The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) will disburse close to SEK 390m ($41.29m) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region during 2019, benefiting Egypt, the Swedish ambassador to Egypt, Jan Thesleff, told Daily News Egypt.
“The development cooperation work with Egypt is performed through Sida. Close to 30 programmes will be implemented throughout the year, targeting a variety of areas such as gender equality, renewable energy, water management, fair work conditions, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs),” the ambassador mentioned.
Sweden is the world’s top donor with a national goal of providing 1% of its gross national income (GNI) development assistance. It is one of only a few countries which meets the UN’s target of 0.7 % of the GNI, the ambassador highlighted.
The Swedish international development cooperation is considered to be effective, the ambassador emphasised, noting, “just last month, the OECD released its DAC peer review. It concluded that Sweden is an effective humanitarian donor.”
Sweden provides long-term and predictable support to protracted crises, provides long-term core funding to the multilateral system, and works to improve its effectiveness, the ambassador added.
“Another aspect of our development cooperation work I wish to emphasise, is that in light of the challenges facing the UNRWA, Sweden has ramped up its support to Palestinian refugees in the region. Sweden is a top donor and a staunch supporter of the UNRWA’s important work,” he further noted.
Earlier in June, the Swedish ambassador said that Egypt is an exciting market due to its large population, strategic geographical location, and an economic situation that has stabilised. He also noted that Egypt has features that stand out in a region where the considerable traditional economies are experiencing less growth, DNE reported.
