A dialogue session at the Population Conference reveals new strategies for achieving social justice and comprehensive growth
Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health and Population, witnessed an important dialogue session entitled “Beyond Income Inequality: Recalibrating Growth Strategies for Stronger and More Inclusive Social Protection Systems,” during the activities of the World Conference on Population and Health. And development in its second edition, held from October 21 to 25, 2024 under the patronage of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, under the slogan “Human development for a sustainable future.”
This comes The session is part of efforts to strengthen policies aimed at achieving a more equitable distribution of resources, which contributes to reducing economic gaps and enhancing social justice. It also highlights the importance of reformulating growth strategies to enable various segments of society to benefit from education, health care and economic opportunities available, in a manner consistent with With the goals of Egypt Vision 2030.
Dr. Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, the official spokesman for the Ministry of Health and Population, explained that re-evaluating growth strategies contributes to enhancing human development and helps identify constraints that hinder social protection systems, adding that the session discussed how to link Between inequality data and social protection in innovative ways.
In her speech, Dr. Maya Morsi, Minister of Social Solidarity, expressed her appreciation for participating in this session, which coincides with the 30th anniversary of the 1994 Cairo International Conference, and noted that The current conference includes an elite of decision-makers and leaders of international organizations, to serve as another prominent step in the fields of population, health and human development.
She stressed that Egypt has realized the importance of linking economic progress and social justice, as government initiatives focus on expanding… Scope of access to basic services such as health care and education, which helps empower individuals to break the cycle of poverty.
Morsi noted that the Egyptian Constitution and Egypt Vision 2030 have paid special attention to human development, and a deputy prime minister has been appointed for the first time To follow up on this file, she added that President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi launched three major development programs, which are the “Decent Life” initiative, the National Family Development Program, and the “Bedaya” initiative. For human development, all of which aim to improve the quality of life and develop infrastructure.
The Minister confirmed that the Ministry of Social Solidarity has a strong targeting methodology for the most needy groups, such as the conditional cash support program “Solidarity and Dignity”, which has social protection interventions. A pivotal program designed to support the most needy population groups, by providing financial assistance while promoting human development at the same time. The Takaful program targets families with children under the age of 18, and provides conditional cash transfers to stimulate behaviors that contribute to long-term well-being, and must Beneficiaries must meet specific conditions, such as ensuring their children go to school and receive regular health check-ups, and promoting a culture of education, health awareness and well-being; All of this represents the essence of human development.
For his part, Dr. Adel Abdul Latif, a human development expert and former Executive Director of the United Nations Development Programme, stressed the importance of reconsidering growth strategies in order to strengthen social protection systems, and stressed that These systems represent a right for every individual in accordance with Egypt’s Vision 2030.
Dr. Iman Helmy, Chief Economist at the World Bank, added that activating comprehensive growth ensures investment in human capital and enhances individuals’ productive capabilities, noting that enabling economic growth It is the way to achieve new job opportunities.
Finally, Dr. Fekadu Terev, Specialist for Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development Programs at the United Nations Development Programme, pointed out the challenges facing the implementation of these strategies, including financial constraints and lack of institutional capacity, which enhance The need for a proactive approach to social protection and ensuring the necessary financing.
