In recent years, the Government of Egypt has made important strides to promote gender equality and empower young people. This chapter focuses on mainstreaming gender and youth considerations across and beyond the Egypt Vision 2030 strategy and the Public Administration Reform Plan (PARP) to ensure broad representation in policymaking. It provides an overview of the existing institutional and policy frameworks for gender equality and gender and youth mainstreaming in Egypt. It analyses the gender and youth approach, axes and objectives developed in Egypt Vision 2030 and the PARP, and efforts made by relevant line ministries and agencies to implement and monitor them. The chapter also identifies challenges hindering gender equality and youth empowerment goals while highlighting good practice examples from OECD countries. Finally, the chapter outlines policy recommendations to further strengthen the Egyptian government’s capacities for gender equality and mainstreaming, as well as for youth empowerment and mainstreaming.
OECD Public Governance Reviews: Egypt
Abstract
Over the past years, the Government of Egypt (GoE) has made important strides in promoting women’s rights. Since the adoption of the 2014 constitution and its amendments in 2019, the country has paid increasing attention to the issues of gender equality and women’s empowerment by affirming its commitment to international treaties and conventions on the topic and integrating gender-related considerations into key strategic frameworks and programmes implemented by the government. Still, as observed in OECD member countries, gender gaps persist in various areas of life (UN Women, n.d.[1]; OECD, 2023[2]), calling for a two-pronged approach to promoting gender equality, including both targeted measures and the application of a gender lens throughout government policy and decision-making.
Similarly, since 2014, the GoE has paid particular attention to empowering young people in public life and mainstreaming youth-related considerations across policies and in key strategic frameworks. However, the government could further apply a youth lens and empower young people in the policymaking cycle, government plans and sectoral strategies. Notably, the government sought to progressively empower young people in public life by affirming its commitment to international treaties and conventions, namely the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Security Council Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security, to design and set objectives for youth-related policies, programmes and services. Since 2014, the government has also set up a number of initiatives and programmes that aim at empowering young people, such as the Egyptian youth conferences under the leadership of the Presidency of the Republic of Egypt that provide a platform to communicate and engage with young people or the Presidential Leadership Program to enhance youth participation in administration (State Information Service, 2023[3]).
This chapter provides a brief overview of the institutional framework for gender equality and mainstreaming in Egypt, including the roles and responsibilities of the country’s central gender equality institution and other public bodies engaged in advancing the gender equality agenda. It then assesses Egypt’s approach to strategic planning for gender equality policy, including the framework for implementing and monitoring gender-related objectives included in Egypt Vision 2030 and in the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030. It also explores efforts undertaken to integrate gender equality considerations into the Public Administration Reform Plan (PARP) and promote women’s representation and leadership in the public sector. Finally, the chapter outlines a series of policy recommendations to tackle existing challenges and further strengthen the GoE’s capacities for gender equality and gender mainstreaming to close gender gaps.
The section dedicated to youth mainstreaming examines the opportunities and challenges of empowering young people in public life by building on ongoing reforms in the framework of Egypt Vision 2030, the PARP and beyond. In this regard, it analyses avenues to: i) unite government stakeholders to implement a shared, integrated youth policy; ii) build administrative and institutional capacities to mainstream the perspectives of young people in policymaking; and iii) encourage the participation and representation of young people in public decision-making processes. The analysis and recommendations therein are informed and guided by the recently adopted OECD Recommendation of the Council on Creating Better Opportunities for Young People (2022[4]), the most ambitious and complete legal instrument in this field. The chapter also provides the GoE with innovative good practices from OECD member and partner countries, in particular, building on the recently published OECD report Youth at the Centre of Government Action: A Review of the Middle East and North Africa (2022[5]).
A robust institutional framework in place for the delivery of the gender equality policy, with clear roles, responsibilities and mandates across government, adequate public sector capacity and resourcing play a key role in achieving a country’s gender-related goals (OECD, 2016[6]). Over the last years, the GoE has made efforts to strengthen its institutional architecture for the promotion of the gender equality agenda at the national level, to enable the design and implementation of policies to empower women in all fields and ensure the non-discriminatory treatment of women and men in the public sector. Figure 7.1 provides an overview of the existing institutional framework for promoting gender equality in Egypt at the national level.
This section analyses the roles, mandates and responsibilities of the National Council for Women (NCW), as well as of line ministries and agencies, the Central Agency for Organization and Administration (CAOA) and the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development (NIGSD). The contributions of the Ministry of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation (MPEDIC), the Ministry of Finance (MoF), the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) and the Egyptian Women’s Observatory are briefly assessed in the following section as they relate to the promotion of gender equality and mainstreaming in the country. The role of the MoF is also assessed in more depth as part of a forthcoming project by the OECD to develop a gender budgeting action plan for Egypt.
Source: Author’s own work
There are opportunities for the National Council for Women to play a stronger role in co‑ordinating the gender equality policy and fostering gender-sensitive policymaking
The NCW fulfils the role of the central gender equality institution (CGI) in Egypt. As the bodies primarily tasked with promoting, co-ordinating and facilitating the gender equality policy in a country (OECD, 2019[7]), CGIs play a key function in the advancement of a government’s gender equality agenda. Law No. 30/2018 defines the mandate and responsibilities of the NCW, which include, among other things: proposing public policies, national plans, laws and regulations aimed at enhancing the status of women in Egypt; co‑ordinating with governmental entities that implement women-related programmes as well as with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other relevant international organisations; participating in state committees dealing with policies for women’s empowerment; monitoring and assessing the application of women-related policies and the implementation of the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030; reviewing draft laws and regulations on women’s affairs; advising line ministries on women’s issues in their policy areas of responsibility (NCW, n.d.[8]). The NCW also reportedly co-operates with the CAOA and NIGSD to develop training programmes to increase the capacity of female civil servants and with the equal opportunities units (EOUs) in line ministries (see sub‑section below) to ensure a safe work environment for women in the public sector.
Since its establishment by presidential decree in 2000, the NCW has been affiliated with the Egyptian president, as shown in Figure 7.1. A comparable approach appears to be common in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, where institutions (e.g. councils, commissions) under the prime minister, president or equivalent are among the most prevalent arrangements. As of 2023, at least five countries (Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait and Lebanon) have adopted such a configuration.
Across the OECD, although there are no standard institutional arrangements for the promotion of gender equality, since 2011, units located within the centre of government, either under the head of government or state, have become progressively commonplace, with ten OECD countries having set this up in 2021 (Figure 7.2). For example, Australia’s Office for Women, which is the country’s CGI providing strategic policy advice and support on gender-related matters, sits within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (OECD, 2023[9]). Its institutional placement within the centre of government offers considerable benefits, indicating high-level political support for its work and ensuring authority when engaging with government departments to co-ordinate and implement the gender equality agenda (OECD, 2023[9]). Notably, in Australia, the highest political responsibility for the advancement of gender equality lies instead with the Minister for Women, who is tasked with improving outcomes for all women in the country (OECD, 2023[9]).
While the NCW and other similar councils or commissions in MENA countries are not located within the centre of government or within a ministry like the majority of OECD countries, their close proximity to the prime minister or president can enhance visibility and high-level support for gender equality and the adoption of important measures to promote the advancement of women (OECD/CAWTAR, 2014[10]), similar to what observed in OECD countries. Indeed, in Egypt, despite the absence of a dedicated ministry for gender equality, as seen in the case of youth affairs (as discussed in later sections of this chapter), the gender equality agenda seems to benefit from strong political support at the highest level, with gender equality and women’s empowerment considered as an accelerator for achieving sustainable development. For CGIs to function effectively, it is key to ensure that their high-level profile is complemented by adequate capacities to carry out their mandate (OECD, 2019[7]).
The board of the NCW has 30 members, chosen by the President of the Republic among public figures with experience in women’s affairs and social activity. The members serve the NCW for four years, based on a renewable mandate. A technical Secretariat in Cairo supports the Council in carrying out its work (NCW, n.d.[8]). The NCW co-ordinates with MPEDIC through periodic meetings. Furthermore, the NCW actively participates in the technical committee of the National Committee for Monitoring the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals in Egypt, which includes 17 public institutions involved in the implementation of Egypt Vision 2030 (see Chapter 2). Stakeholders reported that the NCW is represented by its president when meetings take place at the ministerial level or by an officer from its secretariat (normally the Head of Strategic Planning) when the committee meets at the technical level. In addition, as a key monitoring mechanism, the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030 proposes the organisation of quarterly cabinet meetings to discuss the strategy as an item in the agenda in the presence of the President of the NCW, with the aim to follow up on national implementation efforts. As reported by relevant stakeholders, meetings are also held quarterly to follow up on the work done by the EOUs to integrate key elements of the strategy into ministerial plans. Stakeholder interviews revealed that the NCW has progressively gained institutional strength thanks to its leadership’s wide connections with both the Egyptian Cabinet and citizens, which contribute to giving visibility to the country’s gender equality agenda. Looking ahead, it would be important to ensure that the NCW can enjoy a high-level profile and have adequate capacities to carry out its mandate, irrespective of the public figures guiding it.
Number of respondents
Note: 2021 data were provided by 38 respondents, 2017 data were provided by 36 respondents.
Source: Information collected by the OECD based on desk research and data from OECD (2021[11]), “OECD Survey on Gender Mainstreaming and Governance”, Unpublished, OECD, Paris.
In recent years, although delivering specific programmes related to women’s empowerment remains one of the main responsibilities of CGIs in OECD countries, their mandate has gradually expanded to: i) ensuring co-ordination with governmental stakeholders by convening inter-ministerial committees to oversee the implementation of gender equality goals; ii) assisting line ministries in integrating gender equality considerations into policy analysis and strategic planning by preparing tools and guidelines; iii) conducting policy research, giving advice and providing recommendations to other government bodies; iv) monitoring the implementation of governmental gender initiatives; v) supporting capacity building in line ministries for gender mainstreaming; and vi) guiding the development of gender-disaggregated data in close co-ordination with the national statistical office, CAPMAS (OECD, 2019[7]).
Against this backdrop, the OECD finds that there is scope to further increase the NCW’s ability to co‑ordinate an effective and coherent implementation of the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030, which already recognises the importance of having a robust institutional framework and whole-of-government commitment for achieving its multi-dimensional goals (Government of Egypt, 2017[12]). In fact, while Law No. 30/2018 mandates the NCW to monitor and assess the implementation of the strategy, there are opportunities to strengthen its capacities to effectively co-ordinate and follow up with all government institutions at the national level on the commitments included in that strategic document. Ensuring that the implementation of the strategy is regularly discussed with line ministries and in Cabinet meetings through institutionalised, formal co-ordination mechanisms with the NCW can be effective in this regard. In Switzerland, for example, the Federal Office for Gender Equality leads the Inter-departmental Committee for the 2030 Equality Strategy, which meets twice a year to co‑ordinate the country’s equality strategy in the federal administration (Confédération Suisse, n.a.[13]).
Furthermore, the NCW could play a stronger role in supporting MPEDIC to meaningfully engage line ministries in mainstreaming gender equality considerations into their policy action as part of implementation efforts of Egypt Vision 2030, which is in line with what was observed in OECD countries. As reported by relevant stakeholders, over the past few years, the NCW has sent official letters to ministers to highlight the importance of promoting equal opportunities, and these efforts should continue in the future. Building on this positive development, there is scope for the NCW to strengthen its impact and contribute to increasing the MPEDIC’s leveraging power to foster gender-sensitive policymaking, as discussed in the following section. The NCW could use its gender equality expertise to support line ministries in integrating gender equality perspectives into their policy action as well as MPEDIC in developing a systematic approach and guidance to this effect. For instance, Women and Gender Equality Canada, the Canadian CGI, provides knowledge, technical assistance and training for the whole-of-government implementation of GBA Plus, the analytical gender mainstreaming tool used to assess how different groups of people experience policies, programmes and initiatives (OECD, 2023[14]). For the NCW to play an effective role in supporting gender-related planning and policymaking in relation to other ministries, it would be important to ensure the adequacy of its capacities and resources.
There is scope to institutionalise the role of EOUs in line ministries and expand it to promote gender mainstreaming
The promotion of gender equality is a complex, cross-cutting and multi-dimensional public policy issue that requires the participation and co-ordination of all government actors. Line ministries have a key role in mainstreaming gender considerations by integrating them into their policymaking processes, routine functioning and management structures (OECD, 2019[7]). Ideally, line ministries should work to ensure gender sensitivity of their personnel policies and sector-specific plans and programmes in their policy areas of responsibility, thus fostering gender mainstreaming.
In OECD countries, gender units or focal points in line ministries are predominantly responsible for raising awareness of the benefits of gender equality, developing the gender equality policy/strategy/action plan for the ministry, and supporting gender mainstreaming (OECD, 2019[7]). Ideally, a gender mainstreaming ecosystem within line ministries implies the involvement of the staff responsible for research, policy development, programme design, evaluation, financial and people management, procurement, and front‑line delivery (OECD, 2019[7]). In this respect, it is important to make a clear distinction between gender mainstreaming support units for sectoral policies and those for human resource management (e.g. responsible for ensuring gender balance in recruitment and promotion, work-life balance and a gender-sensitive work environment) (OECD, 2023[14]). Some OECD countries, such as Canada, have also established a network of “gender champions” appointed at senior management level in line ministries to convey key commitments to gender mainstreaming across their respective institutions and be the spokesperson for related initiatives and results (Government of Canada, n.a.[15]).
In Egypt, some ministries and national entities currently have EOUs that are tasked with improving the working conditions of their female employees and combating discrimination in the workplace. Established by ministerial decrees, each EOU is expected to collect data and information on women working in ministries and affiliated entities in all job categories and propose initiatives to empower them, as well as solutions for any issues they may face as a result of gender-based discrimination. To fulfil their mandate, EOUs also co-ordinate with the NCW to raise awareness on the goals of the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030, propose training courses for women wishing to achieve leadership positions and devise solutions to overcome the obstacles that women may experience in the workplace. To this effect, in 2019, the NCW issued a training manual to raise awareness of equal opportunities and gender roles, targeting both women and men. In addition, some of the units work to empower people with disabilities within public institutions. Box 7.1 provides details on MPEDIC’s EOU as an example.
MPEDIC established its EOU in 2021, following Ministerial Decree No. 9 of 2021. The EOU works on three levels to implement its tasks:
At the institutional level, it has so far defined its vision, mission goals and values and designed its administrative structural framework with details on the structure, human capacity needs, tasks and required qualifications. The unit has also reportedly implemented a programme on gender-sensitive planning, gender indicators and monitoring of equal opportunities.
With respect to digitalisation, the unit has set up tools for digitalising its tasks, such as a Gender E-Library Platform, a Communication Platform and an interactive dashboard to showcase data on the ministry’s employees.
Regarding awareness-raising, training and communication efforts, the EOU has organised various initiatives, including a Family Day and a series of workshops with employees to share information on job levels and leadership positions, training opportunities and leave and to foster dialogue on how to improve the work environment.
The MPEDIC EOU also holds dialogues with other ministries, the NCW, members of parliament, representatives of other countries, international organisations and civil society to exchange best practices on relevant topics.
Source: Information provided by the Government of Egypt in 2023.
As emerged during stakeholder interviews, there is no standard practice in place for EOUs and their size and positioning vary across line ministries and agencies. For example, while they report directly to the minister or deputy minister in some cases, others are accountable to other departments dealing with human resources, international co-operation, etc. Consequently, the capacities of EOUs and the ability to influence decisions at the highest level seem uneven. Furthermore, in most cases, EOUs are not established with full‑time positions, appointed officials often having to deal with conflicting tasks and demands. Stakeholders especially reported the absence of permanent technical staff and limited budget allocations as main challenges, which de facto reduce the scope, performance and impact of the work of the units.
In this regard, there is scope to further institutionalise the mandate and role of the EOUs. Providing a legal basis for the role of EOUs would insulate them from political fluctuations and give them a greater sense of institutional legitimacy and stability. Legislation should clarify the responsibilities assigned to the units and ensure that these roles are established as full-time positions and have a sufficient resource base to carry out their functions. Strengthening the capacities of the EOUs to ensure that individuals are assigned systematically and have the appropriate knowledge, skills, resources and time to promote gender equality initiatives within the ministry would be a critical step in this regard. The work of the EOUs should focus on promoting the representation and empowerment of women in their diversity, making sure that they also create career opportunities for women from under-represented or disadvantaged groups. As good practice, it would also be important to promote a gender-balanced representation within the EOUs themselves since pursuing gender equality is not only a concern for women but should involve and engage men as well.
