Strengthening Social Protection In Egypt

With Focus on Rural Areas

IFPRI – 28 Feb 2017

HEADING TOWARDS SOCIAL INCLUSION

The plan is to set aside nearly 15% of savings from subsidy reforms for social investments including: • Safety net programs• Targeted food subsidy• Free health insurance for the poor• Improving basic services especially in poor villages• Other social programs to mitigate economic risks and

alleviate poverty.

DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL SAFETY NET

The Ministry of Social Solidarity (MOSS) is mandated to reform the Social Safety Net and expand its coverage, with a long-term plan to reach 3.5 million poor HHs with emphasis on building effective targeting and efficient systems.

ASPECTS OF IMPROVING SOCIAL PROTECTION SYSTEMS IN EGYPT

1. Conditionality: exerting all efforts to invest in children and fulfill their basic rights (health, education, nutrition and protection).

2. Automation: developing electronic data base on poorest HH & SP groups, to enhance transparency and potential corruption.

3. Integrated Systems: coordination between government services to boost collective efforts & maximize all services to citizens.

4. Wider Outreach: ensure that remote and deprived areas and to people who lack knowledge about their social rights.

5. Verification & Grievance: improve these measures to build trust and accountability and to ensure eligibility.

6. Limited period of CC: limiting support to only 3 years liable for revision to needy families, but to empower “abled” people and seek income-generation opportunities.

CASH TRANSFER ELIGIBILITYTakaful is a family income support program to families with children (0-18 years), and is aimed to produce human development outcomes, specially nutrition, maternal and child health, and school enrolment and retention.

Karama is a social inclusion program to persons, specifically the elderly 65+ and the disabled who cannot work, and is aimed to provide social protection and decent life for the most vulnerable persons. It also includes orphans (0-18) who are living outside institutions and are whose caretakers are their extended family members.

Social Pension is a support to poor single women above 50 years, HH without children and students 18-26 till they finish their studies.

SOCIAL PROTECTION MEASURES

6

Prevention (Insurance): aims to avoid risks and ensure the basic needs of the HH, especially the poorest and most needy. (life cycle approach).

Mitigation (assistance and care): aims at reducing the risk of sudden impact and interventions are often linked to certain time limit or conditions like severe social conditions or environmental conditions such as disasters.

Protection (Cash & In-Kind Transfer): strengthening safety networks such as cash and in-kind transfer, as well as improvement of social services.

Empowerment (Employment & income generation): training, referral to employment opportunities and income generation to improve living standards.

7

Social Protection Intervention Beneficiary Group

 Cash Transfer

• Takaful cash transfer

• Social Pension cash transfer

• HH under poverty line• Youth above 18 to

continue education• Women above 50 & do

not have funding source for living.

• Karama Cash Transfer • Elderly, PwD & Orphans

  

Child Protection

• Protection of children & women especially in health

• Children 0-18 years• Reproductive health

• School feeding to reduce drop out & improve health and nutrition

• Children from 4-12 years

Emergency &Risk Mitigation

• Emergency & Crisis• Water connections

• All affected HH• Infrastructure develpmt

• Social protection for & till recovery

• People who have substance abuse

Social Insurance • Contributory social pension • Workers

Employment • Rehab., training and employment

• Persons above 65 years• Unemployed

MULTIPLE LEVELS OF VERIFICATION

1. Verification on site – completion of data.

2. Electronic verification (insurance, Soc. Assistance, travel..)

3. Verification through Social Units Head and staff.

4 .Verification through Social Accountability Committees.

5. Verification through field visits (5-7%).

ACHIEVEMENTS OF “T&K” PROGRAM

1. Completion of targeting tools and of system automation.2. 7000 social workers & researchers had their capacities developed on

surveying poor families and filling questionnaires.3. Launched the program in 27 Governorates including all districts & villages.4. A total of 2,5 million HH (11,2 million HH individuals). Total of 1,2 million

(5,4 million individuals) were primarily accepted out of which 73,000 were stopped).

