chairwoman of the National Council for Women regarding the Council’s efforts in this area were also included.
Following this, the names of the “Governorate Ambassador” projects were announced, covering sectors such as sustainable buildings and smart cities, green circular economy, new and renewable energy, bio-waste management, sustainable tourism, biodiversity, sustainable agriculture, and reducing emissions and global warming. Ms. Elena Panova then delivered a speech on localising sustainable development and the Egyptian government’s commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
During the events, the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development and International Cooperation launched the second edition of the reports on localising the Sustainable Development Goals at the governorate level. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat emphasized that localisation involves translating the Sustainable Development Goals into executive actions that fit the local context, raising awareness of development goals, and monitoring progress towards achieving them, while emphasising the principle of leaving no one behind.
Dr. Mona Essam noted that the same methodology for ranking governorates used in the first edition was applied, allowing for the analysis of progress or regression in various indicators and comparing their performance with other governorates. Key developments in the second edition of the localisation reports were reviewed, highlighting a new methodology developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to calculate a composite index measuring the performance of the governorate at the level of each Sustainable Development Goal.
An interactive dashboard on Sustainable Development Goals indicators at the governorate level was developed, serving as a digital platform for displaying and analyzing these indicators and aiding in evidence-based policymaking. Following the presentation, Mr. Alessandro Fracassetti delivered a speech on sustainable development programmes.
Dr. Rania Al-Mashat reviewed the state’s efforts to transition to a green and sustainable economy, noting that 5,731 projects from all governorates applied for nomination in the current cycle. Cairo Governorate ranked first in terms of submitted projects, followed by Alexandria, Giza, Beheira, and Aswan Governorates.
The initiative aims to ensure competition among projects in categories like large-scale, medium-sized, local small projects, startups, and developmental projects related to women, climate change, and sustainability. The winning projects at the national level were announced in various categories, including small local projects, developmental projects related to women, climate change, and sustainability, non-profit community initiatives and contributions, projects submitted by startups, medium-sized projects, and large-scale projects.