In the medium to longer term, the GoE could also consider expanding the mandate of the EOUs to act as strategic policy branches and provide advice and support on how to integrate gender equality perspectives in the policy work of the ministries, wherever possible with an intersectional lens, to ensure that the needs and interests of diverse groups of women (e.g. women with a disability or living in remote governorates) are taken into account. As reported during OECD interviews, EOUs in some ministries have already proposed activities for the promotion of gender equality in their policy sectors by taking advantage of their strategic positioning within their respective institutions. To this effect and to go beyond the support that EOUs currently provide to the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment within ministries themselves, it would be key to build the units’ capacity and expertise to promote gender-sensitive policymaking and involve staff responsible for research, policy development, programme design, evaluation, financial management, procurement and front-line delivery (OECD, 2019[7]) in all ministry EOUs. With the support of the NCW, the CAOA and NIGSD could back these efforts through training, guidelines and manuals, as discussed in the following subsections. By doing so, Egypt could make further significant progress in advancing gender mainstreaming across the whole government. Czechia offers a good practice example that could inspire Egypt in the future (Box 7.2).
In Czechia, gender focal points, also known as gender equality co-ordinators, are established in each of the 14 ministries to oversee the gender equality agenda and implement gender mainstreaming in their areas of responsibility based on a government resolution (No. 464 of 20 April 2005). The Department of Gender Equality, the central gender equality institution, is in contact with the gender focal points and organises regular meetings to inform them of relevant developments in the agenda. In 2018, the government issued the Standard of the Gender Focal Point (GFP) Positions, which defines seven factors relevant to the position and considered crucial to the effective promotion of gender equality:
Organisational placement: GFPs are located in the Office of the State Secretary or in the Cabinet of the Minister to enable the cross-cutting application of gender equality perspectives across the line ministry’s activities.
Job description in an internal directive: The main job responsibilities of GFPs include policy and programme development by ensuring that the line ministry’s priorities for gender equality are aligned with national policy: consultation and co-ordination; gender mainstreaming; education and awareness; support for measures to reconcile work and personal life; international co-operation.
Competencies: GFPs have the opportunity to participate in internal review processes for (non‑) legislative materials, contribute to gender impact assessments, have access to the legislative electronic library and sit on management meetings when the agenda concerns gender equality issues. They are provided anonymised statistical data on the remuneration and education of line ministry employees.
Qualification requirements: GFPs’ gender expertise varies but the standard recommends appointing graduates with degrees in gender studies, law and social sciences. GFPs are required to pass a relevant public service examination in a related field and have at least a B1 level of proficiency in English.
Deepening of knowledge: gender training for GFPs should be officially recognised by their employers as part of continuing professional development.
Extent of working time: GFPs should have full-time (or at least part-time) positions to promote gender equality within line ministries’ internal processes and policymaking.
Key rules for establishing and functioning ministerial working groups and task forces for gender equality: Working groups are established by an internal directive defining their mandate and rules of procedure. At least a significant part of their members should have decision-making competencies. The working groups meet at least four times per year and are chaired by the member with the highest position. GFPs act as secretaries of the working groups.
Source: OECD (2023[16]), Gender Equality in the Czech Republic: Strengthening Government Capacity for Gender-sensitive and Inclusive Recovery, https://doi.org/10.1787/c5a3086f-en.
CAOA could further support gender mainstreaming by expanding its training offer and developing guidance material for EOUs with the NCW
Established by Law No. 118/1964 and amended by Law No. 6/2021, the CAOA is the government agency responsible for managing the Egyptian civil service (See Chapters 3 and 4). In line with the provisions of the Civil Service Law (No. 81/2016), CAOA works to ensure that public sector employees have equal opportunities without any kind of discrimination among all employees. To this effect, the agency has established a specific Equal Opportunities Department to ensure that all public entities adopt practices to promote gender balance, prevent harassment and guarantee equal opportunities for all employees, including people with disabilities. As reported during stakeholder interviews, CAOA is in direct contact with the EOUs established in other government institutions to collect data on women’s representation, recruitment and promotions regularly but is also working to set up a task force to foster collaboration.
Moreover, CAOA is mandated with identifying the capacity-building needs of Egyptian civil servants and providing specific training. The 2015 OECD Recommendation on Gender Equality in Public Life (hereinafter the 2015 OECD Gender Recommendation) notes the importance of government capabilities for gender mainstreaming at all levels of government, for example, through training, engaging experts and disseminating relevant data and information (OECD, 2016[6]). Currently, CAOA’s training programmes relevant to gender equality are mainly focused on leadership development and human rights. As part of its mandate to build the capacity of civil servants, CAOA could increase its key role in promoting gender mainstreaming, by designing, in close co-ordination with the NCW and the NIGSD, systematic training modules on the benefits of gender equality and mainstreaming, collection and analysis of gender-sensitive data, and use of tools for gender-sensitive policymaking, such as gender impact assessments. In the medium term, with the support of the NCW, it could also continue developing and updating manuals and guidelines for the EOUs in line ministries and agencies, to make sure they can effectively carry out their expanded functions in support of gender-sensitive policymaking in their sectoral areas of responsibility. Similar supporting material should also be offered to managers and policy analysts in line ministries, who would be the final actors responsible for integrating gender equality perspectives into their corresponding policy areas. Leveraging the gender expertise of the NCW would be beneficial, as the Council has already reportedly developed brochures on planning, monitoring and budgeting from a gender equality perspective.
Gender mainstreaming could be integrated more systematically into training provided by the NIGSD to all civil servants
The NIGSD is a para-public economic authority under MPEDIC with advisory, training and research functions (OECD, Forthcoming[17]). In 2020, with a decision made by the Council of Ministers, the NIGSD replaced the National Management Institute to promote good governance and enhance the development of human capital, in line with Egypt Vision 2030. The NIGSD is tasked with carrying out regular training of public sector employees on topics related to governance and sustainable development (OECD, Forthcoming[17]). It also collaborates with the NCW in designing training programmes, including a women leadership flagship programme for female civil servants with high potential covering topics such as gender equality in the workplace, human resource management and sustainable development. The women’s leadership training programme began in 2018 in 11 governorates (MPED, 2021[18]) succeeded in training around 12,000 women from 27 Egyptian Governorates to date. It is important to note that other institutions, such as the National Training Academy and the MoIC (i.e. through the Shabab Balad initiative), have also been supporting programs targeting women to complement the ongoing efforts of the NIGSD.
On this basis, there is scope to expand the training offer further and include modules on gender mainstreaming as part of the programmes on governance and sustainable development. Going forward, it would be important that these trainings are developed jointly with the NCW, building on the existing MOU, to expand the offer to all civil servants, both women and men, including at senior levels. Working in close co-ordination with the CAOA would foster synergies and avoid duplication.
OECD research suggests that deep-rooted gender biases, entrenched social norms and stereotypes can influence policymaking and inadvertently shape laws, regulations and policies in ways that perpetuate gender inequalities (OECD, 2019[7]). Even policies that seem gender-neutral and are assumed to affect both women and men equally can unintentionally widen gender gaps if they do not consider the different needs, experiences and challenges of various societal groups. Gender mainstreaming, as a strategy for assessing the implications of policies on women and men and incorporating their needs into all government action, can help make better decisions to drive gender equality objectives (OECD, 2021[19]).
The 2015 OECD Gender Recommendation calls for mainstreaming gender equality in designing, developing, implementing and evaluating relevant public policies and budgets (OECD, 2016[6]). It also stipulates that countries should develop and implement a whole-of-government strategy for effective gender equality and mainstreaming. In particular, the OECD recommends adopting a dual approach to strategic planning for gender equality by combining cross-cutting national gender strategies with gender objectives integrated into government strategies at the national and sectoral levels (in such areas as national development, environmental protection, transport, infrastructure, etc.) to foster coherent implementation of strategic plans across the whole of government.
The understanding of the concept of gender mainstreaming in line ministries could be further improved
In Egypt, there is institutional awareness – mainly at the top level – of the importance of gender equality, which creates a central foundation for strengthening the country’s efforts in this regard. Leveraging this, there is an opportunity to make further progress and ensure that gender concerns are well established in the policy process across all sectors.
As set forth by the 2015 OECD Gender Recommendation, securing commitment to the gender equality agenda from the top, especially political leadership, can play a significant role in making gender equality a priority for the government (OECD, 2016[6]). In particular, line ministries and agencies’ leadership reported a willingness to promote and progress towards gender equality. At the same time, OECD interviews at the technical level highlighted opportunities to improve the understanding of the concept of gender mainstreaming, often conflated with the promotion of women’s representation and leadership in public institutions. In other cases, there is also a prevalent sense that having a high share of women officials working in line ministries can automatically contribute to ensuring gender-sensitive policymaking. Looking ahead, raising awareness and enhancing the knowledge and understanding of gender-related issues in line ministries would be crucial. Offering capacity-development programmes with specific modules on gender mainstreaming and the use of government tools for gender-sensitive policymaking, as explained in the previous section, would be effective in filling these gaps.
There is scope to promote the adoption of a dual approach to gender mainstreaming across the whole of government
In practice, the gender mainstreaming approach in Egypt focuses on a number of targeted actions to tackle discrimination and gender gaps in certain areas rather than mainstreaming gender equality in the design, development, implementation and evaluation of all public policies and budgets. The OECD recommends that countries combine specific projects to address equality gaps with broader gender mainstreaming efforts, ensuring that all policies and services respond to women’s and men’s different needs and interests. When policies systematically integrate a gender equality perspective and all government institutions are willing and equipped with the capacities and resources to do so, gender equality is pursued in projects and actions across all sectors and levels of government (OECD, 2023[14]).
MPEDIC has recently undertaken efforts to promote the integration of a gender equality lens in public policy planning. In fact, with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), it published the Conceptual Manual for a Gender-Responsive Sustainable Development Plan (MPED, 2022[20]), with the aim to support government institutions in developing policies and plans that respond to the needs of various groups in society (Box 7.3).
Published in March 2022 by MPEDIC, the Conceptual Manual for a Gender-Responsive Sustainable Development Plan provides a rationale and conceptual framework for adopting responsive planning approaches that take into account the perspectives and needs of women, children and people with disabilities. After reviewing the main legislative developments to guarantee the rights of those groups, the manual identifies in a matrix a series of targeted interventions benefitting women, children and people with disabilities across different sectors (e.g. education, health, agriculture, water and irrigation, housing, transport, local development, industry, investment and finance, social solidarity, labour force, sports and cultural services, information), together with key performance appraisal indicators and the ministries responsible for the implementation and monitoring of those initiatives. The manual also includes examples of international good practice.
Source: MPEDIC (2022[20]), Conceptual Manual for a Gender-Responsive Sustainable Development Plan, https://MPEDIC.gov.eg/AdminPanel/sharedfiles/c3f34142-05bd-446a-aa35-e144e15a70fc_c4895595-91cb-4c0a-b8b8-041447de5d7c_(1).pdf.
Going forward, the manual could be used as a good practice and basis to support further efforts to systematically integrate gender considerations in the policy-planning process and foster a dual approach to gender mainstreaming.
The updated version of Egypt Vision 2030 includes gender equality among its goals and is aligned with the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030
Over the last few years, the MPEDIC, as the ministry responsible for developing Egypt’s national development plans, has strengthened its commitment to promoting the participation of women in all aspects of society as part of ongoing efforts to catalyse sustainable development. Notably, empowering women has been a priority in drafting, reviewing and updating Egypt Vision 2030 as the umbrella framework for the country’s sustainable development strategy, which was first adopted in 2016.
Incorporating a medium- to long-term whole-of-government vision for gender equality into key strategic documents can convey a country’s goal for a gender-equal society and measure its commitment to those values (OECD, 2023[14]). Egypt Vision 2030, in its updated version, includes “Achieving social justice and equality” as one of its six strategic objectives, aiming to address inequalities across various social groups, especially those who are most vulnerable (i.e. women, children, youth, people with disabilities, individuals with chronic illnesses, the elderly, etc.), and promote regional development. That strategic objective is translated into four goals: i) providing social protection; ii) narrowing the gender gap; iii) inclusion and equal opportunities; and iv) promoting spatial and local development. Each goal is accompanied by actions and associated with targets and quantitative indicators to monitor and evaluate performance. A gender equality lens is also integrated into other strategic objectives and in the discussion of the enablers of the strategy. Furthermore, “Guaranteeing equity and accessibility for all” is one of the four guiding principles of the whole vision, serving as its overarching framework.
The NCW participated in all of the activities and consultations organised by MPEDIC for the drafting and update of Egypt Vision 2030, with the aim to integrate women’s perspectives in that strategic document and highlight the importance of promoting equal opportunities. In particular, MPEDIC used the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030 as one of the main references in updating Egypt Vision 2030 in order to foster policy coherence. These efforts have been reflected in the inclusion of more extensive references to gender equality in the updated version of Egypt Vision 2030. The actions proposed in the vision to narrow gender gaps also appear to be generally aligned with the ones outlined in the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030. Moving forward, it would be key to ensure that the targets and indicators included in the updated Egypt Vision 2030 are aligned with the ones set in the strategy and to establish clear roles, responsibilities and lines of accountability to track and assess progress in implementing the vision and, ultimately, closing gender gaps in Egypt. The challenges highlighted in Chapter 2 with respect to the implementation, monitoring and financing of Egypt Vision 2030, as well as the need to strengthen policy co-ordination and participation mechanisms, should also be addressed to foster a whole-of-government implementation of gender-related objectives.
There is scope to strengthen gender mainstreaming in the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030
Developing a sound strategy for gender equality represents a key step towards reducing existing gender gaps by providing a policy umbrella for gender mainstreaming and targeted initiatives to achieve gender-related goals (OECD, 2019[7]). The OECD 2015 Gender Recommendation highlights the importance of strategic planning by recommending that countries set a rationale, action plans, priorities, timelines, objectives, expected outcomes and/or targets, and effective policy planning across public institutions for promoting gender equality (OECD, 2016[6]). It also emphasises that governments should engage relevant stakeholders (including non-governmental actors) in developing their gender strategies to ensure a comprehensive and inclusive approach. In 2021, 30 OECD member countries reported having an active strategic framework for gender equality in place, either in the form of an overarching strategy or a strategy addressing specific gender equality issues, such as violence against women (OECD, 2022[21]).
To complement Egypt Vision 2030, which did not include an independent pillar for women’s issues in its first version in early 2017, the GoE launched the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030 as the country’s main strategic framework for the promotion of gender equality. The NCW led the development of the strategy and reportedly adopted a participatory approach to include both decision-makers and citizens, with more than 100 000 people involved in the process. The strategy builds around four main pillars (Government of Egypt, 2017[12]):
Political empowerment and leadership, which aims to promote women’s political participation in all of its forms, including legislative representation at the national and local levels, prevent discrimination against women in leadership positions in executive and judicial institutions, and prepare women to succeed in these roles.
Economic empowerment, which aims to develop women’s capacities, increase their participation in the labour force, including through the support of entrepreneurship, and ensure equal opportunities in all sectors, also in key positions within public institutions and private companies.
Social empowerment, which aims to create opportunities for greater social participation by women, increase their abilities to make informed choices and eliminate harmful and discriminatory practices, both in the public sphere and within the family.
Protection, which aims to eradicate all forms of violence against women and other practices that threaten their lives, safety and dignity, and protect women from environmental risks that may negatively affect them in social and economic terms.
The strategy provides a situation analysis of the current gender equality landscape in Egypt while setting an overarching goal under each pillar described above. It also sets a series of objectives, as well as impact indicators with baseline and quantitative outcome targets expected for 2030. Finally, it outlines targeted interventions that integrate an intersectional approach, as they refer, for example, to young and elderly women and women with disabilities. In this regard, such an approach is well-aligned with OECD benchmarks. To support monitoring progress in achieving the strategy’s targets, in 2017, the NCW established the Egyptian Women’s Observatory, as described in Box 7.4.
The Egyptian Women’s Observatory was established by the NCW in 2017 as a mechanism to follow up on the implementation of goals related to the status of women during the period 2017-30. The observatory is attached to the Egyptian Center for Public Opinion Research (Baseera), a private entity aiming to produce reliable information on public attitudes and trends on issues and policies of public interest. As such, it is formally independent from the government and mainly relies on international funds for its functioning. The observatory represents one of the main tools that the NCW relies on to monitor indicators of the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030. To this effect, it collects data and regularly updates follow-up indicators to monitor progress in the strategy’s implementation, and indicators on sustainable development and support indicators, which are published on its website. The observatory also prepares periodic reports and studies on the status of women and existing gender gaps in Egypt.
