Tuesday, September 22nd, 2020
3:00 PM to 4:00 PM (EET)
Virtual Event
The IFPRI-Egypt Seminar Series is part of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded project called “Evaluating Impact and Building Capacity” (EIBC) that is implemented by IFPRI. The seminar supports USAID’s Agribusiness for Rural Development and Increasing Incomes (ARDII) project’s objectives.
"COVID-19 and social protection: from effective crisis protection to self-reliance"
The economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are increasing poverty around the world. As one of the key immediate policy responses to cushion the negative impacts of COVID-19 on the most vulnerable, many governments have expanded their social safety nets.
The Egyptian government has also made use of its existing programs by increasing the number of Takaful and Karama beneficiaries by 100,000 households and by identifying 1.5 million informal workers to receive cash payments. At the same time, it is crucial to ensure the sustainability of cash transfer programs like Takaful by creating a pathway for current beneficiaries to exit poverty and leave space in the program for new households.
The FORSA program currently being designed by the Ministry of Social Solidarity is modeled on a graduation approach that aims to move current Takaful beneficiaries towards self-reliance while also moving youth, women, and other beneficiaries from informal work into formal sector jobs, in which they are expected to be more resilient in the future. This webinar shed light on global social protection responses to COVID-19 and how the FORSA program can enhance the sustainability of the social safety nets in Egypt.
Speakers:
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| Dan Gilligan, Deputy Division Director, IFPRI |
Nahla Zeitoun, Senior Social Protection Specialist, World Bank Group |
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See Slides |
| Atef ElShabrawy, Advisor to the Ministry of Social Solidarity & Director of FORSA Program, Ministry of Social Solidarity |
Heba ElLaithy, Professor, Cairo University |
Moderator:
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| Sikandra Kurdi, Research Fellow, IFPRI |
