The minister of Social Solidarity, the head of the Executive Office of the Council of Arab ministers of Social Affairs, and the attendees witnessed a documentary film about the relief efforts of the Egyptian Red Crescent in the Gaza Strip, as well as a film about the role of the fund to combat and treat addiction, in addition to showing a documentary film about the services provided by the Ministry of social solidarity for the elderly, and reviewed the activities of the Ministry of youth and sports.
The minister of social solidarity, head of the Executive Office of the Council of Arab ministers of Social Affairs, opened her speech by welcoming the attendees in the Arab Republic of Egypt, and Mr. Osama bin Saleh Al-Alawi, Minister of social development of the kingdom of Bahrain, who was keen to participate in this event, which is organized under the auspices of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, president of the Arab Republic of Egypt, under the title “giving continues”, within the framework of declaring 2024 the year of the elderly and the issuance of the law on the care of the rights of the elderly.
Dr. Maya Morsi stressed that the elderly are the firm roots that provide us with wisdom, and the hands that contributed to building the nation, and they are not just ages ago, but hearts that beat with experiences, and minds that carry the treasures of the past and hope for the future, as the political leadership in Egypt dealt with the care of the elderly as a national and humanitarian priority, and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the president of the Republic, launched the National Human Rights strategy in September 2021, which listed the rights of the elderly within the third axis under the title of promoting the human rights of women, children, people with disabilities, youth, the elderly, and he declared a year ٢٠٢٤ a year to honor the elderly and His Excellency kindly took care of this year.
The minister of social solidarity explained that through the efforts of the Ministry of social solidarity, Egypt is moving steadily towards empowering our elders, through social protection, psychological support, and community integration, to emphasize that giving has no age, and that dignity remains a reserved right for every citizen in this country, pointing out that the Ministry of social solidarity provides support to the elderly, as the number of beneficiaries of the “Karama” program is 546 thousand elderly: EGP 3.36 billion, the ministry also provides a خصم % discount on public transport for those who have reached the age of 65, and a full exemption for those who have reached the age of 70.the ministry oversees 175 homes for the elderly that provide social, health and recreational services, there are 191 elderly clubs that serve 56,000 members, and 28 physiotherapy centers that provide rehabilitation services, and the ministry is working to integrate the elderly into society as an inseparable fabric from all of Egypt.
The ministry also launched the Amal life and golden age initiatives, participation in the geniuses program, performing Umrah rituals, resorts, and organizing sports, artistic and cultural competitions.the ministry also launched the Rafik al-maseen project to provide home care, with training young people to provide the necessary support and in order to enhance community care.
Dr. Maya Morsi pointed out that the Ministry of social solidarity of the Arab Republic of Egypt, through its chairmanship of the Executive Office of the Council of Arab ministers of Social Affairs, confirms its keenness to implement the Arab Strategy for the elderly approved by the Arab summit in the Republic of Tunisia in 2019, which aims in general that by 2029, older people of both sexes should live well in an inclusive environment and enjoy their full rights to quality services in the social and health fields and their right to full participation without any form of exclusion or discrimination.
The Ministry of social solidarity is also keen to implement the Arab Strategy for voluntary work, which was also approved by the Arab Summit, where Egypt is interested in exchanging experiences in this field.the Egyptian Red Crescent has played a major role in providing social and humanitarian support to the brothers in Gaza and all Arab countries that need support, especially at this difficult stage, which many countries in the region are going through.
Dr. Maya Morsi paid a special tribute to the Egyptian Red Crescent for the role it plays in North Sinai, saying :” I feel proud that we are mobilizing food and relief supplies for our people in the Gaza Strip and implementing the directives of the political leadership to intensify aid efforts, as more than 1,500 Red Crescent volunteers in North Sinai are providing all Relief Services and psychological support, and this effort has not stopped since the outbreak of the crisis, as we stood during the recent visit to North Sinai in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health and population on the efforts of the Egyptian Red Crescent to introduce humanitarian relief assistance to the Gaza Strip”.
She explained that in light of the directives of His Excellency Mr. President, I helped the Arab Republic of Egypt, a number of aid convoys were sent to our people in the Gaza Strip, and to facilitate the arrival of aid from our brothers in the Arab countries, which were equipped and worked on by the Egyptian Red Crescent of food, relief and medical assistance.
The minister of Social Solidarity announced her Agreement and confirmation of the proposal made by Ambassador Dr. Haifa Abu-Ghazaleh on holding a joint meeting between the Council of Arab ministers of Social Affairs and the Council of Arab ministers of youth and sports to implement the Arab Strategy for volunteer work in cooperation with partners in this field, and coordination with Dr. Ashraf Sobhi, Minister of youth and sports and in his capacity as head of the Executive Office of the Council of Arab ministers of youth and sports, as well as coordination with the Technical Secretariat of the Council of Arab ministers of Social Affairs to organize joint events in this important field.
At the end of her speech, the minister of social solidarity again thanked Mr. Osama bin Saleh Al-Alawi, Minister of social development of the kingdom of Bahrain for his keenness to participate in this celebration, as well as thanks to all the gentlemen present
