The Ministry of Culture and the Decent Life Foundation on Monday signed a co-operation protocol to introduce innovative solutions in carrying out the presidential rural development initiative.
Minister of Culture Enas Abdel Dayem and Decent Life Foundation chairman Aya Omar signed the protocol.
Decent Life reflects the government’s interest in promoting the talents and skills of young people nationwide, the minister said, adding that the initiative embodies sustainable development for rural communities and improved public services.
The protocol is one of several measures to strengthen social protection and reduce the impacts of economic reforms on the most deprived segments of society, Abdel Dayem said.
Abdel Dayem said her ministry will undertake a series of artistic, cultural and educational schemes to strengthen the role of cultural in the governorates.
The ministry will make cultural services accessible in all parts of the country, especially to the most underprivileged areas, Abdel Dayem said.
She went on to highlight equal opportunities politicies.
“Culture can contribute to economic, social development, security and prosperity in cities and villages,” Abdel Dayem said.
The government is paying special attention to cultural services in the border areas in several governorates, inculcating the values of belonging by implementing cultural integration programmes for children, Abdel Dayem added.
The protocol is intended to develop skills and to encourage creativity and innovation in order to build a strong Egyptian personality, as well as integrating culture into environmental and social development strategies, she said.
The strategy also encompasses “confronting extremism and fanaticism, discovering and adopting new talents, establishing cultural centres targeting all age levels starting from the age of six, opening new branches of the Academy of Arts in several provinces, launching the roaming theatre initiative to consolidate the values of citizenship and to confront extremist ideologies, and using public areas to promote dialogue and social interaction”.
The Decent Life initiative is the largest development project in Egypt’s modern history, says Aya Omar, official spokesperson of the initiative and chair of the Decent Life Foundation’s board of trustees.
The Foundation aims to develop society and improve the standards of living for all citizens as a shared responsibility between the various authorities and institutions in the state.
“Stakeholders included state institutions, civil society organisations, development partners locally and abroad, businessmen, and the private sector. This has never happened before when development efforts were separate, not unified,” Omar said.
The initiative aims at improving standards of living, infrastructure, and basic services, and targets 58 percent of Egypt’s 102-million population.