Source: Information provided by the government of Egypt in 2023; Egypt National Women Observatory (n.d.[22]), Egyptian Women's Observatory, https://en.enow.gov.eg/%D8%B9%D9%86%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%B5%D8%AF.
The strategy does not assign any specific roles and responsibilities to ministries and other government agencies, thus potentially limiting whole-of-government implementation. The strategy itself states that the second phase of its preparation should foresee the development of action plans for each of its four pillars to define activities and procedures within a specific timeframe and calculate the costs associated with implementation. According to stakeholder interviews, these plans have not been developed yet. In April 2023, the NCW discussed the results of a mid-term review of the strategy that has not been released publicly, highlighting some improvements with respect to its main pillars (NCW, 2023[23]). More generally, the strategy’s efforts to promote gender equality seem to be primarily focused on improving women’s status in selected areas, such as education, employment, public life and health. Promoting gender mainstreaming in the implementation process remains marginal. Challenges in this respect may include limited understanding across the government of the benefits and the need to adopt a gender approach, and limited availability and use of gender-disaggregated data (see related subsection below).
With six more years before the strategy expires in 2030, it would be beneficial to establish clear roles and mandates for all government institutions in implementing the strategy through detailed action plans with adequate resources. The government could also consider developing annual reports highlighting the contribution of line ministries and agencies to the implementation of the strategy, to be publicly released. This would reinforce accountability and help ensure the strategy is effectively implemented. As discussed in the previous section, formalised co-ordination mechanisms should also be put in place between the NCW and line ministries and the Cabinet to foster whole-of-government implementation.
The integration of gender mainstreaming objectives in sectoral policy planning could be further enhanced
Although Egypt Vision 2030 and the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030 include gender goals in various policy areas, gender-related action plans and strategies at the sectoral level have not yet been developed in Egypt. This issue has been compounded by the fact that MPEDIC and NCW have limited power to hold line ministries accountable for their gender equality commitments. Similarly, findings from OECD interviews point to the absence of specific mechanisms and formal governance frameworks to enforce compliance and alignment between sectoral strategies and Egypt Vision 2030 and ensure active collaboration among line ministries (see Chapter 2). The OECD’s dual approach to strategic planning for gender equality recommends combining overarching national gender equality frameworks with sectoral strategies integrating gender considerations and objectives in specific policy areas at the ministerial level (OECD, 2019[7]).
From the budgeting side, the MoF has taken several important steps in recent months to advance the implementation of gender and equality responsive budgeting but its impact is yet to be seen. Perhaps the two most notable reforms in this area are: i) the development and publication of MoF Egypt’s Procedural Manual for Gender and Equality Responsive Programme Budgets; and ii) the requirement for budget entities to prepare and submit gender impact assessments of programmes alongside their submissions of 2024/25 budgets. The MoF Equal Opportunities Unit prepared the manual and published it on the MoF website in April 2024. It aims to raise line ministries’ awareness of the concept, benefits, components, tools and methodology to integrate equal opportunities and gender considerations in the various stages of the budget process. As for the gender impact assessments, budget circular instructions included tagging, analysing and reporting on the gender impact assessments for all programmes submitted by line ministries. Both reforms are in line with OECD good practice but will require substantial capacity building and MoF guidance for line ministries.
From the planning side and based on the OECD’s assessment, there is an opportunity to build on this effort and further promote a systematic approach to incorporating gender-related goals in sectoral strategies in Egypt. As mentioned above, in 2022, MPEDIC published a new manual Conceptual Manual for a Gender-Sensitive and Sustainable Development Plan to promote the adoption of responsive planning approaches that take into account the perspectives and needs of women and other groups of society (Box 7.3). The NCW contributed to the development of the manual and has held some workshops with the MPEDIC and MoF to support the integration of gender-related considerations into sectoral plans and budgets. Further efforts to disseminate the publication among line ministries and to raise awareness of the importance of integrating gender equality perspectives in their policy areas of responsibility could continue and be strengthened in the future.
Going forward, line ministries could be required to systematically translate gender equality objectives laid out in Egypt Vision 2030, in the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030 and in any other future plans into ministerial strategic plans, adequately resourced and including gender-sensitive target indicators. As a starting point, the MPEDIC could consider communicating the content of its conceptual manual widely, in specific workshops with line ministries and in co-operation with the NCW, in order to foster an understanding of gender-responsive planning. Then, in the medium to longer term, with the support of the NCW, the MPEDIC should further develop a systematic approach and guidance for line ministries to integrate gender equality objectives into their sectoral strategies. The NCW could consider grouping all guidance material for relevant ministries on a centralised platform, aiming to create a one‑stop shop for public entities to consult manuals, templates, documents and other important sources to mainstream gender equality as part of their daily policymaking work. As the ministry responsible for allocating public resources, MPEDIC could strengthen the formal links between sectoral gender-related commitments and the budget process by setting the integration of gender objectives and indicators in the strategic plans of line ministers as a condition to access public funds and a core criterion against which the quality and implementation of plans are reviewed. This would foster policy alignment and implementation while supporting the MoF’s efforts to promote gender-responsive budgeting. In Colombia, for example, to embed the gender perspective in planning and budgeting in different economic sectors, the National Planning Department (DNP) developed a Guide for the Inclusion of the Gender Approach in the Planning Cycle of Public Policies and for the Use of the Budget Tracer for Gender Equality, complemented by Sectoral Planning and Budgeting Guidelines as described in Box 7.5.
To contribute to closing gender gaps in Colombia, the DNP has introduced various strategies to reinforce the use of a gender approach in institutional planning and budgeting. With this goal in mind, in 2021, the DNP developed the Guide for the Inclusion of the Gender Approach in the Planning Cycle of Public Policies and for the Use of the Budget Tracer for Gender Equality. The tracer is a tool that helps public institutions track investment and resources aimed at closing gender gaps. To integrate a gender equality perspective in planning and budgeting in different economic sectors, the DNP (with the support of USAID and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women or UN Women) also developed complementary Sectoral Planning and Budgeting Guides. These were prepared jointly with the Ministries of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, of Information and Communications Technologies, and of Mines and Energy. The guidelines stem from multiple regional workshops in which members of women’s organisations, civil society, academia and international organisations, using a participatory methodology, expressed their views on the problems related to gender equality in the various sectors. These handbooks provide indicators to identify gaps and barriers for women in each sector and include recommendations by strategic lines. They also seek to determine objectives of investment projects or other initiatives or activities related to the gender perspective, with the purpose of mainstreaming gender considerations at different levels of the public sector.
Source: OECD (2023[24]), OECD Review of Gender Equality in Colombia, https://doi.org/10.1787/a559fc5e-en.
Enhanced availability of gender-disaggregated data could further support inclusive and gender-sensitive policymaking
Gender-disaggregated data are essential for understanding women’s and men’s different needs and circumstances and delivering appropriate and evidence-based policy responses and outcomes (OECD, 2023[14]). Indeed, the updated version of Egypt Vision 2030 recognises data availability as a prerequisite and enabler for achieving SDGs, including gender equality. As observed in OECD countries as well, challenges persist with respect to the collection and use of data and evidence in support of inclusive and gender-sensitive policymaking in Egypt.
The Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) is Egypt’s official statistical agency, which collects, processes, analyses and disseminates statistical data and conducts the census. A specific sustainable development unit in CAPMAS devises several sustainable development indicators, including women’s empowerment and gender equality. Stakeholders acknowledged that the availability of data disaggregated by gender remains limited, although CAPMAS and the MPEDIC are reportedly joining forces to improve in this respect. CAPMAS also co-ordinates with the NCW when preparing gender-related surveys (such as the ones on the prevalence of female genital mutilation).
In particular, the 2015 OECD Gender Recommendation emphasises the importance of strengthening the evidence base for gender-sensitive policymaking and systematically measuring progress towards gender equality performance based on impact indicators and measurable outcomes (OECD, 2016[6]). In Egypt, stakeholders highlighted limited data and evidence as a key barrier to tracking performance and evaluating the impact of projects targeting women. As discussed in the previous subsections, Egypt Vision 2030 and the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030 set a series of targets and quantitative indicators that are used as key performance indicators to monitor progress in the implementation of gender-related projects. The Observatory of Egyptian Women (Box 7.4) supports this process by collecting and disseminating data to assess progress on the four pillars of the strategy.
More generally, findings from OECD interviews reveal that gender-disaggregated data in Egypt are collected and used in some sectors only, such as health and education. Furthermore, the lack of data standards hinders the capacity of institutions to collect relevant information, share it and use it for policymaking purposes. Consequently, gender impact assessments1 or other forms of gender analysis of policies and programmes to analyse their differential impacts on women and men are almost never conducted, except for some specific projects undertaken with the support of international organisations. When policies do not take into consideration the structural gender inequalities embedded in society, they risk perpetuating and reinforcing them. Gender impact assessments can help prevent such unintended consequences and allow policymakers to foresee the impact of a new regulation, policy or programme on women’s and men’s lives (OECD, 2023[14]).
Looking ahead, Egypt could consider strengthening the collection, analysis, dissemination and use of quality data disaggregated by gender and, in the medium to longer term, by other individual characteristics (e.g. age, migrant status, geographic location, disability status) to promote inclusive and gender-sensitive policymaking. With the support of CAPMAS, the collection and availability of gender-disaggregated data should be expanded to a wide range of sectors, including those traditionally considered gender-neutral (such as environment, transportation, etc.) to fill the knowledge gap and raise awareness among line ministries of the use of such data to inform sectoral policymaking, monitoring and evaluation. Additionally, to translate data into policy-relevant knowledge, it would be important to provide training and tools to strengthen the skills and capacities across the government to ensure the availability and accessibility of gender-disaggregated and intersectional data. In the long term, this would help the GoE adopt a more systematic approach to the use of gender impact assessments as a tool in support of evidence-based policymaking.
Equal representation of women and men in the public sector is a key indicator of progress towards diversity and gender equality and can contribute to shaping public policies and services that adequately respond to the needs of all members of society (OECD, 2023[25]). Achieving substantive equality between women and men in public service employment is also linked to gender-balanced policies and quality service delivery, which prompt perceptions of the civil service as exemplary, responsible, responsive and legitimate and, in turn, contributes to greater public trust in government action. The OECD recommends that countries take measures to improve gender equality in public employment by promoting the flexibility, transparency and fairness of public employment systems and policies to ensure fair pay and equal opportunities for women and men with diverse backgrounds and experience (OECD, 2016[6]).
There is scope to further underpin equality and representativeness values in the PARP
As illustrated in previous chapters, the GoE has promoted a wide public administration reform process over the past few years to transform the state administrative apparatus by modernising its operations, adopting new technologies and upskilling the public workforce. CAOA, as the custodian of the public administration reform agenda, has progressively worked towards ensuring the integration of women into the public workforce as well as the provision of equal opportunities. While commitment to gender equality is expressed in Egypt at the highest political level, there is scope to further adjust the reform plan in order to reflect this will for anchoring gender equality in Egyptian public administration. This would also allow to better align PARP objectives with those of Egypt Vision 2030.
The PARP, launched in 2014, includes establishing a merit-based system for employment, promotion and pay among its guiding principles. The 2015 OECD Gender Recommendation stipulates the importance of promoting merit-based recruitment, which is essential for providing equal access to public employment and opportunities for career development and growth (OECD, 2023[14]). The sixth pillar of the 2014 PARP version, entitled “Enhancing citizen-state relationship”, also specifies that some policies for gender equality in the civil service were adopted to that effect and supported through the establishment of EOUs. To this end, CAOA established a general department for equal opportunities that co-ordinates with the different EOUs across the government. Although the NCW was reportedly consulted in the development of the PARP, there is no gender mainstreaming specific section. Therefore, there is scope to further develop a government-wide, compelling vision for gender equality in the public sector by strengthening some fundamental civil service values and principles, such as equality and representativeness, which have very likely contributed to increasing the number of women in public sector employment across the OECD (OECD, 2023[14]).
Embedding a gender lens across the strategic framework would be all the more important in the current process undertaken by the CAOA to further update the PARP. The PARP being a living document, in future revisions, could concretely benefit from further integrating gender equality and mainstreaming lens into its pillars in line with the “economic empowerment” pillar of the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030, which aims to ensure equal opportunities for women in all sectors, including in key positions in public institutions (see previous section).
The Civil Service Law provides a legislative basis for the promotion of gender equality in public employment and further efforts are desirable to ensure that provisions do not reinforce gender stereotypes
On top of the efforts to reform the state apparatus, Egypt issued a new Civil Service Law (No. 81/2016) to increase the efficiency of the service delivery process and enhance transparency and accountability (See Chapter 4). The law establishes a new system for recruitment, promotion and appointment of senior positions to achieve justice and equality of opportunity. Furthermore, it includes a series of provisions granting benefits to female civil servants.
In particular, the law enhances women’s rights at work, guaranteeing them the right to apply for public positions in units of the state’s administrative apparatus according to merit and without discrimination. It also gives women working in the civil service the right to promotion based on seniority and performance and guarantees them the right to apply for leadership and supervisory positions. Moreover, the law gives both women and men the right to apply for part-time work for 3 days a week at 65% pay. The law also offers women and men: sick and emergency leave; leave to accompany a spouse or a sick person; the right to take leave on test days for employees enrolled in academic programmes; and the right to reduce the number of daily working hours for the care of a child with disabilities. Importantly, the law entitles women employed in the public sector to take four months of maternity leave a maximum of three times during their entire employment period (while the previous Law No. 48/1978 allowed only three months) and to reduce the number of working hours in the event of pregnancy and breastfeeding. The law does not foresee paternity and parental leave and offers unpaid childcare leave only to women, with the risk of reinforcing gender stereotypes, further confining women to home responsibilities only, and favouring the recruitment and promotion of male employees as observed in other countries, including in the MENA region (OECD, 2018[26]). Table 7.1 provides an overview of the measures adopted by some OECD countries to enhance work-life balance in the public sector.
Note: Data was provided by 15 OECD countries.
Source: OECD (2019[7]), Fast Forward to Gender Equality: Mainstreaming, Implementation and Leadership, https://dx.doi.org/10.1787/g2g9faa5-en.
Work-life balance initiatives contribute to higher women’s employment rates, creating a diverse public sector workforce and improving public perceptions about the sector’s employment, with positive effects on recruitment and retention efforts (OECD, 2014[27]). In Egypt, going forward, it would be important to continue developing work-life balance policies and initiatives and facilitating continuous support systems for family members’ care by offering flexibility to both men and women, mothers and fathers. In doing so, the CAOA may study and assess the effectiveness and impact of the measures that were taken during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as those experimented on during September and August 2023 allowing work from home once per week, to guide further actions towards promoting more work-life balance solutions. This would be particularly important in the future, considering that stakeholder discussions revealed concerns about the viability of conciliating work and family commitments after the move to the New Administrative Capital (see Chapter 3), which would require longer commute times. The promotion of such policies should be accompanied by long-term efforts to change gender norms outlining how women and men are expected to behave, as well as the current perceptions about work-life balance measures and other time flexibility options. This includes, for example, addressing concerns about their potential detrimental impact on career aspirations, particularly for employees in senior positions. Doing so would empower men, including at those senior levels, to take on more family-related responsibilities. In Sweden, for example, the legislation makes it possible for both senior and civil servants to opt for part-time work due to family reasons and a special arrangement called “working time based on trust” allows them to freely arrange their working time (OECD, 2023[14]).
Data collection efforts could be strengthened to foster analysis of gender equality in the public sector and support the development of policies to close gaps
Up-to-date gender-disaggregated and intersectional data are key for public employment planning, development and training, monitoring, evaluating and reporting on all types of human resource management programmes and initiatives (OECD, 2023[14]). Collecting data regularly is important to design initiatives to promote gender equality in the public sector, remove systemic barriers in recruitment and promotion processes, monitor progress in gender equality and hold public institutions and executives accountable (OECD, 2023[14]), as illustrated by the example in Box 7.6.
In Australia, the Public Service Commissioner requires agencies to supply data to the Australian Public Service Employment Database (APSED) in order to perform its functions under Section 41 of the Public Service Act 1999. The data are then used to compile reports and evaluate the state of the Australian Public Service (APS). Information on staffing, including trends in the size, structure and composition of the APS, contributes to research and evaluation work on the changing nature of the APS and the impact of people management policies on the structure of the APS. This, in turn, assists agencies in formulating their people management policies and practices. Since 2020, the data from APSED have been presented in a dashboard. The Australian Public Service Employment Database internet interface (APSEDii) is a dashboard presenting information on the workforce characteristics of the APS.
