The European Union announced Monday a new assistance package worth €50 million ($55.8 million) targeting the promotion of women rights and water resources management as well as development projects in Egypt.

This funding is the first part of the 2016 bilateral assistance package foreseen for Egypt.

The EU assistance package aims to support socio-economic development and civil society in Egypt in order to improve the lives of the population; targeting in particular women rights and water resources management.

The newly adopted assistance package consists of the two programmes. The first is Advancing Women’s Rights in Egypt worth €10 million, a programme that will support efforts towards abandoning female genital mutilation (FGM). It also aims to support women’s access to justice and legal empowerment through the expansion of legal aid offices in Family Courts and women support offices in Primary Courts.

The programme named National Drainage programme worth €40 million, which will contribute to increase Egypt’s agricultural production by providing adequate drainage infrastructure and enhancing the capacities of different stakeholders to rehabilitate and extend underground drainage networks. It will also contribute to foster a sustainable and integrated water resources management approach within the Government of Egypt.

These two programmes continue to focus the EU assistance to Egypt on support to socio-economic development and civil society. They are also in line with the three focal sectors of EU assistance as defined in the Single Support Framework for Egypt for 2014-2016.