The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, represented by the National Initiative for Smart Green Projects, held a training program for the executive committees in the governorates on the evaluation criteria of the National Initiative for Smart Green Projects, with the participation of Dr. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development via video conference, in the presence of Ambassador Hisham Badr, National Coordinator of the initiative, M. Khaled Mustafa, Permanent Undersecretary of the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, Dr. Hashem Mohamed Hani, Associate Dean of the College of Creative Arts at Hedfordshire University, Training Program for Executive Committees of the National Initiative for Green Projects Smart and Deputy of the Sustainable Campus Initiative at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Engy Al-Yamani, National Director of the Financial Inclusion Program and Coordinator of the National Project for the Development of the Egyptian Family at the National Council for Women, Dr. Mohamed Kamal Abdel Aziz, Director of Institutional Development and Capacity Building at the Ministry of Local Development, the initiative work team, and representatives of all participating governorates.
Dr. Mahmoud Mohieldin affirmed that the national initiative for smart green projects has received great appreciation from Egypt’s partners for development at the regional and international levels.
Mohieldin explained that the initiative succeeded in combining centralization through the direct sponsorship of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi for the initiative and its coordination through the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and the efforts of the relevant ministries, and decentralization through the great efforts and contributions of the governorates and local agencies within the various cities and villages across the country.
Mohieldin said that the initiative has succeeded in creating a knowledge base that can be built upon in studies and research related to the economy, development, and environmental and climate work, explaining that the initiative will be present in the discussions of the Africa Climate Summit and Africa Climate Week, which will be held in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, in a few days, as an Egyptian model for the localization of development work. and climatic.
Raed Al-Manakh explained that the success of the first version of the initiative contributed to the good preparation of the 27th Conference of the Parties, which Sharm El-Sheikh hosted last November, which achieved great success at the local, national, regional and global levels, pointing out that the outputs of Sharm El-Sheikh are cited and built upon in regional forums. important international.
During his speech, Ambassador Hisham Badr explained that training on criteria for selecting qualified projects sets an important starting point for selecting promising and innovative projects that will be represented at the upcoming November conference in the presence and participation of Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister, as well as at the International Climate Conference in COP28, to be held in the UAE.
Badr stressed that stimulating innovative solutions to environmental problems and turning them into promising investment opportunities and creating job opportunities is the essence and beating heart of the initiative.
Badr thanked the ministers, governors, various parties and their representatives who made exceptional efforts in record time in the first round of the initiative to come up with pioneering projects that gave the world a glimpse into the potential of the Egyptian people, as well as the governors who provided full cooperation for the success of this initiative, and the representatives of the governorates for their efforts. He also thanked the parties that joined the initiative in its second session and extended its support to raise awareness among the masses of the Egyptian people about climate change and inviting them to participate effectively in climate action.
Badr added that Egyptians abroad were also contacted through the Ministry of Immigration to support them to participate in their projects implemented on the land of Egypt in the initiative, also referring to the participation of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority, where funding was provided by the agency for a number of projects participating in the first round of the initiative, confirming the participation of a number of entities. By providing support, each according to his competence.
Badr explained that the number of applicants for the initiative reflects not only the number of green projects that the Egyptian people have been able to innovate, but also reflects the continuous increase in awareness about the issue of climate change and its risks that have become life-threatening in various parts of the world, but also reflects the determination of Egyptians to confront these risks and participate. positively and effectively in solving it.
Badr also confirmed that the initiative focuses on the governance of the evaluation process followed in its various stages through several committees ending with the National Arbitration Committee.
For his part, Eng. Khaled Mustafa, Permanent Undersecretary of the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, explained that the ministry supports the idea of participatory planning and achieving sustainable development.
Mostafa added that one of the most important challenges facing the Egyptian state are the environmental challenges, as it represents one of the countries most affected by climate change despite its low contribution to the elements of climate change. Mostafa added that Egypt was able to provide a positive model for facing the challenges and turning the ordeal into a grant at the Cop27 conference represented in the project initiative. Smart green.
Mostafa added that Egypt is working to devise efforts from all sectors from the private sector or the central and local government in the governorates to provide solutions stemming from all segments of society and not only from within bodies and ministries, explaining that the initiative aims to transfer projects from the local level to the international through centralization, stressing the importance of applying governance. As well as the application of a single standard for international standards for evaluating participating projects, explaining that the initiative adopts the idea of what is called the language of the future, which is currently represented in sustainability and the use of technology. Mustafa explained that the current session witnessed the launch of a higher committee from Al-Khobar