What is the project about?

The project supports the localization of the SDGs in Egypt by addressing geographic and spatial disparities and promoting inclusive growth. 

Implemented as a Joint Programmewith UNICEF and UN HABITAT, the project proposes an integrated set of activities to strengthen food systems and social protection at the local leve, inform policy frameworks, build capacity and generate knowledge. It also supports improved planning, budgeting and monitoring approaches that can be applied across different local contexts. 

Anchored in Egypt’s Vision 2030 and the UNSDCF 2023 to 2027, it focuses on three pillars: 

• Advocacy through multistakeholder engagement in local level planning and monitoring.
• Action through participatory budgeting and community monitoring to improve the efficiency of public spending.
• Monitoring through coordinated Governorate and City Level Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs) and imrpoved local SDG data systems.

Situational Background 

Localizing the SDGs is essential to accelerating Egypt's development and reducing regional disparitiesas highlighted in the 2021 Voluntary National Review (VNR). Despite national efforts, SDG progress varies widely across governorates. . 

Global shocks--COVID-19, the war in Ukraine, and crises in Sudan and Gaza-- have exacerbated socio-economic challenges, food insecurity, increasing living costs, and deepened vulnerabilities. Women face additional barriers to participating in local planning and budgeting and monitoring due to social and cultural norms, gender biases, limited access to resources and mobility, and insufficient information. Challenges in food systems are also linked to social norms limiting women’s mobility and income-generating opportunities, as well as unequal access to household decision-making. 

While national initiatives such as Hayah Karima, a governorate competitiveness index, and 27 governorate SDG localization reports, gaps between and within governorates remain, including income and poverty disparities. Factors affecting SDG localization include: 

• Uneven institutional capacity across governorates.
• Limited engagement of local actors, women and vulnerable groups  in planning and monitoring.
• Persistent gaps  in SDG data collection, disaggregation, and availability.
• Need of systematic multilevel governance and improved coordination.

The project addresses these structural barriers by providing tools, data, and participatory mechanisms that enable governorates to plan and budget more effectively, inclusively, and transparently.

How are we doing this?

The Joint Programme delivers an integrated set of activities to strengthen inclusive local-level, evidence-based planning, budgeting, and monitoring, focusing on food systems and social protection as priority SDG transitions. Key approaches include:

• Enhancing monitoring through the collection, dissemination, and use of disaggregated and timely SDG data, and preparation of Governorate and City Level Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs).
• Strengthening advocacy through multistakeholder engagement in participatory planning and monitoring.
• Improving action through participatory budgeting and community monitoring to enhance public spending efficiency.
• Engaging vulnerable groups -- including women, smallholder farmers, refugees, migrants, poor households, and children-- through in-depth interviews, focus groups, appreciative inquiry, co-creation workshops, and system mapping.
• Integrating gender equality and women’s empowerment, ensuring at least 40% women’s participation in consultations and capacity building.
• Piloting and scaling innovative tools for participatory SDG localization, such as social innovation platforms, urban monitoring frameworks, and participatory budgeting models.

How will Egypt benefit?  

This Joint Programme accelerates Egypt’s progress toward the SDGs by strengthening the planning, budgeting, and monitoring capabilities of governorates and cities.

Key benefits include:

1. Stronger evidence-based, gender-responsive decision-making at the local level improving food systems, social protection, and essential public services.
2. Enhanced capacities in planning, monitoring and evaluation, digital transformation, and data management, enabling governorates to identify priorities, allocate resources more efficiently, and design policies aligned with community needs and SDG targets.
3. High-quality Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs) that provide clear, data-driven insights to guide decision-making and improve strategic planning at both the governorate and city levels. The VLR process also strengthens participation by engaging women, youth, and vulnerable groups in shaping local development priorities.
4. Improved transparency and accountability through participatory community monitoring of local budgets, fostering citizen engagement, transparency, accountability and more effective public spending.
5. Scalable, participatory SDG localization models and better coordination between national and subnational levels – supporting Egypt’s long-term commitment to inclusive, sustainable development in line with Vision 2030.

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