Source: OECD (2023[14]), Toolkit for Mainstreaming and Implementing Gender Equality 2023, https://doi.org/10.1787/3ddef555-en.
The GoE is making efforts to improve data collection and analysis of gender equality in the public sector. As explained in Chapter 4, CAOA is reportedly finalising the development of e-profiles for civil service employees, including data on gender, age, qualifications, disability status, job rank, etc. This process has not yet been closed and data on the representation of women in public service (and the exact number of civil servants in the country) have not been released. Challenges in this respect may be due to the fact that, according to stakeholder interviews, data integration across public institutions remains challenging. As of 2020, Egyptian women held 45% of all government jobs (MPED, 2021[28]). Anecdotal evidence also points to an overall balanced representation of women and men. Still, in the absence of detailed data, it is difficult to assess to which extent women and men are equally represented horizontally in all sectors and fields in public administration and vertically at the highest levels. Across the OECD, for example, in 2019, women comprised the majority of employees in the public sector at 58% but composed only 37% of senior management positions in 2020 (OECD, 2022[21]).
Looking ahead, the CAOA should continue promoting the collection and use of gender-disaggregated data to inform the design and delivery of policies and programmes aiming to close remaining gender gaps in the public sector. Civil service employee surveys should be ideally conducted every year, allow disaggregation by gender and integrate a gender-sensitive lens. In particular, a systemic and systematic approach to data collection and analysis of gender representation and equality in the public sector could be supported by the development of an analytical framework for gender equality issues, with requirements for relevant data categories and data sources. The framework should include the examination of a range of various intersecting identity factors such as age, geography, disability status, etc. This would significantly help assess the extent of horizontal and vertical occupational segregation, understand differences in the uptake of flexible arrangements between women and men, and design evidence-based policies and tools to tackle those issues.
Addressing gender norms could further support the modernisation of the Egyptian civil service
Changing the organisational culture and removing gender stereotypes is crucial for attracting and retaining a gender-balanced workforce within the public sector, including at the upper management levels. For cultural shifts to occur, it is important to increase awareness, make efforts to remove biased behaviour and establish a sound process to deal with sexual harassment cases (OECD, 2023[14]).
In Egypt, as observed in various other countries (UNDP, 2023[29]), some societal norms and expectations related to which jobs are suitable for men and women may challenge the CAOA’s efforts to modernise the civil service. For example, as revealed by stakeholder interviews, there is scope to increase employee awareness and understanding of the importance of promoting merit-based recruitment and combating favouritism in the public sector. Similarly, traditional gender stereotypes persist in society (OECD, 2023[2]) and can extend to the civil service, where some male employees may reportedly express challenges or discomfort when working under female supervision. As discussed in the previous section on institutional arrangements, EOUs in line ministries have a key role in sensitising on the importance of gender equality, promoting women’s empowerment and preventing discrimination in the workplace.
Inappropriate behaviour and all forms of gender-based harassment can be a challenge to women’s advancement in public employment. It is most often under-reported and systematic data on the issue are lacking, including in Egypt (Arab Barometer, 2020[30]). OECD countries have adopted a wide range of measures to address sexual harassment in the public sector, including: standardised and confidential complaints procedures; voluntary in-service training for staff on sexual harassment; measures to foster openness and transparency in the workplace culture; and sexual harassment policies (OECD, 2022[21]). However, a limited number of OECD member countries report collecting data on sexual harassment complaints in the public service (OECD, 2019[7]). The GoE reported having standardised, non-confidential complaints procedures for victims that aim to address and prevent sexual harassment in public employment. More generally, the NCW also has a Complaint Office that works closely with the Ministries of Interior, of Health, of Social Solidarity and the Public Prosecution Office. The office receives women’s complaints through its branches in 27 governorates, its hotline number and various social media platforms, and offers psychological, social and legal support for victims of violence across the country.
To strengthen its measures to tackle all forms of gender-based harassment, specifically in the public sector, the GoE could consider strengthening existing confidential complaint mechanisms for public employees and undertaking regular confidential assessments, which would likely contribute to obtaining a more realistic estimate of the incidence and nature of harassment, be it online or offline, as well as on the effectiveness of measures to combat it. At the same time, to encourage victims to report cases of sexual harassment, it would be important to develop targeted initiatives within the civil service to raise awareness as well as reduce stigma and fear of retaliation. This becomes particularly crucial as women often occupy subordinate positions, emphasising the importance of tailored measures for effective impact. This could be done by adapting the various existing initiatives and awareness-raising campaigns on violence against women promoted by the NCW to suit the unique context of the civil service.
In addition, consideration could be given to updating and embedding a gender equality lens into the civil service code of conduct, including explicitly mentioning measures to tackle all forms of gender-based harassment or abuse. In this respect, stakeholders confirmed plans to update it by adding a specific chapter on this issue. Finally, EOUs should continue communicating the importance and benefits of promoting women’s representation in the public sector to change norms and attitudes that perpetuate gender inequalities, as well as sensitising the existence of institutional mechanisms to report cases of offline and online sexual harassment in the workplace.
With a share of 60%, young people aged between 18 and 35 represent more than half of the total population in Egypt, a percentage that is foreseen to continue increasing over the next years. This trend emphasises the need for a deep and broad transformation of public governance in the country that takes into account the existing challenges faced by young people. In fact, young Egyptians are still facing numerous challenges that, in some cases, worsened during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Egypt’s labour market presents structural challenges and low-quality jobs, which has led young Egyptians, particularly those from vulnerable backgrounds, to turn towards the informal sector and economy. Employment in the informal sector has become widespread in Egypt, with 90% of young workers participating in economic life through this means (OECD, 2023[31]). Egyptian young people also report facing inequalities and difficulties accessing quality education, decent jobs and affordable housing, thus hampering their transition to adulthood and sometimes leading them to migrate (49% of Egyptian people aged 18-29 surveyed in 2020 have considered migrating from their country) (Arab Barometer, 2020[32]). In addition, young people remain disengaged with the possibility of taking part in political life and decision-making, as 35% of young people between 18 and 29 surveyed in 2019 are not interested in politics, compared to an average of 24% of young people across OECD countries (OECD, 2022[5]).
Therefore, and in line with the provisions of the OECD Recommendation of the Council on Creating Better Opportunities for Young People (2022[4]), achieving policy outcomes that are responsive to today’s young people and future generations is a matter of priority. It is therefore, crucial to successfully engage young people in public life and ensure that their needs are taken into account (Box 7.7).
In June 2022, the OECD Council at the ministerial level adopted a recommendation, agreed upon by OECD member countries, on the proposal of the Employment, Labour and Social Affairs Committee and the Public Governance Committee. This recommendation sets an international standard that both OECD member and non-member countries can use to assess their current practices, identify key areas for improvement and access international good practice.
The recommendation promotes government-wide strategies and sets out a range of policy principles to improve youth measures and outcomes in all relevant areas, including skills and competencies, labour market outcomes and social inclusion and youth well-being, and to strengthen young people’s trust in government and public institutions, address age-based inequalities by promoting their participation and representation in public and political life, and strengthen administrative and technical capacities. This legal document outlines how countries can implement government policies that are supportive of young people’s needs and highlights the need for a holistic and co-ordinated approach to creating better opportunities and outcomes for young people in public life.
The recommendation is structured around five fundamental components recommending its adherents to:
Ensure that young people from different backgrounds acquire the relevant skills and knowledge.
Support young people in their transition into the labour market and enhance the labour market outcomes.
Advance social inclusion and the well-being of young people.
Establish the legal, institutional and administrative frameworks needed to build trust among young people from all backgrounds in public institutions.
Strengthen administrative and technical capabilities to provide services that take into account the needs of young people across all levels of government.
Source: OECD (2022[4]), OECD Recommendation of the Council on Creating Better Opportunities for Young People, https://www.oecd.org/mcm/Recommendation-on-Creating-Better-Opportunities-for-Young-People.pdf.
Nevertheless, defining “youth” is one of the prerequisites to effectively analyse the participation and representation of young people in public life and ensure that policies are targeted and responsive to the specific needs of this age group. There is no international definition or clear age range to determine the period of youth. The United Nations defines youth as people aged between 15 and 24 (UNDESA, n.d.[33]). On the other hand, certain definitions, like the one found in the African Youth Charter, aim to consider the extended period of independence that defines adulthood today by defining youth as the age group from 15 to 35 (African Union, 2009[34]). In Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia, for instance, “youth” generally covers the period between the ages of 15 and 29 (OECD, 2022[5]). In Egypt, the most commonly used age range by the MoYs to define young people is 18 to 35.
The OECD defines youth as a period of transition from childhood into adulthood, which is characterised by significant changes in young people’s lives and the consolidation of their autonomy. Young people refer to individuals aged 15 to 29 to compare outcomes across countries and facilitate standardisation of data collection by age group.
The institutional and policy framework in Egypt could be further enhanced
Effective co‑ordination mechanisms among both governmental and non-governmental stakeholders are essential due to the cross-cutting nature of youth policy. In line with the OECD Recommendation of the Council on Creating Better Opportunities for Young People (2022[4]), policies and programmes for young generations should be delivered in a co‑ordinated manner to allow young people to better access services and facilitate their transition to an autonomous life (OECD, 2020[35]). Adopting a whole-of-government approach in youth policy, characterised by a shared vision and co‑ordination mechanisms, is therefore crucial for aligning diverse stakeholders towards common strategic and operational goals, underpinned by a well-defined distribution of roles and responsibilities (OECD, 2022[5]).
Over the past few years, the GoE has made efforts to enhance its institutional set up to co‑ordinate the national youth empowerment agenda and design and implement policies and programmes across sectors and levels of government. This section willassess the policy and institutional capacities provided by the GoE to support young people in their transition to an autonomous life. It will look at how “youth affairs” are being organised across the public administration and different approaches set in place by the GoE to co‑ordinate and implement youth policy. It will briefly assess the roles, mandates and responsibilities of the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MoYS), MPEDIC, CAOA, NIGSD and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and how these governmental stakeholders integrate and mainstream youth across their different policy areas.
The MoYS could play a stronger role in co-ordinating youth policy and fostering youth-sensitive policymaking
The GoE has undertaken various efforts to ensure the integration of young people into public life. Notably, the MoYS is charged with drafting and implementing youth policies, designing and delivering programmes and services dedicated to young people and advising line ministries in drafting policy. According to MoYS’ OECD survey responses, its functions also include providing funding to non-governmental youth stakeholders and regulating all youth authority groups and centres in Egypt. This is consistent with institutional setups across the MENA region, where a majority of public administrations have established a youth ministry often combined with the sports portfolio and, in some cases, the culture portfolio, namely in Algeria, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia. There is a clear distinction between the portfolio regarding the organisational and institutional setup, for example establishing a dedicated directorate for sports and another directorate for youth affairs (OECD, 2022[5]). The formal responsibility for youth affairs in OECD countries is often situated within a unit or department within ministries with broader tasks, such as education or social development. Conversely, the youth portfolio is most frequently assigned to a ministry with combined responsibilities in the MENA administrations. Despite its organisational anchoring, government bodies responsible for youth affairs typically undertake similar responsibilities in both OECD governments and MENA administrations. For instance, 91% of OECD government bodies and 4 out of 5 responding entities from MENA administration are tasked with implementing youth policies and programmes and delivering services to young people. They are also responsible for formulating and designing programmes and advising line ministries on designing and delivering youth policies (OECD, 2022[5]).
These trends together underline the importance of formalising and strengthening the mandate and functions of the MoYS while also expanding its youth-related portfolio and elevating youth to the highest priority within the ministry’s agenda. In Egypt, several institutions and ministries are implementing youth related‑ initiatives and programmes. However, there is room for improvement when it comes to monitoring progress and assessing the effectiveness of policies aimed at promoting youth empowerment. This challenge is primarily attributed to the need for greater clarity in defining stakeholder roles and responsibilities. Additionally, there is a need for enhanced training and specialisation within the ministry and increased capacities in line ministries, as emphasised during stakeholder interviews. It was also highlighted that guidelines, manuals and tools could be further developed to effectively implement its mandate and deliver on its functions. Therefore, the MoYS could further strengthen its mandate and fulfil the central authority’s role in promoting, co-ordinating and facilitating youth mainstreaming in Egypt. It could play a leading role in co-ordinating the implementation of youth-related programmes and policies with governmental entities, strengthen its advisory role on youth-related issues with line ministries, enhance the ministry’s workforce through specialised training and strengthen line ministries’ capacities. The MoYS could play a crucial role in establishing clear roles and responsibilities for both state and non‑state entities involved in youth initiatives throughout Egypt, both at the national and subnational levels, by building on its existing structures and outreach. Additionally, the MoYS can take the lead in developing a youth policy that is evidence-based, transparent, informed by active participation, inclusive and spanning various sectors. This endeavour should be underpinned by political dedication, sufficient resources and robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms (OECD, 2020[35]).
In addition, in co‑ordination with MPEDIC, the MoYS could play a role in monitoring progress of the delivery of youth-related policies under the umbrella of Egypt Vision 2030 and ensure coherence with the vision. This also applies to the national youth strategy that is currently being developed. The MoYS could play a stronger role in supporting MPEDIC in meaningfully engaging line ministries in mainstreaming youth considerations into their policy action and sectoral strategies. To attract and develop talent, the MoYS offers a number of internship programmes and career development programmes for young officials, as well as capacity-building activities to build youth skills. There is an opportunity to co‑ordinate closely with the NIGSD and CAOA to consolidate the career development programmes and training offered to young people and staff working across the administration.
The role of MPEDIC could be further strengthened to encourage youth mainstreaming in line ministries and ensure coherence with Egypt Vision 2030
As previously highlighted, MPEDIC is the ministry in charge of developing Egypt’s national development plans and updating Egypt Vision 2030. Notably, the first version of Egypt Vision 2030 adopted a mainstream approach across its three social, economic and environmental dimensions to identify avenues for integrating and empowering young people in Egypt. While the updated version does not specifically provide detailed information solely dedicated to youth, it emphasises the importance of investing in Egypt’s young population as a key pillar for achieving sustainable development. Egypt Vision 2030 recognises the potential of the country’s rapidly growing young population (15-29 year olds) as a pivotal force for economic and social development. It highlights the need to create an enabling environment for young people to unlock their potential, acquire necessary skills and participate actively in decision-making processes. The vision also encourages young people’s active civic participation and engagement in decision-making processes at all levels. It highlights the importance of youth representation and involvement in policy formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, recognising their unique perspectives and ability to drive change (MPED, 2023[36]). High-level political commitment and prioritising youth in key strategic government documents are essential to ensure government stakeholder buy-in (OECD, 2020[35]). MPEDIC can, therefore, play a critical role in fostering the political determination and leadership necessary to adopt a cross-sectoral approach, both horizontally, spanning various ministries, and vertically, across different government levels. For instance, MPEDIC could promote inter-ministerial working groups involving representatives from various ministries to collaborate on youth-centric initiatives, thereby facilitating horizontal co‑ordination and ensuring that youth-related policies are integrated across different sectors. In Ireland, the 2014-20 National Policy Framework for Children and Young People, Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures (BOBF) aimed to streamline political oversight, inter collaboration and stakeholder engagement by establishing a consolidated framework with clear lines of communication and accountability. New implementation structures were put in place, such as the Children and Young People’s Policy Consortium and the Sponsor’s Group, a sub-group comprising of departments with lead responsibility for implementation. Further good practices on horizontal co‑ordination mechanisms for youth policy are mentioned below.
In addition, MPEDIC could advocate for the inclusion of youth impact assessments in developing strategic plans for various ministries to ensure that the potential effects of policies on youth are considered from the initial planning stages. Some OECD countries have started to implement “youth checks” to assess the potential impact of new regulations on young people with a view to anticipate and mitigate negative effects and ultimately foster more inclusive and youth-friendly societies and economies (OECD, 2018[37]). In addition, sustainability impact assessments can play a crucial role in informing decision-making and strategic planning by identifying cross-cutting challenges and short-term and long-term effects while encouraging multi-stakeholder engagement and integrating intergenerational fairness into sector policies. In Switzerland, the sustainability impact assessment framework is built upon three dimensions (economic, social and environmental) to promote solidarity with both the current generation and with future generations and is operationalised through 15 sustainability criteria, 3 of which specifically emphasise intergenerational fairness (OECD, 2020[35]). Lastly, MPEDIC could collaborate with ministries to establish specific performance indicators related to youth development in key strategic documents to create a measurable framework for evaluating the impact of policies and initiatives on youth.
