Backing civil society

LAST week, Fayza Abul-Naga, minister of state for foreign affairs and international cooperation and Michel De Salaberry, the Canadian ambassador to Cairo, signed an agreement that provides Egypt with $10.5 million as a grant to support civil society participation in economic and social development. Minister of Insurance and Social Affairs Amina El-Guindy and Richard McTaggart, general manager of the Canadian International Development Agency attended the signing ceremony.

The agreement will finance projects in three sectors -- civil society participation, children's rights and gender equality, reports Mona El-Fiqi .

The grant comes as part of Canada's commitment during the World Bank Consultative Group meeting that was held in Sharm El-Sheikh in February 2002 to provide Egypt with financial assistance for the next three years. According to Abul-Naga, Canada completely fulfiled its promises for 2002, and is well on the way to meeting its goal for 2003. Salaberry reaffirmed Canada's commitment to support social projects in Egypt, and described it as a reflection of Canadian confidence in the Egyptian government's performance.

Canadian aid to Egypt, which has reached $714 million since its beginning in the 1970s, concentrates on financing social projects with a direct impact on reducing unemployment rate, activating women's roles in society and supporting small and medium enterprises.

By the end of 2003, Abul-Naga said that the Canadian government is expected to sign an agreement financing a comprehensive aid programme for Egypt to 2011.

One of this programme's projects will support small and medium enterprises in a number of Egyptian governorates with a total value of $28.6 million. The programme also includes financing projects to support education in early childhood at $10.7 million and other $5.7 million goes to a project that will provide education for children who dropped out of school.

Since 1990, Canadian aid has come completely in the form of outright grants rather than loans. Moreover, Abul- Naga added that the establishment of the Egyptian- Canadian Business Council in 2002 will help to attract private Canadian investment in Egypt, which increased from 28 projects in 1998 to 71 projects in 2001, the bulk of which are in the petrochemical sector.

Al-Ahram Weekly Online : 28 August - 3 September 2003 (Issue No. 653)
Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/653/ec3.htm