Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Hala El-Said, met recently with Senior Adviser to the International Labour Organization (ILO) and Director-General for Africa and Arab States, Yasser Hassan, to discuss current cooperation programmes between the ministry and organisation.
During the meeting on Saturday, El-Said covered proposals to amend Egypt’s labour law, and strengthen the work of the relevant ministerial coordination committees.
She stressed that a national strategy to promote the integration of the informal sector into the formal economy is vital, particularly for the inclusion of informal employment in social protection programmes.
The minister added that a database on informal workers eligible for state support has been compiled.
“Several standards were established for them [informal employees], and they have, in fact, received an informal employment grant,” El-Said explained.
The minister also pointed out the need for a strategic employment framework in which decent job opportunities are created and provided according to international standards.
She also stressed the importance of linking the joint work programme, which has been set up between the ministry and the organisation, to the ministry’s efforts in settling the sustainable development goals (SDGs) across Egypt.
During the meeting, El-Said also reviewed Egypt’s efforts to improve working conditions, and to enhance social dialogue with Egyptian labour unions.
Last year, the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development and the ILO held discussions to launch a two-year joint work programme to run in the period from January 2020 to January 2022.
Discussions between the two sides continued, despite the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, to update the proposed joint work programme.