OECD findings identified opportunities to further expand and formalise opportunities for young people to have a say on the issues that matter most to them and place them at the heart of the sustainable development agenda. At present, there is room for improvement in providing spaces for these actors to share their concerns and directly contribute to the annual strategic planning process led by the MPEDIC, as well as in the development, monitoring and evaluation of sustainable development projects. While it was highlighted that young people were consulted in the formulation of Egypt Vision 2030 through dedicated channels, the consultations largely took place in the review phase when the main targets and objectives had already been set. The updated Egypt Vision 2030 represents an opportunity to strengthen efforts in this regard, notably by actively involving young people in implementing, monitoring and evaluating its targets and objectives. Engaging youth in national sustainable efforts and the SDGs is essential to foster a more resilient and inclusive society.
Strengthening existing institutional capacities within MPEDIC to engage young people and co‑ordinate with other public institutions supporting their empowerment, namely the MoYS, will be vital to ensure sustainable development reforms respond to the needs and expectations of this group. Building on the advisory role of the MoYS when it comes to youth-related matters, MPEDIC could build on the MoYS’ expertise to support line ministries in integrating a youth perspective into their policy action and fostering youth-sensitive policymaking. In addition, the MPEDIC could play a stronger role in co‑ordinating with the MoYS to monitor the progress of the delivery of youth-related policies and the future national youth strategy to ensure that they are coherent and in line with Egypt Vision 2030. This could entail establishing a robust monitoring framework with targeted indicators and actively engaging with line ministries to establish clear benchmarks and foster collaboration, thereby ensuring impactful and coherent policy delivery in alignment with the goals of Egypt Vision 2030. In Ireland, for example, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth established an implementation team within the Policy Innovation Unit to drive accountability, cross-‑government co‑ordination and collaboration for better outcomes in child- and youth-related objectives as part of the aforementioned 2014-20 BOBF implementation. This strategic initiative ensured effective implementation and also helped identify emerging trends, foster knowledge transfer and encourage shared responsibilities, highlighting the pivotal role of cross-departmental structures in actively engaging and contributing to Ireland’s child and youth-related objectives (OECD, 2024[38]).
There is scope to further develop NIGSD programmes aimed at young graduates
The NIGSD’s mandate includes drafting and implementing youth policy and allocating financial resources to line ministries based on the government’s priorities, together with the delivery of various programmes, trainings and initiatives targeting young people. It is, therefore, crucial for the NIGSD to co‑ordinate with the MoYS, the entity in charge of drafting and implementing youth policy, to ensure that targeted policies are efficiently delivered across the government.
The MPEDIC in cooperation with the NIGSD launched a wide range of programmes and initiatives targeting young people, namely the Be an Ambassador programme, to train young people (aged between 18 and 35) on sustainable development and Egypt’s policies, opportunities and challenges in achieving its SDGs, Egypt Vision 2030 and social justice. The NIGSD also launched the She is for a Digital Future training programme, which aimed at developing and strengthening the capabilities of young women to bridge the digital divide and develop their knowledge of SDGs, financial inclusion and gender mainstreaming. The NIGSD also implemented a training programme on Strengthening the Understanding of International Trade for Youth that supported young innovators and young representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises in their integration into global value chains by spreading export awareness and providing young people with academic content and training on export for incubated projects (NIGSD, 2021[39]).
The NIGSD is currently in the process of launching a training programme for government officials to raise awareness and train them on how to engage with people with special needs. The programme will target government employees responsible for recruitment in the public sector, those responsible for providing training and those in mobile services units. This could be an opportunity to expand the training programme and include young people with disabilities and vulnerable groups. The NIGSD, in co‑ordination with the MoYS and CAOA, can further expand its internship programmes and programmes targeting young graduates to attract them to join the civil service. This will be even more important to ensure that initiatives to engage young people are well-coordinated among institutions in Egypt and lead to a larger-scale impact.
MCIT could further expand its youth-related programmes in co‑operation with MoYS
In charge of leading the implementation of the national strategy Digital Egypt, MCIT plays a crucial role in supporting youth-related initiatives in Egypt by providing training, support and resources to help young people succeed in the digital economy. In alignment with Egypt Vision 2030, Digital Egypt seeks to transform Egypt into a digital society by 2030. It is built upon three main pillars: digital transformation, digital skills and jobs, and digital innovation. This strategic framework also aims to improve transparency, enhance stakeholder engagement and reduce corruption. Promoting the use of digital communication tools can be highly effective in reaching a large number of young people, gathering input on youth-relevant issues and building a more participatory political culture (OECD, 2019[40]).
Fostering digital literacy among youth, MCIT grants access to a wealth of online resources and educational content, equipping them with the essential skills to navigate digital technologies effectively and securely. In addition, MCIT provides online resources and training materials to individuals actively seeking to enhance their digital proficiencies. MCIT also offers various training programmes covering key domains such as coding, web design and digital marketing. Furthermore, the MCIT has established numerous innovation hubs across Egypt, creating collaborative spaces for young innovators to connect, innovate and spearhead new technologies. Moreover, MCIT is committed to supporting young entrepreneurs through a range of programmes, including funding opportunities, mentorship and networking events, all designed to facilitate the initiation and growth of technology-oriented businesses run by young innovators. More specifically, MCIT launched the Digital Egypt Builders Initiative in September 2020, which provides free scholarships to 1 000 university graduates annually majoring in engineering and computer science in collaboration with a number of international universities specialising in modern technologies as well as international companies specialising in information and communication technology. In addition, launched in December 2020 by the MCIT in collaboration with the MoYS, the Digital Tomorrow initiative aims to build the digital capacities of young people nationwide. The initiative is part of the Tawar w Ghayar (Develop and Change) project, implemented by the Central Administration for Projects and Youth Training at the MoYS and the Institutional Development, Training and Human Capacity Building Sector at the MCIT, which serves as a concrete example of successful partnerships in the planning and implementation of youth-related programmes. Building upon such initiatives, the MCIT could consider further expanding its youth-related training programmes and activities in co‑operation with the MoYS.
Enhancing central co‑ordination mechanisms between the government stakeholders working on youth-related policies and programmes
In Egypt, youth policy and services programmes are designed and delivered by a variety of governmental and non-governmental stakeholders. As mentioned above, the MoYS is responsible for designing and delivering programmes and services dedicated to young people, while MPEDIC and NIGSD provide young people and civil servants with programmes and capacity building in sustainable development-related areas through the “Be an Ambassador” programme.
Avoiding fragmentation and duplication and promoting synergies requires strong co‑ordination mechanisms across different ministries and agencies. High-level political commitment is an initial and critical step in rallying diverse governmental and non-governmental stakeholders around a shared vision for young people. This commitment serves as a catalyst for launching efforts towards developing a comprehensive strategy for young people across different sectors, galvanising stakeholders to actively implement it and fostering greater public awareness regarding government initiatives targeting young people. In some OECD countries such as Austria, Colombia, Italy and Japan, youth policy is guided by the centre of government (OECD, 2020[35]).
Stakeholders highlighted that the MoYS co‑ordinates with other line ministries in their annual planning process for sustainable development plans and investments to support programmes for and by young people through standing committees, working groups, cross-departmental co‑ordination meetings, informal co‑ordination and memoranda of understanding (MoUs). However, it remains unclear whether these bodies have indeed taken place and if they convene regularly or ad hoc.
Inter-ministerial or inter-departmental co‑ordination bodies consist of ministries tasked with implementing specific obligations outlined in the national youth policy. The ministry formally responsible for overseeing youth affairs consistently plays a role in these structures and typically takes on co‑ordinating and preparing meetings. For example, in Slovenia, every ministry designates a specialised youth focal point responsible for enhancing co‑ordination efforts with the Council of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia for Youth (URSM) and other government ministries (see Box 7.8 for other examples) (OECD, 2020[35]; 2021[41]).
Luxembourg
Luxembourg has established an inter-departmental committee with the aim to co-ordinate youth affairs and effectively implement commitments of the national youth policy. This committee is comprised of representatives from various ministries, including those responsible for children and youth, children’s rights, foreign affairs, local affairs, culture, co‑operation and development, education, equal opportunities, family, justice, housing, police, employment, health and sports. Specialised working groups are occasionally formed on an as-needed basis and tasked with specific topics. Generally, only ministries with relevant portfolios participate in the respective thematic working groups. Inter-ministerial co‑ordination bodies may also be supplemented by working groups, in which line ministries may assume leadership roles in co‑ordinating their activities.
United States
An Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs has been set up in the United States to play a role in facilitating co‑ordinated federal initiatives related to youth. Within individual ministries, focal points may be designated to supervise youth affairs and synchronise youth-related programmes with the relevant youth affairs entity.
Source: OECD (2020[35]), Governance for Youth, Trust and Intergenerational Justice: Fit for All Generations?, https://doi.org/10.1787/c3e5cb8a-en.
Setting up strong co‑ordination mechanisms to co‑ordinate youth-related policies across the administration is particularly relevant in Egypt, where stakeholders need to define clear roles and responsibilities in tracking progress, evaluating the impact of policies, co‑ordinating youth-related policies and promoting youth empowerment in Egypt. After establishing an inter-ministerial co‑ordination body, it is crucial to guarantee its efficiency by fostering inclusivity in its membership, defining clear roles and responsibilities, and conducting regular meetings (OECD, 2020[35]). The GoE could further work towards achieving a clearer vision for policies and services for young people through different tools and means, including:
Adopting “youth laws”.
Developing a national youth strategy.
Ensuring youth mainstreaming in strategic planning and sector policy planning.
Collecting, sharing and making use of age-disaggregated data for youth-sensitive policymaking.
Achieving policy coherence and co‑ordination through youth laws
Youth laws are an effective tool to support policy coherence and inter-ministerial co‑ordination. In fact, national youth laws establish the institutional framework of youth policy and work and often cover youth‑related activities across the level of government (OECD, 2020[35]). They also often define age brackets and provide a clear understanding and definition of young people and youth institutions (OECD, 2020[35]). These legal frameworks shape youth’s access to engagement opportunities in public life and reflect an overall vision on the role and status of young people in social and political life (OECD, 2018[37]). As of 2020, 14 OECD member countries adopted a national youth law (OECD, 2020[35]). In several OECD countries, these youth laws also govern the government’s support for non-governmental stakeholders in the youth sector (Box 7.9). However, as of 2022, no public administration within the MENA region had established a comprehensive national youth law (OECD, 2022[5]). Nonetheless, in some countries, governments have introduced legislation to delineate the responsibilities of the lead ministry overseeing youth affairs or have enacted laws in various sectors to clarify these roles, as demonstrated in the case of Jordan. Regulation No. 78 of 2016, entitled “The administrative organization of the Ministry of Youth”, delineates the ministry’s organisational structure following the transition from the Higher Council for Youth to the establishment of a dedicated ministry (OECD, 2021[41]).
Colombia
In 2013, Colombia enacted the Statutory Law on Youth Citizenship (Ley Estatutaria de Ciudadanía Juvenil) to establish the institutional framework for youth policy and youth-related initiatives and to define the rights of young people. This law introduced the National Youth System (Sistema Nacional de Juventud), which facilitates the active involvement of young individuals in shaping, executing and assessing youth policy. Additionally, the law designates the Presidential Council for Youth (Consejeria Presidential para la Juventud) as the entity responsible for managing the system and promoting the implementation of the national youth policy. Furthermore, it delineates local governments’ and territorial entities’ roles and responsibilities in carrying out youth policies and outlines measures to ensure effective co‑ordination with the Presidential Council for Youth.
Finland
In 2016, Finland undertook a renewal of its Youth Act, which originated in 1972. This legislation is designed to encompass all individuals under the age of 29 and addresses various facets of youth activities, youth work and youth policy at all levels of government. The Youth Act designates the Ministry of Education and Culture as the primary state authority tasked with managing, co‑ordinating and advancing the national youth policy. This responsibility is carried out in collaboration with other ministries, central government agencies, local authorities, youth associations and other pertinent organisations. The Youth Act further outlines the specific roles and obligations of each of these stakeholders in the realm of youth-related matters. Additionally, it clarifies the requirements that national youth work organisations must fulfil to be eligible for state subsidies.
Lithuania
In 2003, Lithuania adopted a national law on Youth Policy Framework, which determines the principles of the implementation of the youth law, namely a definition of what a youth policy is and how to implement and organise youth-related matters.
Sources: Estatuto de Ciudadanía Juvenil, Ley Estatutaria 1622 de 2013 modificada por la Ley Estatutaria 1885 de 2018 110920_Ley1622-1885-NEW.indd (colombiajoven.gov.co); Ministry of Education and Culture, Finland, Legislation - OKM - Ministry of Education and Culture, Finland; European Commission, 2023, (OECD, 2020[35]) (OECD, 2022[5]).
Adopting a national youth strategy could ensure policy coherence and foster inter‑ministerial co‑ordination
The implementation of a national youth strategy can enhance policy coherence and simplify inter‑ministerial and multi-stakeholder co‑ordination by clearly defining assigned roles and responsibilities. These strategic frameworks have emerged across various OECD and MENA countries to serve as guiding frameworks to shape a vision for young people and streamline the delivery of programmes and services across various government departments. They also serve as a tool for mobilising public and private resources for youth-related initiatives. In 2020, among the 33 OECD countries that participated in the OECD Youth Governance Survey, 25 had operational national and federal youth strategies in place (OECD, 2020[35]). These strategies encompass government commitments spanning a wide range of policy areas and public services, including measures to promote the active participation of young people in public life. In the MENA region, as of 2022, at least seven countries in the region have adopted a national youth strategy: Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority and the United Arab Emirates (Box 7.9). In Mauritania and Morocco, a national youth strategy has been developed but not yet officially adopted. Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia are in the process of formulating their strategies.
Source: OECD (2020[35]), Governance for Youth, Trust and Intergenerational Justice: Fit for All Generations?, https://doi.org/10.1787/c3e5cb8a-en; OECD (2022[5]), Youth at the Centre of Government Action: A Review of the Middle East and North Africa, https://doi.org/10.1787/bcc2dd08-en.
In Egypt, the MoYS is in charge of elaborating a national youth strategy, which is currently being developed and should be finalised before being officially launched, as highlighted in recent interviews. Over the past period, great efforts have been made through the MoYS, in co‑ordination with partners, which started in 2021 to work on formulating a national strategy for youth with the primary goal of strengthening the status of Egyptian youth, building and developing their capabilities, and meeting their needs and aspirations during the next five years. The strategy addresses the co‑ordination of capabilities and efforts between governmental, societal and international actors to integrate and co‑ordinate actions regarding the various issues and topics relevant to youth and young people.
While the strategy is being developed, there is no version shared or made available on line at the time of writing. The national youth strategy is set to cover thematic areas, including youth participation in public life, education, employment, health, sports, culture, youth work, environment, gender equality and the environment. OECD findings have demonstrated the importance of designing youth strategies that take into account a comprehensive and integrated approach to improving young people’s social and economic well-being and participation.
Jordan
Jordan was the first country in the region to adopt a multi-year strategy back in 2004. It aimed to address the needs of its young population from 2005 to 2009. However, this strategy was put on hold due to the lack of an effective monitoring and evaluation system. More recently, in 2019, the Cabinet of Jordan formally adopted the National Youth Strategy 2019-2025.
The formulation of this strategy drew upon a range of inputs, including a review of royal directives and national strategies, an evaluation of the 2004-09 strategy, international best practices, a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats analysis and the findings of a survey conducted by the General Statistics Department in 2014, which gauged the perspectives of Jordanian youth (OECD, 2021[41]). The strategy is structured around seven key themes, each further elaborated into nine strategic objectives with each objective aligned with one of the SDGs. These goals encompass poverty reduction, promoting good health and prosperity, ensuring quality education, fostering industry, innovation and infrastructure development, reducing inequalities, promoting peace, justice and robust institutions, as well as forging partnerships to achieve these objectives (OECD, 2021[41]).
