Wednesday, 27 May 2026
UNDP, Al Ghurair advance innovative finance at Cairo workshop
The
UN Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with the Abdulla Al Ghurair
Foundation, held a workshop in Cairo as part of its Arab States Thought
Leadership Series, focusing on how innovative finance can boost resilience
through youth skills development and economic inclusion.
The
event explored how tools such as innovative finance and impact investing could
expand job opportunities, strengthen skills development, and support more
inclusive economic participation across the region, particularly for young
people and vulnerable groups. It brought together representatives from
philanthropic organisations, development institutions, the private sector and
investors to examine ways to use blended finance and incentive‑based models to
help address widening development‑financing gaps and promote sustainable long‑term
impact.
Cairo’s
workshop follows earlier sessions in Jordan and reflects growing regional
interest in strategic philanthropy as a driver of resilience, economic
inclusion and scalable development solutions. Through the Thought Leadership
Series, UNDP and the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation aim to build a regional
platform linking philanthropy, development and finance actors to better align
capital flows with priorities such as skills development, inclusive growth and
resilience.
Discussions
also touched on Egypt’s wider development context, including an SDG financing
gap expected to reach nearly 70 percent of GDP by 2030, alongside challenges
such as youth unemployment, low female labour‑force participation and pressures
related to hosting large numbers of refugees and asylum seekers.
“With
widening development‑financing gaps, it is vital to rethink how capital is
mobilised and deployed,” said Suzanne Damm Hansen, Officer‑in‑Charge of UNDP’s
Regional Hub for the Arab States. She said the partnership with the Al Ghurair
Foundation was already highlighting promising models for strategic philanthropy
and innovative finance. “There is significant potential to scale these
approaches,” she added.
Gheymar
Deeb, UNDP Egypt Deputy Resident Representative, said stronger partnerships and
more innovative methods were needed to mobilise financing for resilience and
inclusion. “There is great potential to expand innovative finance solutions
that support youth, skills development and inclusive growth in Egypt,” he said.
Sessions
at the workshop examined the shift from traditional grant‑based funding to more
sustainable approaches, including impact investing, risk‑sharing mechanisms and
results‑based financing — tools aimed at crowding in private capital for long‑term
social and economic impact.
Dana
Dajani, Senior Vice President for External and Institutional Affairs at the
Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation, said millions of young people in the Arab region
were entering adulthood amid economic pressures, displacement and uncertainty.
“If the region is serious about long‑term stability, investment in youth cannot
remain fragmented or short‑term,” she said, adding that the partnership with
UNDP helps bring philanthropic, finance and development actors together to
rethink how opportunities are funded and sustained.
The
workshop also looked at the evolving impact‑investment landscape in the Arab
region and the role of philanthropy in supporting blended‑finance structures.
It concluded with an interactive session on knowledge exchange and future
cooperation.
As
part of the joint Thought Leadership Series, the Cairo workshop contributes to
regional efforts to position philanthropy as a strategic partner in development‑financing
ecosystems, supporting resilience and development goals. The series aims to
help align financial flows with national priorities, including Egypt’s Vision
2030.