Cairo, 23 December 2018 – In the framework of IOM’s Initiatives for Local Development of Egypt through the Support of Egyptians Abroad (ILDEA) project, funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (IADC), a closing ceremony was organized by IOM to celebrate the achievements of ILDEA. Representatives from the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development (MSMEDA), Ministry of State for Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates' Affairs (MoSEEA) attended the event, as well as a delegation from five Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) from Assiut and Fayoum, to share the success stories, lessons learnt and best practices they gained during the implementation of the initiatives, and lay the groundwork for future ones.  Over the past months, the implemented initiatives have had a positive impact in the communities of Abnoub district; the project provided job opportunities to youth in addition to environmental and health services. ILDEA however was especially impactful as the initiatives reached a greater number of the beneficiaries intended, and most importantly several initiatives were replicated by other local actors in Assiut. 

Mr. Laurent De Boeck, IOM Egypt’s Chief of Mission, thanked all the partners involved in the fruitful collaboration and successful implementation of ILDEA project. He added that the ILDEA has been a successful model and exceeded expectations, it also has high potential to be scaled up and expand to other governorates in Egypt. He also added that in newer phases, lessons learnt and the feedback from the expatriates would be integrated.
 
Dr. Saber Soliman, Assistant Minister for Institutional Development in MoSEEA, thanked the leadership of IOM and MSMEDA for the valuable partnership and stressed on the long-term vision of having a strategy that governs migration and development. Eng. Medhat Masoud, Head of Human and Community Development Central Sector in MSMEDA, also extended his gratitude to the parties and stated that although the interventions were limited in terms of funding and timeframe, their impact on the lives of the people was clear and prominent. He added that ILDEA opens the door for future collaboration. 

During the closing ceremony, Mr. De Boeck and Eng. Masoud handed certificates of appreciation to the NGOs of Assiut for their efforts in the implementation of the five local community projects.

In line with the closing event, and as an integral part of ILDEA, IOM organized capacity building workshops for both MSMEDA’s staff and the NGOs involved in the implementation activities. A virtual training workshop was conducted by Dr. Martin Russell, an international consultant for MSMEDA’s line management on the basics of strategic planning. IOM also organized another intensive training workshop for the NGOs’ personnel on concepts of monitoring and evaluation, proposal writing and budgeting. 

The project supports the realization of Egypt’s Sustainable Development Strategy: Egypt Vision 2030. And it also falls in line with the United Nations’ Agenda 2030, specifically the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities and Goal 17: Partnership for the Goals. 

For more information, please contact Omar Awwad at IOM Egypt, Tel: +2 02 2736 5140/1 Email: oawwad@iom.int