Planning and Economic Development Minister Ahmed Rostom met with Sabina Alkire, Director of the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), on the sidelines of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF 2026) in New York. The talks focused on enhancing cooperation in developing and measuring multidimensional poverty indicators and assessing the impact of Egypt’s presidential initiative Decent Life.
Rostom emphasized that improving citizens’ living conditions is the government’s primary goal, describing Decent Life as a historic, comprehensive project that upgrades infrastructure and human development across rural communities. He highlighted Egypt’s commitment to using precise national data to sustain regular measurement of the national multidimensional poverty index.
Alkire praised Egypt’s efforts, calling Decent Life a global model for addressing poverty in all its dimensions. She commended the professionalism of Egypt’s statistical experts at CAPMAS in producing indicators that support evidence-based policymaking. She noted that Egypt’s approach enhances the efficiency of public spending and maximizes developmental impact.
The meeting also touched on upcoming updates to the international multidimensional poverty index, which will include subnational indicators for several countries, including Egypt. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to continued cooperation to strengthen evidence-based policies and improve targeting of vulnerable groups.
