Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly praised, on Tuesday, President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s recent visit to France, adding that it will enhance cooperation between both countries.
During the Cabinet’s weekly video conference meeting, Madbouly said that President Al-Sisi delivered several significant messages during his joint press conference, held on Monday at the Elysee Palace in Paris, with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. The most important of these messages were: the human rights file; the current regional crises; and the efforts made by the Egyptian state to create a better future for its people.
Moreover, Madbouly said that the results on spending and consumption during 2020, recently announced by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), reveal a decline in Egypt’s poverty rates.
The Prime Minister said that this decline is a reflection of the state’s efforts on a number of files, including social protection and employment.
He added that this indicates that the government is working along the right lines, and asserted the need to continue implementing social protection programmes. It also entails the continued implementation of national development projects that provide millions of new job opportunities for Egypt’s youth.
During the Cabinet meeting, Minister of Health and Population Hala Zayed reviewed the government measures taken to combat the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, as well as the latest global developments regarding the health crisis.
According to World Health Organization (WHO) instructions, there are four measures that can be taken to put an end to the pandemic, build up the post-coronavirus world. Zayed said that these include investing in vaccines, and ensuring preparedness to prevent the next pandemic from occurring.
The WHO also recommended ensuring that investments are made to develop global health systems, with the world already spending $7.5trn on health every year.
Zayed also presented Egypt’s weekly infection rates across different governorates, explaining that 23% of internal beds are occupied, while 56% of intensive care unit (ICU) beds and 30% of ventilators are occupied.
She added that her ministry has applied to the global initiative, COVAX, to obtain COVID-19 vaccines, and that an expanded meeting will be held with the coalition.
Furthermore, the Egyptian Cabinet approved a draft decree by President Al-Sisi on signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for joint cooperation between the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations World Food Program (UNWFP).
The MoU aims to achieve sustainable development, and humanitarian goals through conducting dialogue on policies and transferring knowledge between the African countries.
The Cabinet has also approved a draft law amending the Education Law. The amendment stipulates that the final grades of secondary school students will be calculated based on the grades obtained during the three years of secondary school education. The amendment also allows students to repeat exams in order to enhance their grade.
