Government expenditure on social protection during the past 8 years stood at EGP 2 trillion: Planning Minister

H.E. Dr. Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, participated recently in the high-level side event held this year on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
The event came under the title "Leadership to reduce multidimensional poverty to ensure prosperity for all" within the Oxford University initiative to confront poverty and achieve human development.



 The initiative witnessed the presence of President Muhammadu Buhari, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and many heads of state and government.
During her speech, El-Said explained that the world was able to achieve great progress in combating poverty and achieving human development, following up that the Corona crisis, in addition to the effects of geopolitical conflicts, led to the reversal of many of the gains that had been achieved.


El-Said added that to redefine the positive path, effective political measures must be taken, explaining that the multidimensional poverty indicators play a pivotal role in this context, as they serve as an essential tool for follow-up and accountability.


 El-Said added that the use of multidimensional poverty indicators as part of broader efforts to promote a culture of evidence-based policy-making is of particular importance for developing countries.


El-Said affirmed the Egyptian government's commitment to achieving the economic, social, and technological progress of the Egyptian state, adding that this was reflected in Egypt's ambitious vision for 2030, which represents the national version of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.



Dr. Hala El-Said pointed to the increase in government spending on social protection, as the total spending on social protection programs during the past eight years since the fiscal year 2014/2015 amounted to about EGP 2 trillion, which represents an increase of 95% compared to the total spending in the previous eight years.

 El-Said confirmed that Egypt was able to take quick steps in the face of the recent crises, by expanding the social protection network and providing packages of conditional cash transfers.



El-Said also referred to the Decent Life initiative launched by the Egyptian government as an ambitious project to address multidimensional poverty and transform the lives of more than 50 million Egyptians in 4,500 villages, constituting about half of the total population, making it an unprecedented initiative in terms of its coverage and scope of financing.


 El-Said pointed out that the project seeks to achieve the first goal of the sustainable development goals, "Eradicating Poverty," explaining that the comprehensive and sustainable nature of the initiative makes it address all 17 SDGs.



El-Said added that in support of human development programs, the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, in a fruitful partnership with J-PAL, launched the Egyptian Impact Measurement Laboratory to promote evidence-based policies and improve development outcomes in Egypt.



El-Said stressed the need for cooperation to reach a world free of poverty, explaining the need for an evidence-based policy-making process, which was developed from accurate data that has been carefully collected.