UNFPA Egypt

Egypt was one of the first countries to sign an agreement with UNFPA to initiate population activities. The country office was established in 1972 and UNFPA has supported Egypt through various 5-year country programmes ever since.

The goal of UNFPA's current 7 th Country Programme (2002-2006) is "to contribute to achieving an appropriate balance between population and development, leading to the realization of improved reproductive health status of all couples and individuals and the advancement of gender equity, equality and empowerment of women".

In line with the United Nations Common Country Assessment (CCA) and the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), UNFPA's programme assistance focuses on building national capacity and increasing access to basic services. The budget for the current Country Programme is $18 million and support is channeled through sub-Programmes on:

The purpose of UNFPA's support in the area of reproductive health is to increase the use of quality reproductive health services in Egypt , particularly among adolescents and youth. The sub-programme seeks to:

Increase national capacities for providing integrated quality reproductive health services at the primary health care level
Increase the availability of reproductive health information and services for adolescents and youth.
Increase awareness and support for Reproductive Health and Rights and elimination of Gender-Based-Violence, particularly at community level

The purpose of UNFPA assistance in the area of Population and Development Strategies is to increase the effectiveness of integrated population, gender and development policies and programmes in Egypt . The sub-programme seeks to:

Broaden policy research and evidence-based dialogue on Population, Gender and Social Disparities, Poverty and Sustainable Development.
Increase availability of Gender-sensitive Population-related Information and indicators at (sub)national level.
Contribute to increasing Awareness and Commitment of policy makers in support of implementation of ICPD(+5) and MDGs

Twelve Component Projects are being implemented under the 7 th Country Programme that correspond to the RH sub-programme, the PDS sub-programme or a combination of both. UNFPA provides technical and financial support for these projects that are implemented and executed by partner institutes from government and civil society, such as the Ministry of Population and Health, the Ministry of Planning, the Ministry of Agriculture, the National Council for Women, the National Council for Human Rights, the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood, Universities, the Egyptian Family Planning Association, and the International Islamic Center for Population Studies and Research.