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Sustainability

PDP’s approach to sustainability

The Participatory Development Programme’s objective is to improve living conditions and prospects of the poor urban population living in deprived informal areas in Egypt – on sustainable basis. This involves communicating knowledge, which enables people to shape their present and future on their own – by considering the needs of present and future generations.

Sustainable development is more than just sustaining the outcomes of a project after completion. It is a process of searching and learning – not a final state to be reached at some point in time. In this respect, sustainability of urban upgrading is fostered not only by reaching concrete results, but also by sensitively shaping the way to those results and further results in the future.

The PDP programme operates in partnership with multiple stakeholders – government agencies, NGOs, private local businesses, and the local population, working to integrate different policy fields and areas of state, civil society and business.

The PDP strengthens the ownership of the stakeholders by applying participatory methods and by working to institutionalise that process within the administrative system. By anchoring participatory urban development tools, intrinsic capacities are formed among PDP’s partner structures to ensure longevity of the project. The establishment of Urban Upgrading Units on governorate and district level is one major outcome of the efforts of PDP in that regard.

The PDP work aligns with governmental policies and agendas of Cairo and Egypt and links innovative mechanisms to already existing structures and networks. The project also strongly cooperates with international donor agencies to harmonise engagement and to create comprehensive strategies for long-term impacting.

PDP gears its work to the principles of good governance, decentralisation, the promotion of gender equality, environmental sustainability, and internationally recognised fundamental values such as respect for human rights.

European Union German Cooperation GIZ Ministry of Planning