Local authorities in Beni Suef, a province in Upper Egypt, met with national government counterparts and United Nations partners to advance a joint programme titled "Strengthening evidence-based and inclusive planning, budgeting and monitoring for SDG localization," supported by the UN Joint SDG Fund. The discussion focused on strengthening local planning, budgeting, and monitoring to accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The meeting brought together the Governor of Beni Suef, representatives from the Ministry of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation (MoPEDIC), and United Nations agencies, including UNDP, UNICEF, and UN-Habitat. UNDP is leading the programme from a technical perspective, with UNICEF and UN-Habitat contributing their sectoral expertise. Implementation will be carried out in close coordination with MoPEDIC to strengthen links between national and local levels of government, under the leadership of the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office in Egypt, ensuring coherence across participating UN agencies.
A central element of the programme is support for the preparation of Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs) at both the provincial and city levels. Notably, the city-level VLR planned under this initiative will be the first of its kind in Egypt, marking an important step forward for SDG localization.
The VLRs will support the assessment of local progress toward the SDGs while strengthening the use of data and evidence in planning and decision-making. Beyond reporting, the programme aims to build local institutional capacity by promoting SDG-driven planning and budgeting, improving data use, and encouraging participatory approaches that enable communities and local stakeholders to monitor public resources.
Participants emphasized that localizing the SDGs is essential to addressing regional and social disparities and accelerating Egypt’s development. This approach has been recognized nationally as a key mechanism for promoting inclusive growth and ensuring that development efforts reach all communities.
The programme aligns closely with Egypt’s Vision 2030 and national development priorities, which highlight spatial planning as a tool for achieving balanced development and improving the quality of life across regions. It also supports the objectives of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, which identifies SDG localization as a national priority.
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment from Beni Suef Province, MoPEDIC, and UN partners to work closely together on implementation. Participants agreed on the next steps and coordination mechanisms to advance inclusive, data-driven development that responds to local needs and priorities.
Original publication: https://www.undp.org/egypt/press-releases/governor-beni-suef-mopedic-undp-unhabitat-and-unicef-meet-discuss-implementation-joint-programme-advance-sdg-localization
Note:
All joint programmes of the Joint SDG Fund are led by UN Resident Coordinators and implemented by the agencies, funds, and programmes of the United Nations development system. With sincere appreciation for the contributions from the European Union and Governments of Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland for a transformative movement towards achieving the SDGs by 2030.
