Egypt

The Government of Egypt and the UN launch the inception workshop of the “Mobilisation of the Dahshour World Heritage Site for Community Development” Programme with a focus on developing the community while preserving the valuable cultural and natural heritage of the area.

Cairo, April 10th 2010 – Under the auspices of 6th of October Governor Dr. Fathy Saad, and with the attendance of Supreme Council of Antiquities Secretary General Dr. Zahi Hawas, Spanish Ambassador to Egypt Mr. Antonio Lopez Martinez, and United Nations Resident Coordinator Mr. James W. Rawley, the famous Sakkara Archaeological Site will witness today the launch of the “Mobilization of the Dahshour World Heritage Site for Community Development” Programme inception workshop.

The Programme aims at protecting the Dahshour pyramids area and its ecosystem while fostering tourism‐based sustainable development, sound cultural and ecological management, and creating greater opportunities for revenue generation, most notably among women and the most vulnerable groups.

The programme is a joint initiative between five UN agencies, namely: the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Tourism Organization (WTO), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), International Labour Organization (ILO), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The programme also brings together a number of national stakeholders; the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), the Ministry of Tourism, the Egyptian Social Fund for Development, the Industrial Modernization Centre, and the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA).

This pioneer initiative brings together for the first time national and international partners from the tourism, cultural heritage, and natural heritage sectors to work together with community members on poverty reduction initiatives. In fact, this UN Joint Programme is considered a model for human development as it combines cultural and natural heritage aspects, and community development components.

The Joint Programme attests to the growing interest in the area of Dahshour, widely known for its ancient pyramids and unique cultural setting. Home for approximately 40,000 inhabitants and situated in the south of Saqqara on the Giza Plateau, Dahshour comprises an integral section of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Memphis and its Necropolis.

The Dahshour Development Programme is premised on the notion that a planned large influx of tourists into the area could benefit Dahshour and its surroundings if the local stakeholders and population gain the necessary capacities to ensure their sustainable community development, particularly around tourism-related opportunities.

The first year of the project, which was launched in April 2009, was dedicated to the completion of baseline studies and surveys, and general preparation for poverty reduction initiatives. In collaboration with national stakeholders, the socio-economic profile and the Spatial Tourism Development Plan for the Dahshour area was completed, and partners are already working on developing an Environmental Management Strategy and Archaeological Master Plan.

The aforementioned strategic plans will guide the subsequent steps of the Joint Programme; tailoring capacity building activities at the community level, and engaging local stakeholders from all sectors in an interactive process of consultation and formulation towards the emergence of a shared vision and the setting of development objectives for the area.

The three-year programme amounting to US$ 3 million is part of the UNDP-Spain MDG Achievement Fund. The UNDP-Spain MDG Achievement Fund, established in December 2006, aims at accelerating efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goals, and supporting UN reform at the country level. The Fund covers a variety of developmental themes including gender equality and women's empowerment; environment and climate change; culture and development; economic governance; youth, employment and migration; conflict prevention and peace-building; children, food security and nutrition; and development and the private sector.

Thus far, three Joint UN-projects in Egypt have been approved by the MDG Achievement Fund, covering the thematic areas of environment and climate change; development and the private sector; and culture and development.

For more information please contact:
Mr. Sherif El Tokali, Assistant Resident Representative, UNDP Egypt Country Office
sherif.el.tokali@undp.org or 25784840-6

Mr. Mohamed Shaker, National Programme Manager
shaker.hebara@undp.org

ABOUT UNDP: UNDP is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 166 countries, working with them on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and our wide range of partners. For more info on UNDP in Egypt please visit: www.undp.org.eg

New York, 29 March 2010 — The United Nations and United States, in cooperation with the Haitian Government, will convene a high-level donors’ conference - ‘Towards a New Future in Haiti’ - on 31 March at United Nations Headquarters in New York to secure the financial resources necessary for Haiti’s recovery, and by doing so, demonstrate the international community’s steadfast commitment to the people of Haiti as they struggle to rebuild their lives after the devastating earthquake.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Haitian President René Préval and the UN Special Envoy for Haiti, former President Bill Clinton, are all expected to attend and make opening remarks.