United Arab Emirates
In 2016, the United Arab Emirates introduced its National Youth Agenda 2016-2021. This agenda was developed through a comprehensive process involving various data sources, including leadership meetings, input from young individuals via local youth councils, youth fora, a youth survey, social media engagement and face-to-face youth meetings. Additionally, it incorporated a baseline assessment of existing youth-related statistics, national strategies and international best practices. While identifying the strategic priorities for the youth sector, the plan considered the critical transitions that young people in the United Arab Emirates undergo as they transition into adulthood. The final National Youth Agenda 2016-2021 established five corresponding objectives for young people. These objectives encompass involvement in policymaking and civic participation, access to education and continuous learning, employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, ensuring health and safety, nurturing families and planning for the future.
Sources: OECD (2021[41]), Empowering Youth and Building Trust in Jordan, https://doi.org/10.1787/8b14d38f-en; https://moy.gov.jo/sites/default/files/jordan_national_youth_strategy_2019-2025_english_compressed_1.pdf; OECD (2022[5]), Youth at the Centre of Government Action: A Review of the Middle East and North Africa, https://doi.org/10.1787/bcc2dd08-en; https://u.ae/about-the-uae/the-uae-government/government-of-future/youth/the-national-youth-strategy.
Youth mainstreaming in strategic planning and sector policy planning could be further enhanced
Youth mainstreaming could be understood as an approach to policymaking that takes into account young people’s needs and concerns in any government action, including legislation, policies or programmes, in all policy areas and at all levels. It is an approach that helps governments make better decisions to achieve more inclusive outcomes for young people and all age groups, including as they relate to policy and spending decisions (OECD, 2018[37]). A commitment to youth mainstreaming is one of the most effective ways for governments to address age-based inequalities and promote intergenerational justice. Integrating a youth mainstreaming objective in sectoral policy planning can support policy coherence and co‑ordination (OECD, 2020[35]). Youth policy spans various ministerial sectors, encompassing education, sports, employment, health, housing, transportation, public administration, civic and political engagement and numerous others. Simultaneously, progress in one of these sectors can significantly impact and shape the outcomes experienced by young individuals in other areas. Sectoral strategies should reflect and set commitments and priorities to empower young people in the political, social and economic fields and strengthen their participation and representation. For instance, different ministries should consult young people in formulating their sectoral strategies in developing their policies and programmes, particularly those that impact young people. For instance, MPEDIC could play a leading role in ensuring the alignment between national strategic goals and line ministries’ plans and sectoral strategies. It could further encourage the inclusion of youth-lens and youth-related goals in the different sectoral strategies.
Enhanced availability of age-disaggregated data could further support youth-sensitive policymaking
In order to deliver youth-responsive services and address age-based inequalities, the OECD Recommendation of the Council on Creating Better Opportunities for Young People (2022[4]) highlights the need to improve the collection, use and sharing of data and evidence disaggregated by age, sex and other relevant characteristics. Disaggregating data by age can help policymakers deliver evidence-based policies that are responsive and appropriate to young people’s needs and inform future planning. It is also relevant to track the performance and evaluate the impact of the various programmes and initiatives targeting young people in Egypt. Nevertheless, the collection and use of data that are disaggregated by age remain a challenge in Egypt and can be further developed with CAPMAS.
To do so, MPEDIC and MoYS could co-ordinate with CAPMAS to establish clear arrangements for age and systematically gather data and indicators disaggregated by age, gender and other relevant characteristics across all policy and service areas. As Box 7.11 illustrates, it is therefore important to equip policymakers with the adequate skills, resources and capacities to make sure that age-disaggregated data are available and accessible (OECD, 2022[4]).
Canada
Acknowledging the diverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on different demographic segments, the Canadian government has committed CAD 172 million over 5 years to Statistics Canada. This financial support is intended to facilitate the execution of a Disaggregated Data Action Plan to promote evidence-driven decision-making in key areas such as healthcare, quality of life, environmental issues, justice, business and the economy. This plan places emphasis on intergenerational equity concerns and the requirements of various population groups.
France
To provide policymakers with data that are disaggregated by age, the Research Centre for the Study and Observation of Living Conditions (CRÉDOC) in France has been conducting surveys that focus on the living conditions and aspirations of the French population. In 2018, it released the third edition of the DJEPVA Barometer, a nationwide survey that involved 4 500 young individuals aged 18 to 30.
Sweden
In Sweden, the Local Follow-up of Youth Policy (LUPP) survey tool, initiated in 2003 and managed by the Swedish Agency for Youth and Civil Society, serves as a crucial policy design tool for both the central government and subnational governments. Implemented by over 175 municipalities, covering 60% of the population, the survey collects extensive data on youth experiences, informing policymakers on various aspects, including education, health and quality of life. The tool, administered every 2‑3 years to high school cohorts, has positively impacted local youth policy, cross-sector collaboration and knowledge dissemination within communities. Additionally, its success has inspired similar initiatives in Lithuania, Poland and Russia.
Sources: OECD (2020[35]), Governance for Youth, Trust and Intergenerational Justice: Fit for All Generations?, https://doi.org/10.1787/c3e5cb8a-en; OECD (2022[5]), Youth at the Centre of Government Action: A Review of the Middle East and North Africa, https://doi.org/10.1787/bcc2dd08-en; OECD (2024[42]), OECD Youth Policy Toolkit, OECD Publishing, Paris; MUCF (2019[43]), LUPP Follow-up 2015-2018: Better Local Youth Policy Through LUPP, https://www.mucf.se/sites/default/files/2022/01/luppfoljning_2015-2018_EN_web.pdf; MUCF (n.d.[44]), LUPP Youth Survey 2023, https://www.mucf.se/uppdrag/ungdomsenkaten-lupp.
CAOA could further promote youth employment in the public sector by providing targeted training and programmes for young people
The GoE has expressed a strong commitment to promoting equal opportunities for young people and their broader inclusion in public life. Ensuring and improving youth employment in the public sector in Egypt remains a priority area that needs to be addressed and further embedded in the PARP, given the current challenging context with high levels of unemployment and economic uncertainty facing this age cohort. Promoting equal opportunities for young people in the public sector, as one of the largest employers in Egypt, can ensure wider diversity and ultimately lead to policies that are more responsive to their needs and aspirations. The PARP (see Chapter 3 for further details), as the overarching framework for the modernisation of the state, includes measures to improve efficiency, effectiveness and transparency within the civil service. However, its goal can be seen as encompassing the creation of a more favourable environment for young people and promoting their participation in public administration. In light of the government’s commitment and efforts to foster youth capabilities, engage youth in policies and decision-making and appoint them to leadership positions, the PARP could further emphasise the role of young people in public administration and integrate a youth and mainstreaming perspective across its pillars and initiatives.
As mentioned in Chapter 4, CAOA has the mandate to build the capacities of civil servants. It offers training focused on leadership development and a variety of training programmes aimed at developing the skills and capacities of public sector employees, focusing on enhancing managerial, technical and leadership capabilities to improve government performance and efficiency. At the same time, CAOA also provides training opportunities for young people in Egypt, although the scope of these programmes remains limited (i.e. internship programmes). They aim to equip young individuals with the necessary skills and competencies to contribute to the overall development of the country, namely through:
Youth leadership development programmes to enhance their leadership skills, self-confidence and decision-making abilities. These programmes focus on personal and professional growth, encouraging youth to take an active role in society.
Professional skills development. CAOA offers various training programmes focused on developing professional skills among young people. These cover topics such as communication skills, teamwork, time management, problem-solving and critical thinking. They aim to prepare young individuals for the job market and improve their employability.
Building on these key milestones, there is scope to further enhance and promote youth employment in the public sector. In line with the OECD Recommendation of the Council on Creating Better Opportunities for Young People (OECD, 2022[4]), the GoE could encourage the representation of young people in the public sector workforce by consistently overseeing age diversity and inclusivity by conducting data collection, analysis, communication and administering employee surveys, all aimed at fostering an inclusive workplace. This could be included as a priority area further embedded in the PARP within its relevant sections. For instance, by providing targeted training for young people, making sure to have adequate human resources and development of civil servants that are fit for purpose to deliver for young people. CAOA should continue to play a leading role in ensuring diversity in the public workforce and attracting young talent from diverse backgrounds. To do so, CAOA should ensure that public recruitment systems and evaluation methods remain aligned with evolving skills, competencies and shifting aspirations. It is, therefore, essential to implement effective onboarding initiatives and opportunities for mobility, such as specialised graduate programmes (OECD, 2022[5]). In that sense, in co‑ordination with the MoYS and NIGSD, CAOA could design and co‑ordinate with the training modules delivered to young people, ensuring coherence among the training programmes offered. Some OECD countries such as Australia, France and the United Kingdom have put in place collaborations between the civil service and universities to provide skill development opportunities for university graduates to initiate their civil service careers and for high-potential civil servants to advance into leadership roles (OECD, 2017[45]; 2022[5]).
Building on the Civil Service Law, there is scope to further promote youth mainstreaming in public employment
As mentioned earlier in the chapter, the Civil Service Law (No. 81/2006) establishes a new system primarily focused on Egypt’s civil service structure, recruitment and regulations. It explicitly mentions young people and provides specific provisions for them. The law highlights the need for and importance of training and capacity building for civil servants. This is relevant to young employees seeking skill development and career advancement opportunities. It also promotes continuous professional development of new knowledge and expertise, which can be beneficial for young professionals. Article 8 of the Civil Service Law stipulates that public administration entities may also extend their training to young people in specialised fields upon their request, without any obligation on public administration entities to appoint them. The executive regulations specified the determinants to train young people in public administration and provide them with the skills required in the labour market. According to Article 22, it is permissible for the “unit”, which refers to a ministry, department, government agency, governorate or public authority, to train young people, including students, on specialised activities upon their request and with no obligation on the public administration unit to recruit or appoint the trained personnel.
The development of civil servants is key to the advancement of more effective policies. Ensuring they possess the requisite skills and competencies to engage with and serve young individuals is essential for successfully delivering youth-responsive policymaking and programming (OECD, 2022[5]). Stakeholders have identified areas for improvement, including the enhancement of capacities within ministries, the need for more specialised and trained staff, and additional guidelines, manuals and methodological tools to further support the development and implementation of youth-responsive policies.
Limited financial and qualified human resources were also highlighted as one of the main challenges by the stakeholders, which hinders the effective tracking of progress and the evaluation of the impact of policies aimed at promoting youth empowerment in Egypt. Similarly, this challenge was also identified in Jordan, Lebanon, Mauritania and Morocco, according to the OECD Youth Governance Survey (OECD, 2022[5]). Therefore, adequate capacities and capabilities within the public sector are needed to support the development of staff within ministries and develop their skills in the field of policy and programme design for young people. Improving the skills of public officials to deliver on young people’s concerns and priorities was highlighted by the different stakeholders as one of the high-priority areas for delivering policies and services that are responsive to youth’s needs.
CAOA should continue to play a key role in supporting and advancing youth mainstreaming by expanding its training offer and developing material to upskill the staff of various ministries. In doing so, CAOA can ensure that youth-responsive services are effectively delivered across public administration. As mentioned earlier, training offered by CAOA is mainly focused on leadership development, human rights and other relevant programmes. As part of its mandate to build the capacity of civil servants, CAOA could increase its key role in promoting youth mainstreaming by designing, in close co-ordination with the MoYS and NIGSD, systematic training modules on the benefits of youth mainstreaming and youth empowerment, and the collection and analysis of youth-sensitive data. It could also develop manuals and guidelines for line ministries and agencies to ensure they can effectively carry out their expanded functions to support youth-sensitive policymaking in their sectoral areas of responsibility. Similar supporting material should also be offered to managers and policy analysts in line ministries, who would be the final actors responsible for integrating young people’s perspectives into their corresponding policy areas. For instance, Jordan has established a Youth Leadership Centre that runs training for new staff in the Youth Directorate and youth centres (OECD, 2021[41]). Similarly, CAOA could incorporate a youth lens in the training they offer to responsible staff in line ministries and make sure that young people are also able to participate in existing capacity-building offers.
Further efforts are needed to promote an enabling environment for youth representation
Promoting trust and strengthening the relationship between young people and public institutions is crucial to sustaining the effective implementation of government policies and creating consensus for structural reforms to tackle long-term challenges. The OECD Trust Framework has identified the capacity to participate in politics and the perception of having a say as key factors influencing trust in government (OECD, 2022[5]). Nevertheless, young people frequently encounter obstacles that impede their presence in public institutions. Across the OECD, an average of 19.8 years is required to run for a seat in the national parliament (OECD, 2020[35]), whereas in Egypt, the Senate requires its members to be at least 35 years old, while the House of Representatives has a minimum age requirement of 25. The eligibility requirements for individuals aspiring to run for local council in Egypt are set at 21 years of age by the constitution. Despite the introduction of youth quotas in the electoral laws and constitutions in some countries, overall, the representation of young people in public institutions remains very low compared to their demographic weight. For instance, people under the age of 40 constitute an average of only 16.4% of members of parliament in the MENA region, in contrast to 22% in OECD countries (OECD, 2022[5]) (Figure 7.4). In 2021, the Egyptian House of Representatives had 596 members, with 10% (60) aged 25-35 and 21% (125) aged 36-45. The combined representation of individuals aged 25-45 constituted about 31% of the total membership, representing a significant increase from 2015, with 29 representatives aged 25-35 and 66 aged 36-45. Nonetheless, the absence of elected local councils since 2011 has prevented young people from participating in local councils, which can provide a vital platform for addressing the needs of local communities, promoting transparency and accountability in government, and fostering citizen engagement in democratic processes.
Furthermore, young people are often not adequately represented in the public sector workforce and government cabinets. To enhance youth participation and representation in public life, it is essential to advocate for a supportive environment, addressing legal, policy, and institutional factors (OECD, 2022[5]).
Source: OECD (2022[5]), Youth at the Centre of Government Action: A Review of the Middle East and North Africa, https://doi.org/10.1787/bcc2dd08-en.
This is also the case in Egypt, where young people face specific barriers that hinder their representation in public institutions. The public sector is one of the largest employers in Egypt. Young people are often excluded from policymaking due to their age and often associated with certain stereotypes and perceived limitations (OECD, 2018[37]). Young people can bring in new and innovative ideas and skillsets and ensure that policy outcomes are responsive to their needs, which is key for a modernised public administration. Therefore, ensuring a fair representation of young people in the public sector will require addressing their under-represented levels in Egyptian public institutions. According to OECD interviews, there are 60 elected members under the age of 35 (10%) and 125 members between the ages of 36 and 45 years (21%), bringing the total number of young people in parliament to 185 members or 31% of the total number of members (596). In 2020, the Cabinet approved a resolution for ministers and the prime minister to appoint up to ten young assistants (Resolution No. 422 of 2020) as an alternative to the system established by Prime Minister’s Decision No. 612 of 2017, amended by Resolution No. 1273 of 2019, for one year for a renewable period of one year. The resolution also stipulates that these jobs should be in accordance with a decision issued by the competent authority determining each job’s title and tasks, following approval by the CAOA. The draft resolution specified the conditions that must be met to assume those positions. According to the draft resolution, a database on the occupying assistants will be established in the CAOA, provided that the competent authority evaluates the performance of assistants according to specific estimates based on objective criteria. In addition, in 2017, a presidential decree established that the recommendation that each minister appoint at least 1 associate (up to 4) under 40 years of age as associate minister.
The OECD Recommendation of the Council on Public Service Leadership and Capability (2019[46]) emphasises that governments should build an inclusive and safe public service that reflects society’s diversity, including age diversity. As highlighted in the OECD Recommendation of the Council on Creating Better Opportunities for Young People (OECD, 2022[4]), governments should actively promote the benefits of a multi-generational workforce by leveraging talent management practices and tools such as mentoring programmes, coaching and support networks to foster intergenerational teamwork and learning. While the stakeholders have highlighted that internship programmes and training are offered to young people, the Government could rethink its recruitment process and training programmes. It can proactively promote the diversity of the public sector workforce through longer-term structured graduate programmes to attract, develop and retain highly qualified young talent through training, mentoring, job rotation and accelerated promotion tracks. For instance, CAOA could provide dedicated training and internship programmes targeting young graduates from universities aged 18 to 29 and in co‑ordination with the training and programmes offered by the NIGSD. To enhance the attractiveness of young people in the public sector, OECD findings suggest rethinking the recruitment processes and tools available to select young people as well as the contractual arrangements (OECD, 2020[35]). For example, Box 7.12 illustrates how in Canada, the Federal Student Work Experience Program (FSWEP) is the largest student employment programme, which provides opportunities for students at all levels and in all programmes of study to acquire experience in the federal public service and gain insights into potential future career options within the federal public service (Government of Canada, n.d.[47]).
