VZCZCXYZ0004
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHEG #2190 1970841
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 160841Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 6142

UNCLAS CAIRO 002190 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID ECON SOCI PGOV KWMN EG
SUBJECT: GOE'S NATIONAL POPULATION COUNCIL REORGANIZED WITH 
EMPHASIS ON FAMILY PLANNING 
 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY:  The GOE recently announced the 
reorganization of Egypt's National Population Council (NPC) 
to coordinate GOE-led family planning and population 
assistance activities.  NPC programming has stagnated in past 
years as a result of weakened authority, inefficient 
bureaucracy, and a decline in donor funding.  The new Prime 
Minister and minister-level leadership of the NPC, supported 
 
by an experienced executive committee, signals GOE 
recognition of the importance of population planning and 
assistance programs.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (U) In June President Mubarak issued a decree renewing 
the mandate and legal framework for Egypt's National 
Population Council (NPC).  The decree elevates the NPC's role 
in addressing Egypt's population problem by appointing the 
prime minister to head the council and tapping ministers from 
key ministries to serve as members of the interagency body. 
Ministers participating include ministers of Economic 
Development, Information, Social Solidarity, Health and 
Population, and Local Development.  The NPC will also have an 
executive committee, composed of leaders from two important 
support institutions and three high-ranking population 
experts, to facilitate the implementation of NPC programs. 
The new Executive Committee includes the former lead on 
USAID's Population Policy Project, the Head of the GOE's 
State Information Service, and the Chairman of the Egyptian 
Family Planning Association.  In addition to its 
Headquarters, the NPC has a regional population council in 
each of Egypt's 26 governorates.  Increased authority 
resulting from NPC membership at the ministerial level, in 
combination with population planning subject-matter experts, 
will increase opportunities for cooperation, collaboration, 
and accountability between the GOE's different 
population-related ministries and regionally located staff. 
More importantly, it should also improve the ability of the 
NPC to operationalize its mandate. 
 
¶3.  (U) In a positive early sign, Prime Minister Nazif 
announced during his first meeting in June with the Executive 
Committee an increased budget for family planning, provided 
there is evidence of "results-based activities."  This 
promising announcement continues the GOE's historical support 
of family planning programs.  Since the 1970s, USAID-funded 
programs in cooperation with the GOE have played a major role 
in improving contraceptive prevalence among Egyptian women 
and population assistance in general.  The United Nations 
Population Fund (UNFPA) has also actively supported 
population planning programs in Egypt.  Sharp declines in 
USAID and UNFPA funding in recent years have shifted the 
financial burden of population-assistance programs to the 
GOE.  Early indicators from the NPC's leadership suggest GOE 
commitment to continue funding these programs. 
 
¶4.  (U) Egypt's fertility rate has declined significantly 
over the last four decades, from over 7.2 children per woman 
in the early 1960s to 3.1 in 2000.  However, current 
population growth projections are still a source of concern 
for Egyptian policy makers.  Overall, population in Egypt is 
expected to increase to 95.6 million in 2026, and reach 114.8 
million in 2065.  Egypt's current youth bulge portends future 
challenges to reducing the country's fertility rate due to a 
large proportion of girls who will soon reach reproductive 
age.  United Nations estimates predict that by 2020 14.3 
million women will be in prime childbearing ages, compared to 
9.2 million in 1999.  Moreover, population growth will be 
highest in the poorest regions of Egypt, calling for robust 
engagement by the NPC in under-served areas of Egypt. 
 
¶5.  (U) COMMENT: Past success in curbing Egypt's fertility 
rates highlight GOE commitment to family planning 
programming.  Recent declines in donor funding for 
population-assistance activities present a challenge which 
the GOE is taking on by providing a new framework for NPC 
authority, activities, and funding.  Given current 
demographic trends, successful family planning initiatives 
could have a positive effect on improved economic 
development, minimized health risks to women and children, 
greater access to social services, and curbing Egypt's 
unemployment level.  END COMMENT. 
RICCIARDONE