Cairo – Yesterday (11), in their second day visiting Cairo, the representatives of the Brazilian Ministry of Social Development and Hunger Alleviation met with James Rawley, the manager of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) based in Egypt, and his team in order to discuss the adaptation of Brazilian social programmes to Egyptian conditions.
“They explained to us that the Egyptian government is eager to start a reform in the social area as soon as possible. This is why the UNDP representatives were glad to point out and show to the Egyptian government how badly they need to become better acquainted not only with the Brazilian programmes, but also with the path that we have travelled,” said the general manager of benefits of the Family Purse programme, Anderson Brandão.
Based on discussions with UNDP representatives and explanations of what Egypt needs in the social sphere, the members of the Brazilian ministerial delegation concluded that the country’s policies may represent opportunities for cooperation with Egypt. “As a consequence of these discussions, the members of our group are convinced that our cooperation with Egypt in the social sphere will be of great importance to society in their country,” stated Brandão. “So much so that the UN itself acknowledges that the Brazilian experience can and should be taught here in Egypt,” he added.
According to him, the best evidence of UNDP’s support to the cooperation between Egypt and Brazil in the social field is the fact that the organisation’s representative in Cairo showed his willingness to disclose the Brazilian experiences to the Egyptian government.
Late yesterday afternoon, the Brazilian delegation members were received by the Egyptian minister of Social Solidarity, Ali El-Sayed Al-Moselhy. During the meting, he sought to obtain further details about the Brazilian social programmes. According to the members of the Brazilian delegation, the minister attempted to gain in-depth understanding of the mechanisms that regulate the Brazilian plans, his main concern being the issue of human resource training for the implementation of the programmes.
The representatives of the Ministry of Social Development explained to the minister the Brazilian perspective, according to which social development is a prerequisite for economic development. “Our main concern was showing how initiatives such as income transfer, for instance, may contribute to activating and dynamizing the economy,” said Brandão.
The group members reaffirmed to Moselhy the great interest that Brazil has in strengthening its cooperation with Egypt in the social area, as it is in keeping with the guidelines of the Lula administration for fostering closer ties within the South-South axis.
According to Brandão, the moment that Egypt is experiencing now is one of making decisions about which models can be applied to its reality. “The Egyptians need to justify to their society the reason for adopting a social programme such as the Family Purse, for example. And that can only happen if they show the value of this experience,” stated Brandão, adding that this also happened in Brazil when the programmes were launched.
The advisor to the National Social Assistance Secretariat, Luziele Tapajós, explained, however, that in the case of Brazil, the social programmes were born within society itself and were the consequence of a lengthy debate. “However, I am certain that the Brazilian experience can undoubtedly inspire the Egyptians and help them develop a program to meet the local needs,” she declared.
Brandão said that there clearly is an interest from the Egyptian government in the Brazilian programmes, especially in the areas of social assistance, food security and income transfer, such as the Family Purse. “This is why we are here. The important thing is that they make technical decisions concerning how to launch Egyptian programmes, while keeping successful experiences, such as those of the Brazilian social programmes, in mind,” he asserted.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