5. Developed verification and grievance mechanisms. Verification stopped 8-10% for their ineligibility. 61,000 Grievances were received and dealt with.

6. Started developing social accountability committees to enhance collective responsibility.

7. Formed T&K Ambassadors from media people to raise community awareness.

TREND OF TKP’S ENROLLMENT2015-2016

Mar, 2015 Jun, 2015 Sep, 2015 Dec, 2015 Mar, 2016 Jun, 2016 Sep, 2016 Dec, 2016

90,603 133,657201,638

396,895

897,000

1,485,323

1,776,532

2,211,603

53,154 63,880 123,638 165,707

506,502

706,297

941,256

1,209,203

Registered

Enrolled

DISTRIBUTION OF TKP’S ENROLLED BENEFICIARIES BY TYPE

1,126,957(93%)

67,470(6%)

14,559(1.2%)

217(0.02%)

Takaful BeneficiariesKarama Disabled BeneficiariesKarama Elderly BeneficiariesKarana Disabled&Elderly Beneficiaries

12

96.5% Of villages have drinking water networks, but frequently suffer from water cuts.69.8% of villages lack sewage networks, and 47.5% of those who have suffer from irregular clogging in the networks.81.8% of the villages have no secondary schools, 15% do not have preparatory schools, and 3.7% do not have primary schools.69.7% of the villages have health units, 60.2% have private doctors’ clinics, and 51.5% by family planning centers.49% of the buildings in these villages suffer from water intrusion due to the construction on agricultural land.89.8% suffer from the absence of any fire points.

Source: CAPMAS, 2015

WHY WE NEED TO INTENSIFY SP IN RURAL AREAS

WHY WE NEED TO INTENSIFY SP IN RURAL AREAS

13

Social Security: 57.4% of the population live in rural areas, and thus there is an urgent need to reduce all existing types of disparities.

Economic growth: the importance of agriculture as a source of food, as a sector that absorbs mass labor force, and as a source of raw materials for manufacturing and industry.

Potential areas of development: opportunities to develop agro-industry, agro-economy and recycling of agricultural products.

Political stability and national security: The social protection of citizens and fulfilling their basic needs contribute to strengthening social contract and to increasing participation in public life.

Protection and not reaction: ideal safety nets do not protect the poor only in times of need, but they also form an integral part of the development process.

SOCIAL PROTECTION IN RURAL AREAS

14

Social Protection In rural areas is mainly correlated with:• Provide inputs for agricultural production (seeds,

fertilizers, …)• Productive asset transfer• Subsidized commodities• The existence of a regulated and fair system of

agricultural leases• The provision of basic services such as health and

education at affordable prices• Improvement of infrastructure: roads, sanitation, clean

water.. Etc,• Cash transfer• Cash for Work

CHALLENGES FOR INTEGRATED SOCIAL PROTECTION IN RURAL AREAS

15

• Lack of automation of agricultural services• Poor technology and IT support• Lack of information and of knowledge hubs• Limited capacities at the bottom level• Weak governance systems• Scattered possessions and resistance to innovative

integration strategies.• Image of women and limited role for her in public life• Overpopulation• Prevailing illiteracy

DRIVING FORCES TOWARDS SUCCESS

1. Budgeting social protection program as a whole from the state budget, within the context of national economic reform and heading towards social justice.

2. Social Justice Committee and its positive role towards having an integrated social protection program driven by relevant ministries.

3. Readiness of non-government entities to positively collaborate (NGOs, parliament members, Governors, media).

4. Developing Unified National Registry on national basis.

5. Integrating community workers to promote awareness on social protection and economic empowerment issues.

6. Developing Unified National Registry on national basis.

7. Focusing on community participation and mobilizing public accountability, thus community as actors not receptors.

8. Building trust between state and society.

Equitable development and Social Justice….

Towards the change for the “Egypt” we want.