Allianz Egypt First Private Sector Company to Commit to Support ‘Shabab Balad’ platform launched by UNICEF

By Eman Hamed

Allianz Egypt announces signing of cooperation agreement with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to support “Shabab Balad” (The Young People of the Country) platform that enables skilling of youth, marking Allianz Egypt as the first private sector entity to pledge its support for the program.

This follows the official launch of the Egyptian version of ‘Generation Unlimited’, which has been locally rebranded as “Shabab Balad” at the fourth edition of the World Youth Forum in Sharm El-Sheikh from 10 – 13 January 2022.

Worth noting that Allianz Egypt will renew the cooperation agreement with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), for another three years starting March 2022. The partnership aims to empower youth and children and encourage their entrepreneurial skills.

Under the upcoming agreement, Allianz will support “Generation Unlimited/Shabab Balad” initiative by contributing to the “Meshwary” program, which is a collaboration between UNICEF and the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MoYS), under the auspices of the Prime Minister. Through skills development and career guidance programs, “Meshwary” aims to empower young people, by helping them develop the required entrepreneurial skills, in light of the strategic vision of Egypt 2030’s sustainable development goals. “Meshwary” targets children and youth (10-24 years), particularly the most vulnerable. The program is currently implemented in 12 governorates within youth centers representing upper, lower, and urban governorates.

Being the first company to respond to the participation call, Allianz Egypt committed to supporting UNICEF in providing training programs to develop life skills, employability, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and digital skills, as well as career guidance to help young people in their career paths.

“As a leading company in the Egyptian insurance sector, Allianz pays great attention to its societal role. We believe that young minds shape the world of tomorrow. Thus, our social responsibility strategy aims to empower youth, build their capabilities, and support entrepreneurs to achieve sustainable community development and community inclusion,” said Ayman Hegazy, Chairman and CEO of Allianz Companies in Egypt commenting on the project.

“We are proud to continue our fruitful cooperation with UNICEF to provide the needed support in order to achieve social integration, social protection, youth empowerment, and support entrepreneurship in Egypt. Since we value the continuous endeavors to advance these fields, Allianz is working on harnessing its expertise in the Egyptian society to maximize the benefit of these initiatives to reach sustainable development in line with Egypt Vision 2030,” Hegazy added.

Mr. Jeremy Hopkins, UNICEF Representative in Egypt, said: “Egypt’s strong vision for 2030, specifically with regard to youth education, entrepreneurship and employment, provides the basis on which the “Shabab Balad” platform can play an important role in supporting and motivating the progress of the country’s youth.”

Hopkins added: “The “Shabab Balad” Platform is not just a program, but rather a movement that includes the entire society and we are very pleased that our partner Allianz will contribute to this.”

The United Nations has launched the global initiative “Generation Unlimited/Shabab Balad” in Egypt, to support the country’s 2030 national development vision, tapping into the potential of youth and advancing entrepreneurship. The initiative aims to link high school education and training with the labor market and entrepreneurship. As one of the initiative projects. Since 2008, the project has provided more than 160,000 young people (close to 50% of whom are women) with skills development, career guidance training programs, and internship and/or work placement opportunities.

Worth noting that Allianz Egypt is cooperating with UNICEF for the third year in a row within the framework of a partnership agreement aimed at providing social protection for children at risk and their families in Egypt. During the cooperation years, Allianz sponsored the “I Deserve a Chance” initiative, which aims to guarantee every child’s right to education, followed by the “Our Children – Our Project” initiative to support underprivileged families in Egypt.