Egypt Country Strategic Plan (2018 - 2023)

CSP approved at EB June 2018 session. 

Revision 02 approved by the CD in February 2019.

Revision 03 approved by the ED-DGFAO in February 2020.

Revision 04 approved by the RD in June 2020.

Revision 05 approved by the CD in May 2023.

After a period of steady economic growth between 2005 and 2010, Egypt witnessed a series of shocks starting with the January 2011 revolution and followed by a period of socioeconomic disruptions. In 2013, the Government began taking concrete steps to increase social, political and economic stability. In 2014, a new constitution was ratified, which clearly references inclusiveness and social justice and is aligned with the principles and goals of the 2030 Agenda. The Government also embarked on mainstreaming the objectives of inclusive and sustainable development into the country’s national strategy for sustainable development – Egypt Vision 20301, a ten-pillar roadmap for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by addressing the country’s economic, social and environmental development.

In 2016 Egypt launched a series of economic reforms, including a comprehensive national social protection programme for reaching vulnerable people such as pregnant and lactating women, schoolchildren, people living with disabilities and the elderly. These reforms have contributed to an improved real gross domestic product, which reached 4.1 percent in 2016/2017 – a significant recovery from Egypt’s lowest level of 2.1 percent between 2010 and 2014. Egypt was among the first 22 countries to conduct a voluntary national review of progress towards achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. In a move to combat gender inequality, it developed a national strategy for women’s empowerment and amended key laws on marriage, nationality, sexual harassment and inheritance.

Nevertheless, the country continues to face challenges, including income poverty, food insecurity, malnutrition, spatial and social disparities, gender-based inequality, climate-related shocks and environmental degradation. The flotation of the Egyptian pound in 2016 contributed to soaring food prices, resulting in rising food insecurity across the country. Given that Egypt is a net importer of staple commodities including wheat and corn, national food systems are vulnerable to volatile international commodity prices. Further straining existing resources, Egypt has hosted refugees and migrants from Syria and other neighbouring countries since 2011.

WFP’s Egypt country strategic plan for the period 2018–2023 is the result of extensive consultations with the Government and other partners detailed in a 2017 synthesis report,2 and builds on lessons learned from past and current WFP operations. The country strategic plan focuses on strengthening national capacity to tackle the underlying causes of vulnerability to food insecurity and malnutrition while responding to humanitarian needs, including those of refugees and migrants in Egypt. WFP will support Egypt’s South–South cooperation efforts to foster resilient livelihoods in the region, linking to Egypt’s national priorities in agricultural development and food security.

The country strategic plan contributes to Egypt’s United Nations partnership development framework and WFP’s Strategic Results 1, 2, 4 and 5, with a focus on Sustainable Development Goals 2, and 17, while also contributing to Sustainable Development Goals 4 and 13. Egypt’s country strategic plan addresses four WFP Strategic Results: number 1 – everyone has access to food; number 2 – no one suffers from malnutrition; number 4 – food systems are sustainable; and number 5 – developing countries have strengthened capacities to implement the SDGs. Its areas of support have been elaborated through five strategic outcomes:

• Strategic outcome 1: Food-insecure and most-vulnerable children and families in targeted areas of Egypt have access to adequate food all year round.
• Strategic outcome 2: Food-insecure refugees, displaced populations and host communities in Egypt have access to adequate food all year round.
• Strategic outcome 3: Targeted populations in Egypt have improved nutritional status by 2030.
• Strategic outcome 4: Vulnerable smallholder farmer and Bedouin communities in targeted governorates of Egypt have resilient livelihoods by 2030.
• Strategic outcome 5: The Government of Egypt has enhanced capacity to target and assist vulnerable populations and share its experience with selected countries to achieve zero hunger by 2030.