Ashraf Abo Arafe
The Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and the UN-Habitat continue their successful cooperation by hosting a joint high-level panel discussion on urban inequality in Egypt. The event took place on the 10th of October 2019 at the Swiss Embassy’s Office for International Cooperation in Egypt and hosted numerous high-level representatives from the Egyptian Government, the United Nations, various academic institutions, the private sector and civil society.
The discussion on challenges and possible solutions to urban inequality in Egypt was enriched by Dr Nevine El Kabaj, Deputy to the Minister of Social Solidarity, Dr Ahmed Kamaly, Vice Minister of Planning, Monitoring and Administrative Reform, Dr Abdel Khalek Ibrahim, Technical Advisor to the Minister of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities, Gen. Abdelhamid El Haggan, Governor of Qena, the UN Resident Coordinator Richard Dictus, Dr Hassanein Abou Zeid, Dr Dalila El Kerdany and Dr Faisal Abdelmaqsoud, professors of urban planning and Eng Karim Ibrahim, CEO of Takween. The event was inaugurated by Ambassador Paul Garnier, Ambassador of Switzerland to Egypt. In his address, Ambassador Raymund Furrer, Head of Economic Cooperation and Development division of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), highlighted SECO’s involvement in urban development worldwide and emphasized on the need to reduce urban inequalities, thus leaving no one behind.
The event represents another example of the fruitful cooperation between Egypt and Switzerland, which has continuously grown stronger over the past 40 years. Urban development has gained major relevance in Egypt in the face of rapidly increasing population rates and represents an ever more important field of cooperation. The positive impact of Swiss-Egyptian joint initiatives is best exemplified by the “Hayenna”: Integrated Urban Development Project, which was launched last year in the Governorate of Qena, funded by SECO and technically implemented by UN-Habitat and the General Organization for Physical Planning (GOPP).
The panel discussion aimed at providing a platform for dialogue and collaboration between different actors involved in urban development and planning. Over the past decades, inequality, segregation and exclusion have become the most pertinent phenomena impeding on economic growth, social sustainability and lasting peace. Over 75 percent of the world’s cities grew more unequal over the past 20 years, making urban environments physical manifestations of inequality. The discussion stressed the importance of spatial inequality and urban polarization to ensure a competitive system of cities providing quality of life for all. They have undermined efforts to enable effective urbanization in Egypt as well. The event acknowledged the need for joint action towards making Egypt’s cities more inclusive and equitable. Co-organized by SECO and UN-Habitat based on their ongoing cooperation, the panel discussion constitutes part of Urban October, an annual initiative by UN-Habitat that aims to enable discussions around urban sustainability.
