International Cooperation Minister Rania el Mashat said the different programs carried out by the State bodies to achieve gender equality enhance women empowerment efforts and increase their contribution to economic activities.

She said the ministry is joining hands with multilateral and bilateral development partners as well as the government sector and the civil society to lay down necessary programs to open more vistas to women.

The minister made the remarks during a ceremony marking the launch of Noura Initiative that was held on Sunday as part of Al Gouna Film Festival proceedings.

The minister lauded the initiative that was launched in cooperation with the UN Population Fund and other bodies concerned in Egypt to invest in girls in Egypt and rehabilitate them in social, health and economic domains.

The initiative also aims at providing better economic and social chances to girls to increase their role in the development process, the minister said.

She added that partnership between Egypt and the UN agencies is a strategic one that helps the country achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

The initiative comes under the umbrella of The Girls Assets Framework, a program with the aim of providing guidance to design and implement girl-centered programs focused on reaching the most marginalized adolescent girls.

She said the current portfolio of the ministry includes 13 projects designed to implement the fifth goal of sustainable development goals as regards gender equality.

She added that 68 percent of these projects focus on micro, small and medium-sized enterprises while 32% of them are channeled to social protection domain.

Planning and Economic Development Minister Hala El Saeed, Emigration Minister Nabila Makram, head of the National Council for Women Maya Morsi along with other senior officials attended the launching ceremony.

Source: State Information Service Egypt