Introduction

Since the revolution of January 2011, Egypt has witnessed a series of profound political, social and economic developments. The peak was reached in June 2013 when the Egyptian State succeeded in putting an end to the political conflict and extremism and regaining control over its capabilities, and hence starting a new phase that aims at realizing sustainable economic and social development.

The new phase also meant buttressing political and security stability, fighting terrorism, protecting borders, improving services, consolidating principles of governance and combating corruption. In order to implement this ambitious national agenda, the Egyptian State devised a roadmap by completing the 2014 Constitution and meeting the obligations it set out through a set of basic legislation, institutional reforms, presidential and parliamentary elections as well as drafting a national economic reform program that is commensurate with the Sustainable Development Strategy: Egypt Vision 2030.

The Egypt Human Development Report aims to monitor and analyze the progress made by the Egyptian State over the past 10 years in the areas of sustainable development, economic and social reforms, and governance and women’s issues from the perspective of the Declaration on the Right to Development which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1986. This Declaration established the right for the peoples of developing countries to choose their development approach and realize their full independence without external interventions, based on their national values.

The report discusses the future prospects for various reforms adopted by the Egyptian State, in the light of the prepared plans and strategies and the evolution of views on development at the global scale as well as the successful international experiences and expertise. Issuing the report in 2021 also coincides with the global COVID-19 pandemic that has claimed lives and rocked global economies and markets as well as international financial, political and economic systems.