◊ What is the BEP Seminar Series?
- Name: Bridging Evidence and Policy (BEP) Seminar Series
- Mission: To integrate essential developmental best practices guided by evidence and data into policymaking in Egypt. The series showcases flagship impact evaluation studies and evidence practices across Egypt’s development community, through dialogue, knowledge generation and utilization of key expertise in the field.
- Launch Date: May 2023
- Series Duration: 2023-2025 (6 events total)
◊ Who Organizes the BEP Series?
The series is a collaborative initiative by three organizations:
- Sawiris Foundation for Social Development (SFSD)
- International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
- Egyptian Food Bank (EFB)
◊ What Does the Series Do?
The BEP series serves as a platform for knowledge exchange and collaborative learning among:
- Donors and philanthropic organizations
- Local and international development implementers
- Government representatives and policymakers
- Academics and researchers
- NGO representatives
- Development practitioners
Event 1: Impact Evaluation of Social Protection Programs
About This Event:
In an extension of the successful collaborations between the Egyptian Food Bank’s (EFB) Growth Lab, The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), and the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development (SFSD), launched “Bridging Evidence and Policy” seminar series. Aiming to highlight evidence from ongoing development programs in Egypt and regionally, the series establishes crucial links pf evidence inform policy. The launch event showcased evidence and insights from key studies designed to evaluate social protection programs through rigorous research and randomized control impact evaluations.
Key Speakers: View speakers’ bio here
- E. Nevine El-Kabbaj – Minister of Social Solidarity
- KhaledEl Attar, Vice Minister, Ministry of Communication, and Information Technology
- Kibrom Abay – Egypt Country Program Leader, IFPRI
- Ahmed El Sayed – Executive Director, J-PAL MENA
- Ragui Assaad – Economic Research Forum
Resources Available:
- Event recording, photo album, slides and media: https://egyptssp.ifpri.info/2023/04/12/launch-event-evidence-based-social-protection-programing/
- SFSD Blog: https://sawirisfoundation.org/blogs/bridging-evidence-and-policy-bep-seminar-series-launch-event-impact-evaluation-of-social-protection-programs/
- Event Full Page: https://www.ifpri.org/event/launch-event-impact-evaluation-social-protection-programs/
Media Coverage:
Event 2: Targeting in Development Projects
About This Event:
An interactive roundtable discussion bringing together diverse experiences on targeting eligible beneficiaries in governmental and non-profit development programs. The session, in the format of an interactive roundtable discussion, brought together diverse experiences. Representatives from the government, philanthropic organizations, intergovernmental multilateral organizations, and local NGOs will share targeting approaches, challenges, and lessons learned to answer questions around: Targeting Objectives, Perception and Acceptance of Targeting, Improving and Measuring Targeting, and Tradeoffs between speed and accuracy.
Key Speakers:
- Sherine Al-Shawarby – Professor of Economics, Cairo University
- Mai Mahmoud – PhD Candidate, Tufts Fletcher School
Resources Available:
Drawing from the multidisciplinary insights shared by participants, this session produced a policy note summarizing the discussion points around targeting in development projects.
What This Publication Covers:
- Different targeting methodologies in development programs
- Challenges in identifying eligible beneficiaries
- Lessons learned from Egyptian development projects
- Practical recommendations for implementers
- Event Page for slides: https://egyptssp.ifpri.info/2023/09/20/bep-seminar-series-roundtable-discussion-targeting-in-development-projects-approaches-challenges-and-lessons-learned/
- Policy Note: Targeting in development projects in Egypt: Approaches, challenges, and lessons learned
Event 3: Crises and Response in MENA Region
About This Event:
This seminar addressed developmental policy making within a spectrum of new and often complex state of compounding crises, highlighting key lessons of emergency response, relief and programmatic recovery. Planning for conflict, ecological, and developmental risks require a set of practices and know-how to be able to build resilience across the region. This third event in the series brought together leading practitioners and academics to learn, to highlight, and to mainstream developmental work and unique practices in response to and recovery from crisis.
Key Speakers:
- Raffaele Bertini – Economic Affairs Officer, UNESCWA
- Sebastian Herwig – Senior External Relations Officer, UNHCR
- Ayman Omar – Senior Program Officer, FAO
- Adeeb Qasem – Director of Economic Development Initiatives, HSA Group, Yemen
Resources Available:
- Event Page & slides: https://egyptssp.ifpri.info/2024/03/14/crises-and-response-development-humanitarian-aid-in-middle-east-north-africa-mena/
- Event Summary Blog: https://egyptssp.ifpri.info/2024/05/01/bridging-evidence-and-policy-bep-seminar-series-crises-and-response-development-and-humanitarian-in-the-mena/
Event 4: Double Burden of Malnutrition in Egypt: Malnutrition, Hunger, and the Egyptian Public Nutritional Health
About This Event:
Egypt is among the countries confronting the simultaneous challenge of both undernutrition and over nutrition. Approximately 40% of Egyptian adults are obese, while around 18% of children under the age of 5 are obese and 22% are stunted (impaired growth, short for their age). This co-existence of multiple forms of malnutrition is known as the double burden of malnutrition, a compounding issue for Egyptian public health & safety. This session focused on examining key challenges, policy solutions, and research opportunities related to both undernutrition and obesity. Discussions focused on the social determinants of health that exacerbate malnutrition in vulnerable communities, including access to nutritious foods, healthcare, early childhood development, poverty, education, and geographic disparities. It also analyzed the contributing factors to the double burden of malnutrition, such as food systems and environments, public health interventions, and overall consumption preferences and diets in Egypt.
Key Speakers:
- Sahar Zaghloul – Professor Emeritus, National Nutrition Institute (See video)
- Nafisa Eid – National Nutrition Institute (See video)
Key Challenges Identified:
- Infrastructure gaps affecting healthy food accessibility
- Policy and research strategy fragmentation
- Aggressive advertising environment negatively impacting consumer behavior
- Inefficient nutrition education programs
- Economic factors as major drivers of malnutrition
The session produced a crucial policy brief carrying key messages from parliamentarians, researchers, and development practitioners. Recommended solutions include raising nutrition literacy, transitioning from food subsidies to vouchers, improving nutrition services infrastructure, taxing unhealthy foods, and fortifying staple foods. Participants called for continued dialogue between researchers and policymakers.
Event 5: Climate-Smart Agriculture and Development
About This Event:
Building on the success of these previous sessions, this 5th BEP event delved into the critical intersection of climate-smart agriculture and development practices in Egypt. This roundtable discussion aimed to gather experts and practitioners to explore how practices such as forecasting, real-time monitoring and agro-innovation within climate-smart approaches can be effectively integrated into broader food systems, development strategies to enhance resilience, ensure food security and promote sustainable human development in the face of a changing climate.
Resources Available:
- Event Page: https://egyptssp.ifpri.info/2025/04/17/bep-seminar-series-climate-smart-agriculture-and-development-practices-in-egypt/
- Media Coverage: Featured in Egyptian Gazette
- Livestream: Available for viewing
Event 6: Early Childhood Development, Nutrition and Women’s Employment
About This Event:
While women’s childcare work is undervalued in national GDP accounting, early childhood remains a critical stage in human development that shapes the trajectory for individuals’ health, learning, and overall wellbeing throughout their lives. Featuring Her Excellency Dr. Maya Morsi Minister of Social Solidarity, this seminar brings together completed and emerging research on drivers of women’s employment and time use on the one hand with research and policy discussion regarding early childhood nutrition, nurseries, breastfeeding, and early childhood education.
Stay tuned for more info.
