Women empowerment is the key to achieving sustainable social and economic development, said Egyptian International Cooperation Minister Sahar Nasr.

Achieving equality between the two genders will increase economic productivity and push forward growth rate, Nasr said during a conference on women under the sponsorship of Queen Rania of Jordan.

Working women in Egypt aged between 18 to 29 years represent 18.5 percent of the total workforce in the country against 50% for youths, she said.

She reiterated the Egyptian government's commitment to fostering cooperation with the private sector to set up many projects that create jobs for women and cut down poverty rates.

The government and the International Cooperation Ministry seek to back needy women across the nation via setting up small and micro-sized projects, she added.

She underlined the importance of empowering women politically and getting them more engaged in decision-making process.

Source: MENA