This publication is the result of a participatory process. A wide number of stakeholders with expertise on women’s economic empowerment contributed. The review was developed in the framework of the Egypt-OECD Country Programme and the MENA-OECD Competitiveness Programme, within the Middle East and Africa Division of the Global Relations and Cooperation Directorate (GRC). The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development (MPED) served as the national co-ordinator for all engagements with the OECD, under the leadership of H. E. Dr. Ahmed Rostom, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, and H. E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat, former minister, both of whose guidance was instrumental in the development and completion of this work. The OECD extends its profound appreciation to MPED for its indispensable role in facilitating and advancing this initiative. The project was designed and implemented by MPED and the Egyptian National Council for Women (NCW). Data and information have been collected through desk review, questionnaires and interviews with relevant stakeholders in the country.
At the OECD, Charlotte Goemans and Sara Mouhoud led the project and co-ordinated the drafting of the review, under the strategic direction of Carlos Conde, Head of the Middle East and Africa Division. Gaëlle Ferrant and Mariarosa Lunati designed the conceptual framework for the publication and initiated the research process. Carlos Conde provided guidance on the conceptualisation and analytical framework for this study. Samia Aarab provided essential logistical support and Sophie Elliott provided communications support.
The chapters were drafted by experts from various directorates of the OECD. Hyeshin Park and Carolin Beck (OECD Development Centre) drafted Chapter 3 on “Implementing legal frameworks that promote, monitor and enforce gender equality”. Sara Mouhoud, with the support of Jihane Najim and Carelle N’Chonon and with guidance from Charlotte Goemans (Global Relations and Cooperation), drafted the overview chapter (Chapter 1) on “State of play of women’s economic empowerment in Egypt”, as well as Chapter 4, on “Spreading a culture of equality”. Magdalena Burtscher and Yasmine Salhi, with statistical support from Pauline Fron and with guidance from Alessandro Goglio and Angelica Salvi Del Pero (Employment Labour and Social Affairs Directorate), drafted Chapter 2 on “Leveraging megatrends to boost women’s economic empowerment in Egypt”, Chapter 5, “Accessing education and skills”, Chapter 6, “Achieving a more gender-equal sharing of care responsibilities” and Chapter 7, “Promoting gender equality in the labour market” with inputs on the latter from Sara Mouhoud (GRC). Jonathan Potter, David Halabisky and Helen Shymanski (Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities) drafted Chapter 8 on “Empowering women through entrepreneurship”. Letizia Montinari with inputs from Rania Amptnel Chafiz (Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs) drafted Chapter 9, “Harnessing FDI for gender equality and women’s economic empowerment”, while Cibele Cesca and Astrid Offersen (Development Co-operation Directorate) drafted Chapter 10 on “Ensuring development co-operation promotes women’s economic empowerment”.
Special recognition is accorded to the Egyptian National Council for Women (NCW) as the lead implementing entity, under the distinguished guidance of H. E. Judge Amal Ammar, President of the National Council for Women. Special gratitude is also extended to H. E. Dr. Maya Morsy, Minister of Social Solidarity, for her valuable initial input in shaping the review. The OECD further conveys its sincere appreciation to the project’s dedicated focal points, who have helped disseminate the chapters across the relevant entities and reviewed them to ensure consistency, alignment and accuracy: Dr. Heba Y. Hashem, Head of the Country Programme Monitoring Unit at MPEDIC; Ms. Alia H. El Soudany, Senior Technical Projects Coordinator, Country Programme Monitoring Unit at MPEDIC; Chief Judge Hany Georgy, Cairo Economic Courts and Legal Advisor to the National Council for Women, Ms. Shereen Maher, International Cooperation Specialist at NCW; and Ms. Salwa Hany, International Cooperation Officer at NCW.
The OECD also extends its appreciation to all Egyptian entities whose valuable expertise and contributions significantly enriched the project. In particular, the Ministry of Social Solidarity, the Ministry of Labor. the Ministry of Education and Technical Education, the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), and the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (MSMEDA), among others, provided critical support and insights throughout the review process.
The collective efforts and commitment of these institutions were instrumental in shaping the project’s outcomes and in advancing shared objectives towards inclusive and sustainable development.
This publication benefited from the review by and inputs from Ines Ayari from the International Labour Organization. The team would like to thank Marta Bertanzetti and Hans Koger (Global Relations and Cooperation Directorate, OECD), who reviewed the publication. Finally, the report greatly benefited from the expert editorial contributions of Fiona Hinchcliffe and Sally Hinchcliffe.