IFPRI’s Egypt Strategy Support Program (Egypt SSP) is organizing a seminar on “COVID-19 and social protection: From effective crisis protection to self-reliance.”

The economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are increasing poverty around the world. As one of the key immediate policy responses to cushion the negative impacts of COVID-19 on the most vulnerable, many governments have expanded their social safety nets.

The Egyptian government has also made use of its existing programs by increasing the number of Takaful and Karama beneficiaries by 100,000 households and by identifying 1.5 million informal workers to receive cash payments. At the same time, it is crucial to ensure the sustainability of cash transfer programs like Takaful by creating a pathway for current beneficiaries to exit poverty and leave space in the program for new households.