NEW YORK, United States of America, October 26, 2015/APO (African Press Organization)/ —
Marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations (UN) on 24 October 1945, the UN in Egypt today celebrated with a fair at the Gezirah Youth Center in Cairo that showcased some of the UN projects and achievements in the country.
Several UN agencies and organizations displayed some of their projects and activities, including handicrafts and other products made by beneficiaries of such projects and support programs. Some of the beneficiaries manned the stands and shared their stories, highlighting the positive development impact of these projects on the lives of people.
“Only when we work together can we overcome shared threats and seize shared opportunities,” said Anita Nirody, UN Resident Coordinator in Egypt. “Let us use this anniversary to reaffirm our commitment to serve ‘we the peoples’ and build lives of prosperity, security and dignity for all. We congratulate Egypt on its election to the Security Council and look forward to Egypt’s global leadership in promoting peace and development.”
Egypt’s Assistant Foreign Minister for Multilateral Affairs and International Security Ambassador Hisham Badr highly commended the UN’s support for the country’s development programs and efforts. “Egypt has many success stories in its cooperation with the United Nations system, particularly with the specialized UN agencies that are considered the world organization’s main arm for implementing international goals in various fields,” Badr said in the fair’s opening ceremony.
One of the projects displayed at the fair was by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) aimed at reintegrating youngsters released from a detention center for juvenile offenders in a Cairo suburb. The program, carried out in collaboration with local NGOs, provides the young delinquents with empowerment literacy and vocational training to become employable and generate incomes. The UNODC stand at the fair was selling plants the juveniles were trained to grow, with proceeds going to fund training programs.
With job creation dominating Egypt’s development agenda, the International Labour Organization (ILO) was showcasing, among other undertakings, the “Decent Jobs for Egypt’s Young People”. Funded by Canada over five years (2011-2016), the 10-million-US Dollar project seeks to make it easier for hundreds of disadvantaged youths in three provinces to find jobs in the sectors of agriculture, manufacturing and tourism. Some of their products were also on display for sale at the fair.
Exhibited at the fair were also a project by the UN agency dedicated to fighting the AIDS epidemic UNAIDS to protect young people against the disease, another by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) to empower women through capacity training and funding small enterprises, and a project also by UNDP to raise awareness about mines and support demining activities in northwestern Egypt.
Dr. Yousriya Hamed, who runs a project supporting protected areas in Egypt and is funded by Italian donors, UNDP and the Egyptian Ministry of Environment attended the event to share her experience with visitors and the media. “The UN has provided funds for the purpose of improving local products from the Siwa, Wadi El Rayan and Wadi El Gimal so that they become more marketable and sellable in the market,” said Hamed.
Also speaking at the fair, Syrian refugee Monzer Mohamed said he was supported financially by the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the charity Caritas in order to buy tools and appliances to start a small baking and food catering business in Egypt. “I managed to start the business with the help of the UN, and now I am expanding it,” said Monzer, who was in Syria and physiotherapist.
The celebration began with opening remarks by Nirody and Ambassador Badr. It also featured a musical performance. The event is part of a larger campaign to raise awareness about the significant UN development work in Egypt and the irreplaceable role of the world organization as the most representative inter-governmental institution in world affairs and in supporting the needy and vulnerable. The media campaign is implemented in partnership with Vodafone and photography of the event was supported by the production agency El Masna3.