Australia
The APS Graduate Programs offer recent graduates in Australia an initial route into the public sector. Typically spanning 10 to 18 months, these programmes involve 2 to 3 rotations across various work domains to provide participants with diverse skills, knowledge and early career experience. Participants typically engage in in-person workshops, training sessions and simulation activities. Successful programme completion can open doors to additional career advancement opportunities within the public sector and may also provide study support for further training.
United States
Established by an Executive Order in 1977, the Presidential Management Fellows Program in the United States is a two-year training and leadership development programme to attract outstanding advanced degree candidates who have an interest in and commitment to excellence in the leadership and management of public policies and programmes. Administered by the United States Office of Personnel Management, it is the premier pathway for the federal government to access government leadership positions in participating federal agencies.
Sources: Australian Government (n.d.[48]), Department of Finance Graduate Program, https://www.finance.gov.au/publications/information-sheet/graduate-program; Australian Government (n.d.[49]), Graduates, https://www.apsjobs.gov.au/s/graduate-portal; OECD (2020[35]), Governance for Youth, Trust and Intergenerational Justice: Fit for All Generations?, https://doi.org/10.1787/c3e5cb8a-en; U.S. Department of State (n.d.[50]), Presidential Management Fellows Program (PMF), https://careers.state.gov/interns-fellows/pathways-programs/presidential-managment-fellows-program-pmf/.
There is scope to increase opportunities for young people to participate in public life
Young people’s participation in public and political life should be based on an enabling environment that allows them to fully engage and contribute to shaping government policies and practices (OECD, 2020[35]). The Egyptian constitution of 2014 places an important focus on young people. Article 82 stipulates that “the state guarantees the care of youth and children and works to discover their talents and develop their cultural capabilities”. International legal frameworks are important tools that encourage governments to act and implement strategies that empower young people and encourage their participation in public life. In this regard, the World Programme of Action for Youth, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1995, has been instrumental in shaping subsequent initiatives to promote the rights and participation of young people, including milestones such as the 1998 Lisbon Declaration on Youth Policies and Programmes and the 2014 Baku Commitments to Youth Policies. In 2015, the United Nations Security Council adopted the landmark Resolution 2250, specifically recognising young people’s positive role in shaping sustainable peace, which Egypt has endorsed. At the regional level, Egypt has also ratified the African Youth Charter, which acknowledges in its Article 11 the right of every young person to participate in the public sphere and requires signatories to take active measures and implement strategies to empower young people and foster their participation in the public sphere (OECD, 2020[35]).
The OECD Recommendation on Creating Better Opportunities for Young People offers policy guidance on whole-of-government strategies and how to enhance young people’s trust in governments and their interactions with public institutions (OECD, 2022[4]). As highlighted in the OECD Recommendation, governments should ensure “to promote meaningful youth participation in public decision-making and spaces for intergenerational dialogue at all levels, with targeted measures to engage disadvantaged and under-represented groups for more responsive, inclusive and accountable policy outcomes”.
In this regard, the GoE developed some national flagship programmes and initiatives across various sectors to build national capacities in sustainable development and enable youth participation (See Box 7.13).
Be an Ambassador
The NIGSD, in co‑operation with a number of universities and ministries, launched an initiative under the title of Ambassadors of Sustainable Development. The initiative aims to build the capacity of Egyptian professionals in sustainable development. The training programme covers an array of topics and fields by co‑operating with various entities that adopt a developmental approach. A series of discussions on various topics give a comprehensive understanding of the following: environmental protection, sustainable development, social justice, the SDGs, and green and circular economy as tools to achieve sustainable development.
Sharek 2030
Sharek 2030 is an initiative launched by the MPEDIC to spread awareness among citizens of the development programmes, initiatives and projects implemented by the state, as well as propose priority initiatives and projects in a way that contributes to the activation of “citizen follow-up”. The objectives of the initiative include: i) achieving the greatest degree of transparency in providing information on development programmes/strategic projects/related performance indicators; ii) expanding community awareness of the size of the country’s achievements on a regular basis; iii) giving citizens the opportunity to participate in follow-up activities (citizen follow-up) and suggest priority initiatives and projects (participatory planning); iv) spreading the culture of performance in administration and among citizens to engage young people in Egypt in driving sustainable development and social change in Egypt.
Youth Presidential Leadership Program
The Youth Presidential Leadership Program is a flagship youth programme initiated by the government to develop young people’s leadership skills and empower them with the necessary tools to contribute effectively to society. The programme includes training, monitoring and networking opportunities. The programmes’ mission lies in expanding the base of youth participation in state administration, preparing thousands of young people to assume leadership positions and creating a model for professional education and practical training that is easy to replicate on a larger scale. This in view of supporting public institutions with competencies for improving the level of performance and productivity, solving chronic problems and raising levels of political and cultural awareness.
National youth conferences
Since 2016, under the auspices of the president, national youth conferences are organised across governorates to offer an interactive platform for young people from different backgrounds to engage with government officials, private sector and civil society representatives and make their voices heard on topics that matter to them. The conferences also include an Ask the President discussion panel, enabling young people to ask the president questions. Conferences provide youth with an opportunity to discuss the national, social, political and economic policies in place in light of Egypt Vision 2030, the various projects’ developments and their challenges, and come up with a list of recommendations by the end of each conference to be translated to national plans and policies.
Decent Life / Hayah Karima
Decent Life or Hayah Karima is an initiative endorsed by H.E. President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and launched in 2019 with the aim of improving quality of life in the poorest rural communities within the framework of Egypt Vision 2030. It focuses on providing essential services, infrastructure development and income-generating projects to enhance the well-being of rural youth. It is worth noting that the concept originated during the involvement of young volunteers presenting their visions and ideas at the inaugural conference of the Hayah Karima initiative, held alongside the 7th National Youth Conference on 30 July 2019.
Sources: NIGSD (n.d.[51]), Be an Ambassador, http://nigsd.gov.eg/be-an-ambassador/#:~:text=The%20training%20is%20conducted%20by,economy%20as%20tools%20to%20achieve; MPEDIC (n.d.[52]), Sharek, https://MPEDIC.gov.eg/home/GlobalSearch?lang=en&searchText=Sharek; MPEDIC (n.d.[53]), Sharek 2030 Application, https://MPEDIC.gov.eg/DynamicPage?id=112&lang=ar; https://profile.plp.eg/; https://www.hayakarima.com/about_en.html.
While these programmes provide a space for young people to engage in governmental initiatives, the initiatives and programmes remain scattered. Under the leadership of the MoYS, the government could, therefore, envisage adopting a whole-of-government approach and ensuring that ministries and agencies across the government co‑ordinate their efforts and interventions, as this would lead to more responsive action and make these programmes more impactful. For instance, the MoYS could take the lead in convening youth stakeholders on a regular basis through co‑ordination meetings and ensuring that thematic areas covered by the programmes and initiatives remain in the ministerial portfolios of dedicated ministries. These types of institutional mechanisms (joint committees, workshops, MoUs) can facilitate co‑ordination of programmes and initiatives across the government.
With regards to Egypt Vision 2030, OECD findings reveal that young people had the opportunity to participate in the elaboration and development of the vision. Yet the consultations largely took place in the review phase when the thematic areas and objectives covered by the vision were already set. The active and continued engagement of youth in sustainable development efforts is critical to achieving inclusive, equitable and sustainable development for present and future generations. With the newly published Egypt Vision 2030, young people can play an important role in implementing, monitoring and evaluating its targets and objectives. Serving as ambassadors of sustainable development, young people are both beneficiaries and essential partners in the vision’s implementation. In Denmark, for example, the Danish Youth Council sits on the 2030-Panel national advisory body since 2017 while in Finland, the Agenda 2030 Youth Group aims for young people to serve as advocates for sustainable goals and participate in the national planning and implementation of the SDGs. Following a wide youth consultation process in Ireland, a dedicated chapter on youth was included in the country’s latest Voluntary National Review (Government of Ireland, 2023[54]). In Kenya, Youth 4 SDGs provides a platform for youth to spearhead innovative solutions to challenges faced at the national, regional and international levels.
The GoE could take further steps to ensure the participation of young people in broader participation channels such as public consultations, meetings, public hearings or participatory budgeting programmes. This will lead to increased buy-in from younger populations and ensure that their voices are heard and reflected throughout the policy cycle. One common high priority highlighted by the different surveyed ministries in Egypt in view of delivering policies and services that are responsive to youth’s needs is improving communication with young people and strengthening transparency. This is an important step towards establishing and ensuring the meaningful participation of young people in the policy cycle.
As highlighted in Chapter 6, ensuring access to information and open data is also relevant to young people in order to enable their participation in the policy cycle. This is all the more important as ensuring that information is clear, available and easy to find is a precondition for promoting transparency. At the same times this requires targeted communication efforts, particularly innovative ways of communicating with youth (OECD, 2021[55]).
In Egypt, communication with young people usually occurs through face-to-face public meetings, expert groups, surveys and informal consultations with selected groups. However, the main channels used to communicate with young people appear to be social media groups, namely Facebook. In addition, OECD interviews revealed that the language used tends to be overly technical and not adapted to young people’s context. Addressing these barriers will be all the more important, as the OECD Recommendation of the Council on Open Government (2017[56]) highlights the need to deliver tailored public communications that are pertinent, easily understandable and readily available to young people, based on active listening and understanding of young people’s concerns and interests, including through digital means, as part of broader open government initiatives.
Therefore, the GoE could adopt targeted efforts to engage young people in public and political life through more strategic and evidence-based public communication supported by a manual with guidance for ministries in this regard. This could be done through the collection of insights and data on media consumption habits, interests, motivations, values and perceptions related to different issues from various sectors of the young population in Egypt. For example, Ireland engaged with youth organisations to tailor communication efforts to their needs and activate these actors as direct content developers for official campaigns (OECD, 2021[55]). Promoting more accessible communication to young people would also benefit from using “plain language” techniques to simplify communication messaging and use visual aids. In the United States, for instance, centre for plain language Plain Language.Gov was established to oversee the implementation of the Plain Writing Act, provide training and share good practices across the public sector to enhance the use of these techniques within their communication to citizens (OECD, 2021[55]). OECD guide Engaging Young People in Open Government also provides a series of potential avenues to promote meaningful communication with youth (OECD, 2019[40]) (See Box 7.14).
The OECD guide Engaging Young People in Open Government provides ideas and approaches on how to communicate effectively with youth to promote their participation, drawing on recent research and case studies from across OECD member and partner countries. It provides concrete avenues for communicators to learn more about youth audiences, reach them effectively and ultimately promote their participation in the design and delivery of policies and services. The guide underlines the importance of engaging with youth as important stakeholders and equals rather than “citizens in training”. To reach young citizens effectively, it emphasises that digital technologies should be used strategically in tandem with traditional forms of engagement, such as youth councils. The guide also encourages governments to conduct activities on line and provide spaces for young people to partake in the definition, monitoring and implementation of open government reforms to improve the credibility of the messages and encourage collective action within that particular demographic.
Source: OECD (2019[40]), Engaging Young People in Open Government: A Communication Guide, https://www.oecd.org/mena/governance/Young-people-in-OG.pdf.
Youth-led organisations and youth representative bodies
Furthermore, youth-led organisations and youth representative bodies, such as youth councils, are important tools to ensure the representation of a wide diversity of voices from young people. They represent an effective body that acts as a bridge between the public authorities and young people to facilitate their meaningful engagement in the policy cycle. Youth councils are representative bodies that elect or appoint a group of young people to discuss and advise policymakers on specific topics and issues. Usually, these councils are formed and established at the local level and are sometimes mandatory, such as in Finland and Norway (OECD, 2020[35]). They, therefore, offer a formal channel through which the government communicates and interacts with young people.
In Egypt, Article 180 of the Egyptian constitution stipulates that:
“each local unit elects a council by direct secret public vote, for a period of four years, and the candidate is required to be at least twenty-one years old. The law regulates other conditions for candidacy and election procedures, provided that a quarter of the number of the seats are for young people under the age of thirty-five years, and a quarter of the number is for women, provided that the percentage of representation of workers and farmers is not less than fifty percent of the total number of seats, and that percentage includes an appropriate representation of Christians and people with disabilities”.
However, as mentioned above, these local councils have not been functioning since 2011. Building upon the success of the national youth conferences, the MoYS could promote the creation of dedicated local youth councils at the subnational level to enable young people to shape the decisions that affect them. By encouraging participation in local decision-making, local youth councils empower young people while fostering a sense of belonging and responsibility within the community. Moreover, youth councils can act as valuable partners for governments in gathering information, conducting consultations and co‑ordinating joint activities and programmes (OECD, 2020[35]) (See Box 7.15 for examples). To ensure that youth organisations and youth councils fulfil their role and are able to contribute to the participation of young people in decision-making processes, the MoYS could ensure that these organisations are well-equipped with the necessary resources, technical assistance and adequate allocation of budget to support their activities. In addition, the government should ensure that it regularly consults and includes these councils in draft legislation, policies and programmes that are of direct interest to and impact young people. Youth councils can, therefore, support the MoYS and youth stakeholders across the government in enhancing effective co‑ordination and facilitating the mainstreaming of young people’s voices in the policymaking process (OECD, 2022[5]).
Chile: Youth Cabinet (Gabinete Juvenil)
Chile’s National Institute of Youth (INJUV) has been running its Gabinete Juvenil initiative since 2018, bringing together 155 young individuals between the ages of 15 and 29, elected at the local level, into regional youth cabinets. This initiative serves as a platform for fostering dialogue and discussion, and incorporating fresh and new ideas into the institute’s policymaking process. It achieves this through national commissions addressing a wide array of issues and subjects.
Lithuania
In Lithuania, Youth Affairs Councils operate at the national and local levels, serving as advisory bodies to facilitate collaboration and co‑ordination among youth representatives and relevant institutions, guided by the principle of equal representation. The Council for Youth Affairs, implemented at both levels, is a longstanding practice aimed at actively involving young people in decision-making processes, focusing on submitting draft legislation related to youth policy and determining priorities for youth-related strategies. The Municipal Council for Youth Affairs, with approximately 60 councils across the country, operates as a public advisory institution, fostering youth participation at the local level. Consisting of representatives from municipal institutions and youth organisations, the Municipal Council for Youth Affairs functions as a vital platform for young people at the local level to contribute to decision-making processes, examine youth policy issues and propose initiatives to develop youth policy in their municipalities.
United Arab Emirates
In the United Arab Emirates, an advisory youth council was established in 2017, enabling young individuals to have their voices heard by the government. Known as the Emirates Youth Council (EYC), it serves as a consultative body for the government and the Minister of State for Youth on matters of national importance and engagement with both governmental and non-governmental entities. The EYC framework has been adopted and replicated across 13 ministries, where young employees from each ministry collaborate with other ministries and various stakeholders to address issues concerning youth. They also oversee the planning and execution of relevant activities and programmes.
Source: https://programassociales.ministeriodesarrollosocial.gob.cl/programas_otrasinic/62713/2019/4; Information provided by Lithuania’s Ministry of Social Security and Labour; Federal Youth Authority in the United Arab Emirates, 2020; OECD (2020[35]), Governance for Youth, Trust and Intergenerational Justice: Fit for All Generations?, https://doi.org/10.1787/c3e5cb8a-en.
Youth volunteering programmes and activities encouraging young people to engage in public life could serve as important instruments to foster trust and co‑operation between young people and the government, thus bolstering societal resilience (OECD, 2022[5]).
To do so, increasing the allocation dedicated to promoting volunteerism within the ministry’s budget responsible for youth affairs could empower youth organisations to effectively assume their function as platforms for youth education and engagement. Youth houses or youth centres offer an additional institutional platform for young individuals to cultivate active citizenship and engage in public and political activities. OECD findings have revealed that one of the functions of the MoYS is to regulate youth centres across the country. In 2020, a draft law stipulating the establishment of “youth development centres” was approved by the House of Representatives, amending some provisions of the Youth Organizations Law promulgated by Law No. 218 of 2017 to focus on building youth skills and developing their talents. The draft law also subjects all 4 273 youth centres to a new legal system, ensuring the regularity of their work and services. The GoE could further build on the existing youth houses to promote civic engagement and meaningful participation, namely through the existing programmes and initiatives different stakeholders across the administration are implementing. Moreover, administration could adopt proactive measures to engage young people in the collaborative design of activities and programmes conducted by youth centres, ensuring they align with the needs of young people.
