Launch of the ‘Positive Parenting Programme’ for Takaful and Karama Beneficiaries

 Cairo, 14 March 2021    

Ambassador Christian Berger, Head of the EU Delegation

Dear Ms Nivine Kabbag, Minister of Social Solidarity,

Dear Ms Sahar Sunbati, Secretary-General of the Council of Childhood and Motherhood,

Dear Jeremy Hopkins, UNICEF Representative in Egypt,

Dear Colleagues and Friends here in the room and on-line,

Thank you for this opportunity to be here at the Ministry of Social Solidarity the second time in a short period to mark another important milestone in our cooperation. 

The EU attaches great importance to the rights of the child.  For us, like for Egypt, children are the greatest agents of change and guarantors of sustainable development. They are the leaders of tomorrow.  The protection of the rights of the child is a core commitment for the EU laid down in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. It is reflected in EU internal and external policies, including the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy.  Globally we are committed to support the rights of children in the framework of the ‘United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child’ and the European Consensus on Development.

The new ‘EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child’ will strengthen commitments for supporting the rights of the most vulnerable children, children in the digital age, and the prevention of and fight against violence, and particularly mitigate the Covid-19 challenges.  From raising more than €16 billion for the necessary research into finding a vaccine last year, contracting international pharmaceutical companies for the development and production of vaccines to the roll out of vaccines now to our partners via the COVAX mechanism of which the EU is the biggest contributor with €2.2 billion, the EU and Member States have invested significant resources to support strategic frameworks and life-changing programmes for children in many countries.

Worldwide, acting together as ‘Team Europe’, with a total contribution of € 38.5 billion, the EU, its Member States, and European financial institutions committed to support partner countries in the fight against the pandemic.  Support focuses on people mostly affected, including children.

In Egypt, over the past years, we have cooperated with the government, local and international development partners like UNICEF, and civil society to support the promotion and protection of the rights of the child.  EU funded programmes supported a wide range of areas including inclusive and access to education, school feeding, child protection and development, street children, and girls’ empowerment, and protection from child marriage and female genital mutilation.  The ‘EU 4 Egypt's immediate socio-economic response to the Covid-19 outbreak’ supports those mostly affected by the crisis, including children and women.

Today, I am pleased to be part of the launch of the ‘Positive Parenting Programme’ for ‘Takaful and Karama’ beneficiaries.  Positive parenting promotes a parenting style that is proactive, empathetic and mutually respectful, thereby helping to build stronger and healthier relations between parents and children. Positive parent-child interaction is a requirement for positive childhood development and for prevention of violence against children.  Investing in social and behavioural change focusing on positive parenting represents a strategy to increase the sustainability of the Takaful and Karama core mandate for providing a social and security net for poor households with children aged up to 18.  Positive parenting practices that include girl empowerment expected to contribute in reducing an intergenerational poverty dynamic.

The national programme for positive parenting will be multidisciplinary and involve a number of key actors including MoSS.  The programme will support the most vulnerable families on key parenting domains such as Caring for the Caregivers, Emotional and Social Support, Health and Nutrition, Learning and Cognitive development and Positive Discipline.  Furthermore, all engaged parents will relate to a real-time information system supported by the digital platform facilitating interactions focusing on parenting behaviour and service demand. The positive parenting programme is in line with the Government’s priorities to promote family wellbeing through the social welfare programme ‘Takafoul and Karama Program’ and the Presidential initiative ‘Decent Life’.  The EU is strongly committed to continue supporting Egypt in these areas. 

Let me close by thanking everyone and wishing this important national programme great success and strengthened partnerships in support the rights of the chid and the wellbeing of children in Egypt.