Methanex Egypt and the International Labour Organization (ILO) signed a two-year partnership agreement that will see the ILO’s flagship project ‘Decent Jobs for Egypt’s Young People’ (“DJEP”), funded by Canada, extended to Damietta, where the company operates its methanol production plant. Methanex Egypt will fund the project in Damietta through a $1,000,000 donation to the ILO. The signing ceremony took place at the Ministry of Investment and International Cooperation, attended by H.E. Minister of Investment and International Cooperation Dr. Sahar Nasr, H.E. Jess Dutton Ambassador of Canada in Egypt, Mr. Eric Oechslin Officer-in-Charge (OIC) ILO DWT CO Cairo and Mr. Mohamed Shindy, CEO and Managing Director of Methanex Egypt.
The ‘Decent Jobs for Egypt’s Young People– Tackling the Challenge in Damietta’ project aims to build on the wealth of experience and success of the ILO Canadian-funded DJEP project to create decent employment opportunities for youth in the governorate of Damietta, focusing on employment creation through promoting entrepreneurship and facilitating job matching processes. In addition to building capacities of local partners on the ground for improved services to support unemployed youth and job matching processes, the project will address key cross cutting themes including occupational safety and health (OSH), the inclusion of people with disabilities and gender mainstreaming.
H.E. Dr. Sahar Nasr commended Methanex Egypt’s contribution to this project and encouraged all companies to implement social responsibility projects in the areas of social welfare, healthcare, culture, education support, training and scientific research and to participate in programs focusing on supporting poor families, improvement of people’s living conditions and the creation of job opportunities for people with special needs.
Mr. Eric Oechslin, OIC ILO Director explained that “the ILO considers Public Private Partnership as a successful model in terms of sustainability of the developmental interventions initially planned and implemented by the ILO with their technical expertise and international experiences.” He added that this partnership is a unique example of Public Private Partnership which will enable the creation of over 500 jobs in Damietta over the duration of the project.
H.E. Ambassador Dutton said, “The Canadian-funded DJEP project has achieved many positive results and is a strong example of skills for employment for marginalized women and youth in the MENA region. The recent involvement of Methanex is an important development, highlighting blended financing models and the impact of private sector commitments for co-funding on project sustainability. While the Canadian-funded project winds down, many of the activities will continue in Damietta, thanks to the ongoing support of Methanex.”
The project is part of Methanex Egypt’s Social Responsibility program, embodying the company’s core belief that Methanex’s business must have a positive impact on people’s lives. “Last year, we worked with the ILO to deliver GET Ahead for Women in Enterprise training to 108 women from Damietta and Start and Improve Your Business training to 118 young women and men from Damietta. We also delivered two modules of Job Search Clubs to 33 young people. The value these projects bring to the beneficiaries from Damietta aligns with the very spirit of our belief in our role to add value to the areas in which we operate. The decision to embark on this one-of-a-kind partnership will enable Methanex Egypt to support Egypt’s Vision 2030 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030 through addressing decent work. We are also pleased, through our collaboration with the ILO, to contribute to the UN’s reform agenda,” said Mr. Shindy.