Participatory budgeting with and for young people
Young people can participate in various formats. Participatory budgeting is one example through which young people have the opportunity to be involved in the policymaking cycle, by having a say and engaging in the allocation of public resources (OECD, 2018[37]). In OECD countries, participatory budgeting usually takes place locally, namely at the municipal level (OECD, 2018[37]). As mentioned in Chapter 5 and according to the Participatory Budgeting World Atlas, Egypt has seen a number of participatory budgeting processes taking place at the local level and in three cities. MoF, in particular, collaborates with MPEDIC, the Ministry of Local Development and CSOs to foster engagement with citizens, aligning with the pillars of Egypt Vision 2030. In Egypt, participatory budgeting aims to spend efficiently, engage citizens and give them a voice on how to allocate public budget. MoF in Egypt has also taken steps towards engaging young people in participatory budgeting processes. However, it was mentioned that there are opportunities for improvement in terms of enhancing participatory budgeting tools, strengthening communication between service providers and citizens, and allocating additional resources (MoF, 2023). MoF could build on existing initiatives and programmes implemented by the MoYS and MPEDIC to further strengthen young people’s engagement in participatory budgeting activities.
Poland
In Lublin, the Youth Civic Budget, developed by the Youth City Council and the local authority’s Team for Children and Youth, was designed as a participatory budgeting process to stimulate youth participation and educate young people on independent budget planning and management of local activities. Launched in 2019, this unique initiative was implemented by the youth-focused NGO Teatrikon, in collaboration with the Youth City Council.
Portugal
In 2017, a nationwide participatory budgeting effort was launched, inviting young individuals aged 14 to 30 to develop proposals in various areas that matter to them, including sports, social innovation, science education and environmental sustainability, with a combined budget of EUR 300 000. Additionally, at the subnational level, the municipality of Gaia in Portugal initiated a 3‑year participatory budgeting programme in 2019, specifically designed for young people aged 13 to 30, with a total budget of EUR 360 000 allocated for 2021.
COM’ON Europe, the European Platform of Participatory Budgeting for Youth
COM’ON Europe is an initiative and strategic effort implemented in 2017 to improve young people’s civic participation in local life through local-level participatory budgeting mechanisms. The project provided a comprehensive framework and platform for European cities to implement participatory budgeting processes targeting young people as initiators and decision-makers. Partners cities include Torino 2010, Braga 2012, Maribor 2013, Thessaloniki 2014, Cluj-Napoca 2015, Varna 2017 and Cascais 2018, all of which are active cities in the Network of European Youth Capitals.
Sources: CoR (2022[57]), The State of Local and Regional Democracy – A Youth Perspective, https://cor.europa.eu/en/engage/studies/Documents/The%20State%20of%20Local%20and%20%20Regional%20Democracy%20-%20A%20Youth%20Perspective/4794%20CIVEX%20study%20-%20The%20State%20of%20%20Local%20and%20Regional%20Democracy%202022.pdf; information provided by the Municipal Council of Gaia; OECD (2020[35]), Governance for Youth, Trust and Intergenerational Justice: Fit for All Generations?, https://doi.org/10.1787/c3e5cb8a-en; EU (n.d.[58]), COM’ON Europe, http://www.comoneurope.org.
Over the past years, supported by a strong political commitment, the GoE has taken important steps to integrate the promotion of gender equality in key strategic documents, coupled with efforts to strengthen the institutional architecture for gender equality and mainstreaming at the national level. However, challenges persist in ensuring a whole-of-government implementation of gender equality objectives and a homogenous approach to gender mainstreaming. Indeed, the country could further benefit from systematically adopting a dual approach to the gender equality policy, with strategic plans mainly focusing on a number of targeted actions to tackle discrimination and gender gaps in certain areas rather than mainstreaming gender equality in the design, development, implementation and evaluation of all government action. Further reinforcing the mandate and capacities of key government actors involved in promoting the gender equality agenda and formalising co-ordination mechanisms could contribute to filling those gaps. Efforts have also been made to promote meritocracy as a key element of the PARP but there is scope to further develop a government-wide, compelling vision for gender equality in the public sector and take measures to address challenges to women’s representation and leadership, such as gender stereotypes and all forms of harassment.
With regards to youth, the GoE has progressively sought to empower young people in public life. While significant strides have been made, ongoing efforts should continue to systematically apply a youth lens and mainstream young people’s perspective across the policies and strategic documents. The government could further benefit from building administrative and institutional capacities and setting up effective co‑ordination mechanisms between governmental and non-governmental stakeholders regarding youth policy and programmes. Achieving policy coherence and co‑ordination could be achieved by adopting youth laws that establish the institutional framework and implementing a national youth strategy to enhance policy coherence for a common vision for young people. In addition, the government could benefit from further mainstreaming youth in strategic planning and sector policy planning and including young people’s perspectives in sectoral strategies. The GoE has expressed a strong commitment to promoting equal opportunities for young people and inclusion in public life. Ensuring and improving youth employment in the public sector in Egypt remains a priority area that needs to be addressed and further embedded in the PARP. Nevertheless, it could benefit from further emphasising the role of young people in public administration and promoting youth employment in the public sector.
1. Further strengthen the institutional framework for gender equality and mainstreaming
The GoE could consider bolstering the capacities of its central gender equality institution:
Enhance the capacities and resources of the NCW to: i) effectively co-ordinate and follow up with all government institutions on the implementation of the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030, including through the establishment of formalised mechanisms to be led by the NCW; ii) foster gender mainstreaming across the whole of government, by providing expertise to line ministries to support them in integrating a gender equality perspective in their policy action, as well as to MPEDIC to develop a systematic approach and guidance to this effect.
It could also further institutionalise the role and mandate of EOUs:
Provide a stronger legal basis for the role of EOUs, currently established through ministerial decree, to insulate them from political fluctuations and give them a greater sense of institutional legitimacy and stability. Legislation should clarify the responsibilities assigned to the units and ensure that these roles are established as full-time positions and have a sufficient resource base to carry out their functions.
Strengthen the capacities of EOUs to ensure they have the appropriate knowledge, skills, resources and time to promote gender equality initiatives within line ministries. As part of their work, EOUs should also create pathways for women from under-represented or disadvantaged groups. In addition, as a good practice, it would be beneficial to foster gender balance in the EOUs themselves to show that achieving gender equality requires the active involvement of both women and men.
In the medium to longer term, expand the mandate of EOUs to act as strategic policy branches and provide advice and support on how to integrate gender equality perspectives in the policy work of ministries, with a particular focus on promoting the diversity of women’s voices in policymaking.
Consideration could also be given to strengthening co-ordination mechanisms for the gender equality policy:
Institutionalise and formalise co-ordination mechanisms between line ministries and the Cabinet with the NCW (e.g. the regular meetings to discuss the strategy’s progress) to promote the implementation of the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030 and pursue gender mainstreaming across policy areas.
The role of MPEDIC in fostering gender mainstreaming in line ministries could also be expanded:
Strengthen MPEDIC’s mandate to keep line ministries accountable for incorporating gender equality considerations in sectoral strategic plans, as appropriate, by monitoring the existence and quality of gender-related objectives and overall gender mainstreaming.
2. Build public service capacities for gender equality and mainstreaming
The Government would benefit from strengthening capacities for gender equality and mainstreaming in line ministries:
With the support of the NCW, develop systematic training modules for all civil servants, including at senior levels, on the benefits of gender equality and mainstreaming, collection and analysis of gender-sensitive data, and use of tools for gender-sensitive policymaking.
In the medium term, further build the capacity and expertise of EOUs in line ministries, as well as of managers and policy analysts, to promote gender-sensitive policymaking through guidelines and manuals to be prepared by CAOA in co-operation with the NCW.
3. Integrate gender equality perspectives in strategic planning
The Government could work to strengthen gender mainstreaming in strategic planning:
Ensure that the targets and indicators included in the updated Egypt Vision 2030 are aligned with the ones set in the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030 and establish clear roles, responsibilities and lines of accountability to track and assess progress in implementing the vision and its gender-related objectives.
Develop an adequately resourced national action plan(s) and establish clear roles and mandates for all government institutions to guide the implementation of the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030.
Publish annual reports highlighting the contribution of line ministries and agencies to implementing the strategy, reinforcing accountability and helping to ensure implementation.
Introduce a requirement to systematically translate gender equality objectives laid out in Egypt Vision 2030, in the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030 and any other plans into ministerial strategic plans that are adequately resourced and include gender-sensitive target indicators. In the medium to longer term, it would be key for MPEDIC to develop a systematic approach and guidance for line ministries to integrate gender equality objectives into their sectoral strategies, benefitting from the gender expertise of the NCW. To encourage gender mainstreaming, MPEDIC could set the integration of gender objectives and indicators in sectoral strategic plans as a condition to access public resources and core criteria against which quality and implementation of plans are reviewed.
Widely communicate the content of the Conceptual Manual for a Gender-Responsive Sustainable Development Plan in specific workshops with line ministries organised by the MPEDIC in co-operation with the NCW, in order to raise awareness of the importance of integrating gender considerations into sectoral strategic planning. The NCW could consolidate all guidance material for relevant ministries in a centralised platform in order to establish a resource hub where public entities can access manuals, templates, documents and other essential references to integrate gender equality into their routine policymaking work, thus creating a “one-stop shop” for their needs.
With the support of CAPMAS, expand the collection and availability of gender-disaggregated and intersectional data to a wide range of sectors, including those not traditionally associated with gender equality, to inform sectoral policymaking, monitoring and evaluation.
In the long term, consider adopting a more systematic approach to the use of gender impact assessments (GIAs) as a tool in support of evidence-based policymaking. This could include the development of guidance material in the form of templates, manuals or guidelines to formalise and systematise the use of these evaluations.
4. Further integrate gender mainstreaming into the PARP
The Government of Egypt, and CAOA in particular, could take steps to integrate gender equality considerations in the PARP and promote gender equality in the civil service:
Integrate a gender equality and mainstreaming lens into the pillars of the ARP in its future revisions and provide a compelling vision for gender equality in the public sector, underpinned by some fundamental civil service values and principles, such as equality and representativeness.
Further develop work-life balance policies and initiatives and facilitate continuous support systems for family members’ care, by offering flexibility to both men and women, mothers and fathers.
Continue promoting the collection and use of gender-disaggregated data on gender representation and equality in the public sector through annual civil service employee surveys, ideally supported by an analytical framework for gender equality issues, with requirements for relevant data sources and data categories with an intersectional lens. This would considerably help assess the extent of horizontal and vertical segregation, understand differences in the uptake of flexible arrangements between women and men, etc., and devise effective solutions to tackle those issues.
Strengthen the use of confidential complaint mechanisms and regular confidential assessments, such as anonymised surveys, to encourage reporting of all forms of gender-based harassment cases in the public sector, both off and on line. Consideration could also be given to updating the code of conduct to include provisions on gender-sensitive behaviour and language, with the aim of tackling harassment and other forms of gender-based abuse.
Develop initiatives to raise awareness and reduce stigma and fear of reprisal, and encourage victims to report cases of offline and online gender-based harassment in the public service.
Communicate the importance and benefits of increasing women’s representation in the public sector, promoting meritocracy and making use of work-life balance solutions, including at senior levels, to change norms and attitudes that perpetuate gender inequalities and empower men to take on more family-related responsibilities.
5. Strengthen the administrative and institutional framework to mainstream the perspectives of young people in policymaking
The Government of Egypt could consider strengthening the capacities of institutions delivering youth-related policies and:
Develop the institutional setup and ensure that roles, responsibilities and capacities are clearly allocated between stakeholders to effectively deliver for young people.
Ensure that youth policies and programmes are delivered in a co‑ordinated manner.
Adopt a whole-of-government approach in youth policy, characterised by a shared vision and robust co‑ordination mechanisms.
Formalise and strengthen the mandate and functions of MoYS by expanding their youth-related portfolio and elevating youth to the highest priority within the ministry’s agenda.
Enhance the capacities and resources of MoYS to: i) effectively co-ordinate and follow up with all government institutions on the implementation of youth-related policies and programmes, including through the establishment of formalised mechanisms to be led by MoYS; ii) foster youth mainstreaming across the whole government, by providing expertise to line ministries, supporting them in integrating a youth perspective in their policy action, as well as to the MPEDIC, to develop a systematic approach and guidance to this effect.
The role of MPEDIC in fostering youth mainstreaming in line ministries and expanded to:
Strengthen the MPEDIC’s role and commitments to further encourage line ministries to incorporate young people’s perspective and a youth lens in sectoral strategic plans and in line with Egypt Vision 2030, as appropriate, by monitoring the existence and quality of youth‑related objectives and overall youth mainstreaming. This may involve developing clear and comprehensive guidelines for line ministries on incorporating youth-related objectives in their strategic plans, and outlining expectations, indicators and criteria for effective youth mainstreaming.
Foster the political determination and leadership necessary to adopt a cross-sectoral approach to youth, both horizontally, spanning various ministries, and vertically, across different government levels.
Engage with young people in the annual strategic planning process and in the development of sustainable development projects by building on MoYS expertise.
Lead the monitoring progress of the delivery of youth-related policies and ensure coherence with Egypt Vision 2030 in co‑ordination with MoYS.
6. Integrate youth perspectives in strategic planning
The Government could further strengthen youth mainstreaming in strategic planning:
Develop a legislative framework for youth that identifies the main stakeholders, defines youth and youth institutions, and sets out a youth age limit and the financial and budgetary considerations, for instance, through a national youth law.
Develop and adopt a national youth strategy to enable a co‑ordinated approach to youth policy and ensure that governmental and non-governmental stakeholders have a common vision and strategy for young people.
In co‑ordination with CAPMAS, establish clear arrangements for age and systematically gather data and indicators disaggregated by age, gender and other relevant characteristics across all policy and service areas.
Ensure that the targets and indicators included in the updated Egypt Vision 2030 are aligned with the ones set in the future national youth strategy and establish clear roles, responsibilities and lines of accountability to track and assess progress in implementing the vision and its youth-related objectives.
Introduce a requirement to systematically translate youth objectives in Egypt Vision 2030 into sectoral strategies and any future and ministerial strategic plans. In the medium to longer term, it would be key for MPEDIC to develop a systematic approach and guidance for line ministries to integrate youth objectives into their sectoral strategies, benefitting from the expertise of the MoYS.
7. Build public service capacities for young people and youth mainstreaming across the administration
The Government would benefit from improving youth employment in the public sector. It could:
Encourage the representation of young people in the public sector workforce and attract young talent from diverse backgrounds.
Ensure that public recruitment systems and evaluation methods are adapted for young people and graduates.
Develop targeted programmes for young people to join the public sector in co‑ordination with the NIGSD and MoYS.
The government would benefit from strengthening capacities for youth mainstreaming in line ministries and:
With the support of the NIGSD and MoYS, develop the capacities of civil servants by establishing training modules for all civil servants, including at senior levels, on how to include young people’s perspectives and youth mainstreaming, collection and analysis of youth-sensitive data, and use of tools for youth-sensitive policymaking.
In the medium term, further build the capacity and expertise of staff in line ministries, as well as of managers and policy analysts, to promote youth-sensitive policymaking through guidelines and manuals to be prepared by CAOA in co-operation with the NIGSD and MoYS.
8. Further integrate youth mainstreaming in the PARP
CAOA could take steps to further integrate young people’s considerations in the PARP and promote young people in the civil service:
Integrate a youth mainstreaming lens into the pillars of the PARP in its future revisions and provide a compelling vision for youth empowerment in the public sector.
Continue promoting the collection and use of age-disaggregated data on youth representation and equality in the public sector.
9. Promoting an enabling environment for youth representation and participation
The Government could:
Ensure the representation of young people in the civil service and government administration.
Adopt a whole-of-government approach to co‑ordinate the efforts and interventions when designing and delivering programmes and initiatives for young people.
Continue to enhance communication with young people and strengthen transparency to ensure meaningful participation of young people; develop targeted communication channels adapted to young people.
Enhance the participation of young people through broader participation channels such as youth-led organisations to represent their voices, public consultations and participatory budgeting programmes in co‑ordination with various agencies and existing programmes in place (MoF, MPEDIC, NIGSD, MoYS).
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← 1. Gender impact assessments are a policy tool for the screening of a given policy, programme or budget proposal, in order to identify and assess its likely differential impact or effects on women, men and other people. This is known as ex ante assessment. Gender impact assessments may measure programmatic impacts (results within the framework of public sector performance) rather than impacts at the level of societal change. These assessments, also known as ex post assessments, can also be undertaken after the implementation of a given policy, programme or budget at the evaluation stage to understand its gender-specific impacts (OECD, 2019[7]).