CAIRO, Oct 24 (IPS) – In a major transfer to deal with the challenges confronted by folks with disabilities and the aged, six Egyptian parliamentary committees met in Cairo on October 12 to debate nationwide methods and legislative efforts.
The Discussion board of Arab Parliamentarians on Inhabitants and Growth and the Asian Inhabitants and Growth Affiliation (APDA), with assist from the United Nations Inhabitants Fund (UNFPA) and the Authorities of Japan, organized the assembly with the main target of aligning Egypt’s insurance policies with the Sustainable Growth Objectives (SDGs).
Roughly 1.2 million folks with disabilities at the moment obtain state help, whereas Egypt’s aged inhabitants continues to develop. In keeping with the Central Company for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), 10.64 p.c of Egyptians have a incapacity, and the aged inhabitants reached 9.3 million in 2024, representing 8.8 p.c of the full inhabitants—4.6 million males (8.5 p.c) and 4.7 million girls (9.2 p.c). The parliamentary committees convened to reinforce assist for these susceptible teams.
Dr. Abdelhadi Al-Qasabi, Chairman of the Committee on Social Solidarity, Household, and Folks with Disabilities, emphasised latest legislative developments. He identified that Egypt has handed necessary laws, such because the Aged Care Regulation in 2024 and the Regulation on the Rights of Individuals with Disabilities in 2018, to safeguard these susceptible teams. He underlined that these legal guidelines present the state’s adherence to the Egyptian Structure, which upholds everybody’s proper to a dignified life free from discrimination.
“Egypt has made vital strides by adopting insurance policies and legal guidelines that shield and empower folks with disabilities and the aged,” acknowledged Al-Qasabi. “We goal to make sure they don’t seem to be solely recipients of assist however contributors to the nation’s progress.”
The “Karama” program of the Egyptian authorities, which gives monetary assist to these with impairments, was the main target of the gathering. Egypt’s Minister of Social Solidarity, Dr. Maya Morsy, famous that this system, which has an annual funds of about 10 billion Egyptian kilos, at the moment serves 1.2 million folks with 1.3 million built-in companies playing cards distributed to make entry to social companies and healthcare simpler.
“We’re dedicated to making sure that folks with disabilities obtain their built-in companies playing cards inside 30 days, enhancing their entry to very important sources.”
Morsy emphasised the Aged Care Regulation, which assures these over 65 have higher entry to social, financial, and healthcare companies. “We goal to create an setting the place the aged can reside independently, free from abuse or exploitation, whereas persevering with to contribute to society,” she instructed the viewers.
Dr. Hala Youssef, UNFPA Advisor, emphasised the necessity for worldwide cooperation in assembly the SDGs and guaranteeing that nobody falls behind.
“Parliamentarians play a strategic function in making a legislative framework that addresses the wants of probably the most susceptible,” Youssef added. “Innovation and expertise could be highly effective instruments for inclusion, offering folks with disabilities entry to training, employment, and social participation on an equal footing.”
Youssef went on to emphasise disturbing international figures, stating that 46 p.c of seniors over 60 have some kind of handicap and that individuals with disabilities had been among the many hardest struck throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Youngsters with disabilities are 4 instances extra more likely to expertise violence than their friends, whereas adults with disabilities face greater dangers of abuse and exploitation,” Youssef stated, urging a stronger dedication to defending their rights.
Dr. Sami Hashim, head of the Committee on Schooling and Scientific Analysis, careworn the mixing of people with disabilities within the academic system. He emphasised that, particularly within the age of synthetic intelligence, training should be adaptable, inclusive, and forward-thinking.
“Our training system should not solely educate information however put together people for achievement in an more and more technological world,” stated Hashim. “That is notably necessary for college students with disabilities, who ought to have entry to the instruments and alternatives that may enable them to thrive.”
The discussion board emphasised the vital want for nationwide and worldwide collaboration to construct inclusive, egalitarian communities, on condition that 80% of the one billion individuals with disabilities worldwide reside in growing nations and that the variety of older folks in want of help is rising.
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