WASHINGTON, D.C. - Earlier this morning, USAID's Special Assistant to the Middle East, George Laudato, Former USAID Administrator, Peter McPherson, and Egypt Embassy Counselor, Motaz Zahran, joined more than 100 members of the diaspora and global health communities to launch USAID Egypt's Health and Population Legacy Report.

The report covers the remarkable 32 year history of USAID's partnership with the Egyptian people resulting in significant health improvements in Egypt. The review outlines ten core areas of success, highlighting declines in maternal mortality by more than 50 percent and in infant mortality by more than 70 percent. It concludes with lessons learned from USAID's work in Egypt that will help to benefit other donors and countries.

"Duration, funding levels, and staffing were key elements to building the successful and highly productive Egypt-USAID partnership in health," said Laudato. "Because USAID/Egypt was a reliable partner with the Ministry of Health and Population over a 32-year period, it allowed not only for introducing new programs, but also for seeing them through various stages of program evolution. The commitment to improving health over the decades helped ensure that programs were implemented on a large enough scale to achieve significant impact."

"The emergence of a new political order in Egypt sets the stage for even greater improvements in the lives of Egyptians," says U.S. Ambassador to Egypt, Margaret Scobey. "The accomplishments, the institutional strengthening, the data and policy analysis, and - most important - the many new Egyptian health professionals and leaders, are a solid platform from which to launch new initiatives and innovations of many kinds. In the Egyptian health sector, the past can inform the future."

To view the report, please visit: transition.usaid.gov/where-we-work/middle-east/egypt