The conference will be co-chaired by Brazil, Canada, the European Union, France, and Spain as leading donors to Haiti. More than 100 other countries are expected to participate.

The earthquake, which struck Port-au-Prince and its environs on 12 January, resulted in the deaths of more than 220,000 people, directly affecting 1.5 million. Of that, 1.3 million are living in temporary shelter in Port-au-Prince and more than 500,000 have left the capital to find shelter elsewhere in the country.  

The total value of damage and losses sustained has been calculated at approximately $7 billion, more than 120 per cent of Haiti’s 2009 gross domestic product (GDP). Haiti was already the poorest country in the Western hemisphere before the earthquake.

A Post-Disaster Needs Assessment, prepared by the Haitian Government with the support of the international community, put the total value of needs at $11.5 billion for the social sectors (water and sanitation, health, education, and food security), infrastructure (housing, transport, telecommunications, energy, urban and administrative infrastructure), production sectors (agriculture, industry, trade, finance and banking and tourism) and environment and disaster risk management.

The Government of Haiti’s target for the conference is to raise $3.9 billion for the initial 18-month period of the country’s recovery and reconstruction. Priorities for assistance will be set by the Government of Haiti.

“During the coming days, the world’s leaders will rise to stand by Haiti in solidarity —a solidarity to be measured in years, along after the initial shock of disaster has passed. I am confident that, together, we can set Haiti on the road to a new and very different future,” stated Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
 
According to the President of the Republic of Haiti, René Préval, “This is the opportunity for us to tell the entire world that the reconstruction of our country must be above all a national effort, an appropriate reflection of the solidarity shown right after the earthquake by all the Haitian people. It’s also the opportunity for the Government to express on behalf of the nation, in a strong and united voice, its gratitude to the international community for its assistance in support of Haiti’s strategic vision and choices for the reconstruction of our country.”

“This conference is about securing resources for Haiti’s long-term reconstruction,” said UNDP Administrator and Chair of the UN Development Group Helen Clark.  “These resources could form the lifeblood of Haiti’s recovery from this devastating earthquake and create the foundation for the long term recovery and development Haitians deserve.”

While the donors’ conference is focusing the world’s attention on Haiti’s recovery and development needs, the United Nations continues its vital humanitarian and peacekeeping efforts on the ground.

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Journalists interested in covering the conference, if not already accredited to the United Nations, should contact:   http://www.un.org/media/accreditation/

The entire conference will be webcast starting at 9:00am. http://www.un.org/webcast/
A conference website has been established at:  http://www.haiticonference.org/

For further information, including interview requests, please contact:

Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General (Vannina Maestracci): +1 917 367 0293
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (Sausan Ghosheh): +1 212 906 5390
World Food Programme (Bettina Luescher): +1 646 556 6909
United Nations Children’s Fund (Chris de Bono): +1 212 303 7984
Department of Peacekeeping Operations (Nick Birnback): +1 917 367 5044
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Stephanie Bunker): +1 917 367 5126
Office of the Special Envoy for Haiti (Jehane Sedky): +1 646 781-4107

Useful links
Office of the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Haiti: www.haitispecialenvoy.org
MINUSTAH page on DPKO website: http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/minustah/index.shtml
MINUSTAH website (French only): http://minustah.org/
UN News Centre News Focus - Haiti earthquake page: http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocusRel.asp?infocusID=91&Body=Haiti&Body1=
UN YouTube page: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=4F3959441305AAA3
WHO YouTube page: http://www.youtube.com/who
ReliefWeb Haiti Earthquake: http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/dbc.nsf/doc108?OpenForm&emid=EQ-2010-000009-HTI&rc=2