Egyptian politicians put forward proposals on consolidating social protection

CAIRO – 16 May 2023: Representatives of political parties presented Tuesday at the National Dialogue sessions their visions on enhancing social protection and eradicating poverty.

Representative of Dostor Party Riham al-Gazar suggested establishing an authority for managing pensions and social insurance that is independent from the Ministry of Social Solidarity. That is in addition to amending the social insurance law.

The politician also urged eliminating the root causes of poverty, as the government just provides subsidies, whose function is the alleviation of its impact.

In that context, Representative of Wafd Party Hatem Banna suggested establishing a unit for microfinancing in order to create jobs, and help existing micro businesses to be part of the formal sector.

Simultaneously, Representative of the Democratic Generation Party Monica William urged redefining the categories of below poverty line and marginalized, given the current price hikes. She also stressed the necessity of subsidizing public transportation tickets for citizens who do not own cars.

On another level, Chairman of Life Makers Foundation Ahmed Mousa suggested recruiting volunteers to raise awareness on various issues, such as overpopulation, illiteracy, and water rationalization, after providing them with the necessary training.