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Erma Manoncourt
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What is UNICEF’s priority in Egypt? What kind of programmes have you initiated in these areas?
We, along with the rest of UN family, are in the process of preparing our new five year programme cycle. Our focus will continue to address reducing child mortality, morbidity and malnutrition, but an even stronger focus on hygiene and environmental sanitation, especially in rural areas. Now that Egypt has been globally defined as no longer being 'polio endemic,' we will strengthen our work to the Government on addressing micro-nutrient deficiencies (i.e. Iodine, iron, etc.) We will continue to promote quality education, with a special focus on girls’ education and community schools, plus early child development. In terms of child protection, tackling problems of street children, working children, and combating violence against children as well as female genital mutilation/cutting remain priorities. We will orient more of programming towards adolescents and young people, especially in HIVAIDS where we will prioritise work with orphans and PLWHA.
How do you see Egypt progressing towards achieving the MDGs?
Egypt is progressing towards meeting a number of MDGs at a national level, especially in the areas of reducing child mortality and maternal mortality. However, the challenge will be in addressing regional disparities and therefore we have an interest in ensuring that no governorates are left behind in the MDG scorecard even if the country as a whole is on track for meeting MDGs by 2015.
You are familiar with UNICEF’s work in South Asia particularly in India. How different is the situation in Egypt?
A key difference is the scale and magnitude of the problems facing children and families. Whereas as the population in India is 1 billion plus, the population in Egypt is approximately 70 thousand plus but concentrated in land surrounding the Nile river. This poses particular hygiene and sanitation issues. Secondly, given a country which is primarily desert and a heavily dependent on the Nile river for water supply , issues of water quality and scarcity are also areas of big concern as compared to India which is periodically besieged by natural disasters (i.e. floods, earthquakes, droughts etc). On the other hand, a number of protection issues facing children are the same in both countries -- issues that involve tackling street children, child labourers and promoting quality and girls education, for example.
In an interview in 2004 to Mainstreaming ICTs, a bi-monthly magazine of OneWorld South Asia focusing on MDGs, you had mentioned that there was lack of synergy between educationists and ICT people in India. What is the scenario in Egypt?
I think that India is further ahead, especially given the latest information that I have been reading in the newspapers. However, Egyptian authorities are interested in the potential of the ICT-education link and, a good example would be the Smart Village initiative financed by the UN Development Programme, which also has the support of the Prime Minister's Office.
You also pointed out that ICTs were an experiment for UNICEF in India. Are there some learning’s from those experiments of using ICTs?
Yes I believe so. Innovative work was initiated in the Andhra Pradesh office of UNICEF and Mr. Michel Saint-Lot, State Representative for Andhra Pradesh and Karntaka, could provide updated feedback on the lessons learnt. I understand that they recently received an international award at the recent WSIS meeting in Tunisia for their use of ICT in development.
What role you see for ICTs in promoting children’s and women's rights at the centre of a broad range of development decisions?
ICTs have got a critical role. One of the challenges facing those of us who work in development sector is how we can harness the power of ICT and adapt for use in community mobilisation and knowledge transfer in a practical manner.
How favourable do you find the policy environment for using community radio in Egypt to pursue UNICEF mission?
I haven’t heard much about community radio in Egypt. The intensive television network is such that most households have access to government and satellite television.
In general, it seems that the Islamic world do not consider themselves highly vulnerable to HIV/AIDS infection. What is the perception in Egypt and what role UNICEF is playing in addressing the problem of HIV/AIDS?
Egypt is a low prevalence country for HIVAIDS. Since there are few known cases, it is difficult in getting the general public to believe that they are at risk’ if they practice unsafe behaviours, plus there are still issues of stigma and discrimination. UNICEF is working with other UN agencies, local donors and key NGOs to increase awareness about the infection as well as inform the public about available services/treatment for PLWHA and their children. A relatively new initiative involves linking to the private sector to promote good workplace policy on HIVAIDS.
Majority of the Egyptian population lives in the Nile valley which creates environmental problems. How does UNICEF’s Village Environmental Assistance Project (VEAP) address some of those problems?
The VEAP, financed by USAID, was designed to provide drinking water and test models of water distribution networks and household water connection in rural areas. It has provided capacity building in appropriate means for human waste disposal and supported activities to improve hygiene practices and environmental awareness. The formal project ended last year as UNICEF phased out of its support to local quasi-governmental/private ‘Water and Sanitary Disposal' companies to maintain the effort, with Government concurrence. Given the implementation of a 'revolving fund concept’ these efforts have become self -sustaining.
In another development building of the VEAP experience, UNICEF has committed itself to slum upgrading in some of the worst governorates in the country and will work closely with school initiatives to improve school environment in selected areas. Our experience has shown us that if quality education is to be pursued, it cannot be limited to better teaching or curriculum alone but must also include the educational milieu and environment in which children learn. This translates into sanitary facilities and clean environments in school settings.
In VEAP project, awareness campaign is being carried out using various means of communication. How beneficial are ICTs in this campaign?
Most of the awareness work involved using ‘small Media’ such as flipcharts/posters, booklets/flyers and lots of community discussions, house-to-house visits. The project also produced TV episodes and puppet shows to complement other community education work.
How effective are CSOs in Egypt and other North African countries? Do you think that Multi-stakeholder partnerships are the need of the hour?
I can’t speak for North Africa, but I know that Egypt has many more CSOs and NGOs. In fact, there has been a long tradition of charity work in the country since ancient times. Nonetheless, there is a need to strengthen the capacity of many local NGOs
Finally, what do you think South Asia can learn from Egypt in ensuring child rights and gender empowerment?
I need more time to reflect on this question; but I think that the role First Lady of Egypt, Mrs Suzanne Mubarak, has played in linking children and women's rights to peace initiatives is innovative and contributes to a culture of democracy. Most recently, her patronage has led to the establishment of a Peace Studies Institute - the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa region - where young men and women will study the basic principles of rights and empowerment and the important links that they have to promoting peace and reducing conflict/intolerance.
About Erma Manoncourt: She is the UNICEF Representative in Egypt.
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