c) Recent years have also seen the appointment of the first female national security adviser to the President of the Republic, along with the appointment of six female ministers, heading the ministries of international cooperation and investment, planning and administrative reform, social solidarity, migration and Egyptians overseas affairs, culture and tourism. This has increased the percentage of female appointees in ministerial positions from 15 percent to 20 percent. This period also saw the appointment of the first female deputy governor of the Central Bank, the first female governor and four female deputy governors, along with the appointment of women to serve as mayors in some villages and to the deanship of a number of universities’ colleges. Meanwhile, Egypt currently has 66 female judges, as well as women serving in various senior positions in other judicial bodies. d) Up to the end of 2017, at least 449,062 free national ID cards had been issued to women and disabled girls in different governorates under the "Your Card, Your Rights" program, which promotes women's political participation and the empowerment of their economic and social rights, and ensures that women and families benefit from government services and guarantees and various forms of support. e) The government, in cooperation with the National Council for Women, has launched several initiatives and projects to increase the political empowerment of women, including the development of a database for women aspiring to run in upcoming local council elections, with a total of 10,000 female candidates running in these elections in 2017. Eighty-two awareness sessions have been held to date in 400 centers in governorates across Egypt targeting 12,389 citizens, to encourage women to participate strongly in the upcoming local elections as candidates or voters. f) Holding training courses to build the capacity of 300 rural leaders in the field of rural women's awareness of women's rights. g) Updating and extending the ‘Government Initiatives and Partnership Program’ grant agreement with the United States, including the human rights component, which aims to strengthen the capacity of the National Council for Women to update and adapt policies. 2. Social, health and cultural empowerment of women: A. The Civil Service Law No. 81 of 2016 grants each female employee unpaid maternity leave per child for a maximum period of two years at a time and a maximum of six years in the 58