The Ministry of Solidarity strengthens paths for social protection and economic empowerment locally and internationally

Social protection has become an irreplaceable path if we want to build stable societies capable of facing rapid social and economic transformations. Therefore, Egypt moved on this path by building its national vision – Egypt Vision 2030 – with its axes that are based on social, economic and environmental dimensions.

To achieve this national vision, Dr. Maya Morsi, “Minister of Social Solidarity,” is leading continuous movements linking support and empowerment, through partnerships and initiatives that invest in people and expand opportunities for participation and production.

This is because social protection shapes the comprehensive development path, and this is through the combination of economic justice and human capacity building. Hence, the recent activity of the Ministry of Social Solidarity, led by Dr. Maya Morsi, reveals an integrated approach that combines expanding the umbrella of social protection and empowering women economically, in addition to supporting the most vulnerable groups.

Egyptian-Serbian cooperation to empower women

As part of her international movements to achieve social protection, Dr. Maya Morsi met with Ms. Tanjana Makura, “Minister of Gender Equality, Prevention of Violence against Women, and Economic and Political Empowerment of Women of the Republic of Serbia,” on the sidelines of her participation in the Ankara meetings on child protection in the digital environment.

The meeting witnessed a discussion of the prospects for cooperation between Egypt and Serbia in the files of social protection, services provided to the elderly, and economic empowerment for women, where Dr. Maya Morsi reviewed the experience of the “Solidarity and Dignity” program as one of the largest conditional cash support programs in the Arab region.

“Solidarity and Dignity“Enhances social protection

Regarding the program itself, the Minister of Social Solidarity received – within the framework of the celebration of the forty-fourth anniversary of the liberation of Sinai – a detailed report on the interventions of the “Solidarity and Dignity” program in the North and South Sinai governorates, and the development efforts implemented by the Ministry to improve living conditions and invest in human capital.

The report revealed that 29,656 families in North Sinai benefited from the program, along with 4,092 families in South Sinai, with a clear focus on supporting the elderly, people with disabilities, orphans, widows, divorcees, and unmarried girls over the age of fifty.

The data also highlighted the expansion of the educational dimension within the program, whether through supporting those enrolled in literacy classes or those holding various educational qualifications, confirming that social protection has become a tool for improving the quality of life and building human capabilities.

Minya is a development model

On the other hand, during her visit to Minya Governorate, Dr. Maya Morsi followed a number of development initiatives, including the “Plant” initiative and the program to enhance citizenship values, within the framework of the Ministry’s direction towards enhancing community development within the villages and areas most in need.

In the same context, the Minister confirmed that Minya Governorate is one of the priority governorates in the Ministry’s programmes, as about half a million families benefit from the “Solidarity and Dignity” programme, praising cooperation with civil society institutions and awareness and community participation programmes.

The visit also included meetings with small farmers and their wives participating in the “Grow” initiative; With the aim of following up on success stories and challenges related to the economic empowerment of rural families, in addition to participating in a cultural symposium on human building and enhancing culture and citizenship values.

Women’s Economic Empowerment

During her participation in the closing event of the Egypt country program with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Dr. Maya Morsi confirmed that Egypt’s experience in social protection has developed into a realistic interactive model based on the transition from protection to empowerment.

The Minister stressed that women’s economic empowerment is a social issue and an economic necessity to achieve comprehensive growth, noting that the state is working to enhance financial and digital inclusion, expand the care economy, and improve women’s access to the labor market.

Addiction Patients Support Protocol

In a move that reflects the humanitarian and health dimension in social protection policies, the Minister of Social Solidarity witnessed the signing of a cooperation protocol between the Ministry, the Addiction Control and Treatment Fund, the General Administration for Drug Control, the Egyptian Red Crescent, and the General Secretariat for Mental Health. With the aim of providing integrated treatment and rehabilitation services for addiction patients who need shelter.

The protocol also aims to develop field intervention mechanisms and reach the most vulnerable cases through multidisciplinary mobile teams, while providing free examination, treatment, and psychological and social rehabilitation services in accordance with international standards.

The protocol also includes receiving reports via the Ministry of Social Solidarity’s hotline, providing primary care services and humanitarian support, in addition to detecting associated diseases and viruses and enhancing institutional coordination among the concerned authorities.

This cooperation reveals the development of the concept of social protection in Egypt, to include health, psychological and humanitarian dimensions, especially with the increase in challenges associated with synthetic drugs and behavioral disorders that require unconventional and more integrated responses.

In the end, the movements led by Dr. Maya Morsi in the Ministry of Social Solidarity appear to be a serious attempt to reformulate the idea of social protection within Egyptian society. Therefore,The Earth Guards Foundation finds this a promising opportunity to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).