Evaluation Brief: Egypt Egypt is located in northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea between Libya and the Gaza strip. Its growth rate is driven by the performance of the economy and the strength of its banking system, in terms of liquidity, profitability, capital and resilience to shocks. The COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to reverse the country’s achievements in relation to fiscal consolidation, macroeconomic stability and sustainable development over the long term. Egypt faces several challenges with regards to governance, with a highly centralized, bureaucratic public administration characterized by poor legal frameworks, which can undermine government implementation capacity. Most land in Egypt is desert, with the Nile River providing a narrow strip of very fertile land making up less than 5 percent of the land area. Egypt is susceptible to a range of natural disasters, including periodic droughts, earthquakes, flash floods, and wind, dust and sandstorms.
Total programme expenditure by funding source 161 Government cost-sharing Other
30
Vertical trust funds (GEF, GCF, GFATM, MP) UNDP regular resources
11
2 1
Bilateral and multilateral donors million US$
Programme finances by outcome (2018–2021) Outcome 1 Inclusive growth, economic empowerment & employment
$175.2
Outcome 2 Resource efficiency, environmental protection & green growth Outcome 3 Gender equality and women’s empowerment
$32.4 $0.2 million US$
Key findings and conclusions UNDP is strongly positioned as a reliable provider of development services in support of the Government’s efforts, as reflected in the steady government financing of UNDP initiatives. Efficient procurement and service provision have expanded services in local development and employ‑ ment generation and integrated the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into government plans, with extensive policy and institutional development support in the environment and climate change sectors. UNDP has effectively mainstreamed gender across its interventions, though work is still needed to ensure that they ‘leave no one behind’ and align with the country’s SDG priorities. UNDP operations were significantly affected by COVID-19, which also provided a window for UNDP to innovate and assist the country through the COVID-19 response. UNDP contributed to expanding the evidence-base on development issues and challenges in Egypt, to promote and integrate SDG priorities into government policies and plans, and address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
INDEPENDENT COUNTRY PROGRAM EVALUATION: EGYPT
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