Denmark

General Framework

Danish development co-operation is administered through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, based on an overall ‘global’ strategy ‘Partnership 2000’, updated in February 2002. Danish bilateral development assistance to Egypt is further governed by a Country Strategy, prepared in close co-operation with the Egyptian government- Strategy for Danish-Egyptian Development Co-operation dated 1996. The overall objectives of Denmark's development co-operation with Egypt are to promote sustainable development through poverty-oriented economic growth. In this respect the Country Strategy essentially focuses on:

• Poverty reduction through a combination of support to the social and productive sectors with the aim of improving the living conditions, particularly of the poor rural population.
  
• Sector concentration combined with geographical focus in the poor Upper Egypt and active involvement of the private sector in the Programmes.
  
• Piloting of important sector reforms, e.g. in water and sanitation, which can serve as a model for replication in other governorates.
  
• Focus on high priority areas in Egyptian development plans, including local ownership.
  
• Promotion of gender awareness by strengthening the active involvement of women and young people in the development process.
  
• Promotion of democratic institutions, human rights and good governance, through popular participation and empowerment in the sector programmes.
  
• Promotion of economic and social development on an environmentally sustainable basis.
  

The number of sectors is limited in order to achieve the best possible development effect from the available funds. The three previously identified sectors will be maintained as follows during the strategy period:

• water and sanitation including support to national sector reforms, assistance at the level of governorates and integrated water and sanitation supply in rural districts,
  
• environmental protection including institutional support, decentralisation and community development, and activities for environmental protection in industry,
  
• energy supply including support to the development of renewable sources of energy, to energy saving measures as well as increased efficiency in the operations of one or more of the newly established electricity companies.

Support will, moreover, be considered for a Programme on promotion of human rights and democracy, involving both the government system and civil society. In addition to the above, development co-operation with Egypt will include support through multilateral institutions, Mixed Credits, the Private Sector Programme, interest subsidies on previous Danish commercial loans to Egypt, and technical assistance.

Status of Ongoing Projects:

Additional Supplies to the Health Care Waste Management Project
Commitment: €51,112
Beneficiary: Cairo University Hospitals
Objectives: Provision of additional supplies and spare parts to ensure the sustainability of the Health Care Waste Management project funded by Danida.

Support to Aswan Water Authority
Commitment: €4.82 million
Beneficiary: Aswan governorate, Community Development Associations
Objectives: To improve the environmental health of communities of smaller towns and rural areas in Aswan governorate by improving the institutional capacity of Aswan Water Authority and develop a customer-oriented approach for water supply improvements.

Canal Zone Regional Control Centre
Commitment: €37.20 million
Beneficiary: Egyptian Electricity Holding Company
Objectives: Contribution to the economic development in the Canal Zone, hereunder contributing to an appropriate power supply situation in the Canal Zone through optimised power dispatching and system control.

Local Grant Authority
Commitment: €2.36 million
Objectives: Local Grant Authority Projects are grants approved at Embassy level with a budget of up to DKK 3 million per project. They are usually 2 to 3 year projects in the field of human rights, democratisation, good governance, women’s rights, gender equality, poverty alleviation and rural development. The annual budget for all Local Grant Authority projects usually does not exceed a total amount of 10% of the total country frame.

Private Sector Development Programme
Commitment: €13.65 million
Beneficiary: Partner Companies
Objectives: The Private Sector Development Programme aims at developing the private sector in Danida’s 15 Programme countries by supporting the establishment of long-term and mutually committing partnerships between Danish companies and companies in developing countries.

Support to the Social Fund for Development - Phase 2
Commitment: €11.35 million
Beneficiary: Social Fund for Development
Objectives: Support to the Social Fund for Development for capacity building of NGOs and implementation of participatory community development projects in Qena and Aswan Governorates and training for labour-based engineering contractors nation wide.

Site Calibration of the 60 MW Wind Farm at the Gulf of Suez
Commitment: €261,727
Beneficiary: New and Renewable Energy Authority
Objectives: Improve the condition of the most efficient realisation of the government plans for future wind energy development in Egypt by making provision of calibration of the terrain descriptions of the 60 MW Wind Farm site at Zafarana for wind flow modelling.


Egyptian Wind Resource Atlas
Commitment: €1.66 million
Beneficiary: New and Renewable Energy Authority
Objectives: Improve conditions for realisation of the national goal for wind energy development by improving knowledge of wind resources as well as methods for energy assessment, optimal use, siting and planning of Wind Farms.

Demonstration and Development of Technology and Planning in the Wind Energy Sector
Commitment: €5.40 million
Beneficiary: New and Renewable Energy Authority 
Objectives: To utilise Egypt’s wind energy resources particularly in the Red Sea Coastal area and thereby replace fossil fuel in Egypt’s energy supply.

DANIDA Aswan Office
Commitment: €704,650
Beneficiary: Aswan Governorate, Local Grass Root Organisations
Objectives: To provide:

1. Technical assistance to the Governorate’s administration and the overall area of planning development activities in Aswan Governorate.
   
2. Assistance and seek funding for community development organisations for the benefit of the poorer communities in Aswan.
   
3. Co-ordination between Danida’s activities in Aswan Governorate and other donors.
   

Health Care Waste Management Programme for Specified Hospitals in Cairo
Commitment: €3.47 million
Beneficiary: Cairo University Hospitals
Objectives: Development of Health Care Waste Management system for Egypt based on the experience of the pilot project on HCWM set-up for Cairo University Hospitals that comply with Egyptian environmental and health regulations.

Environmental Information and Monitoring Programme
Commitment: €11.29 million
Beneficiary: Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency Objectives: Improved ambient environmental quality in Egypt.

Environment Sector Programme
Commitment: €66.29 million
Beneficiary: Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency, Federation of Egyptian Industries + Governorates of Aswan and Beni Suef
Objectives: To contribute to the efforts of the Egyptian government to achieve its environmental objectives with particular regards to improving environmental conditions, developing environmental management capacity of institutions that can support communities in maintaining a cleaner and healthier environment and providing frameworks for compliance with environmental regulations.