The Ministry of Local Development will sign a cooperation agreement with the United Nation’s World Food Program (WFP), to support the country’s most vulnerable families through the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Minister of Local Development Mahmoud Shaarawy, ordered on Wednesday, that a framework be quickly developed and implemented for cooperation with the WFP. The move is to provide support and social protection for the most vulnerable citizens, particularly in Upper Egypt, most badly affected by the virus.
Shaarawy said that a protocol will be signed with the WFP to provide a range of urgent assistance for groups who have been economically affected by the measures taken to curb the spread of the virus. The framework will be working particularly with those in the neediest villages targeted by President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s initiative “Decent Life.”
He added the ministry will start supporting about 101 villages in Assiut, Sohag and Qena. Irregular and seasonal workers, daily workers and those who are unable to pay loans to the local development fund will also be supported by the ministry.
The Ministry of Local Development will focus on those who are not covered by other government or civil society initiatives. The move is to achieve integration and coordination between the efforts made by various state institutions and ministries.
