The President of the Republic, His Excellency Ismail Omar Guelleh, made this declaration last Thursday at the People’s Palace, during the ceremony, held under his high patronage, for the launch of the National Solidarity Week.

“For the Government, the fight against poverty and precariousness is an absolute priority,” President Guelleh stated. “Our country does not want growth that does not contribute to the fight against precariousness and poverty,” the Head of State indicated, emphasizing that social development is clearly inseparable from economic development. “There can be no sustainable growth without social justice. There can be no shared prosperity without inclusion,” the President of the Republic asserted.

His Excellency Ismail Omar Guelleh dedicated another part of his speech to the general account of the positive achievements recorded in our country in the area of ​​national solidarity.

” Among the many mechanisms, I want to emphasize the essential role of rural savings and credit banks which promote economic inclusion and the empowerment of women, ” President Guelleh stated in this regard.

“Social safety nets, health assistance programs, and the protection mechanisms for the most vulnerable that we have put in place” are also initiatives that have proven their ability to mitigate the painful specter of poverty, the President of the Republic noted in this regard. It was therefore quite natural that, based on this impressive assessment, the Head of State paid a vibrant tribute to the Djiboutian Ministry of National Solidarity, which initiated a “review, a veritable mapping of poverty and precariousness… established in particular thanks to the social registry.” “Thanks to this new methodology, the State’s responses have been conceived and tailored as closely as possible to the realities experienced by our citizens,” President Guelleh stated, describing the National Solidarity Week as an ideal event and a major source of inspiration for the State in terms of defining public policies related to the fight against precariousness.

“This week is an essential moment in the decision-making process…because the solidarity we intend to promote is above all…a solidarity that allows us to accurately identify the needs and vulnerabilities of our populations, in all their territorial and social diversity,” the Head of State highlighted in this regard, also mentioning the “central role and discreet pillar of our Ministry of Social Affairs and Solidarity in the cohesion of our society.”

In addition to the speech by the President of the Republic, this ceremony included many other steps, including the significant progress made in Djibouti in the area of ​​national solidarity.

This is how we learned that, over the period 2018-2026, the approved social safety net program provided vital support nationwide to some 93,759 households, or 525,000 of our fellow citizens.

The “PASS program,” which makes “health a fundamental right,” will have provided medical coverage to more than “39,000 households, or 110,939 individuals.”

As for the “Rural Savings and Credit Unions (CREC)” granted to help communities acquire financial autonomy, they have enabled “nearly 3000 young people and women” to access training focused on future-oriented professions.

Furthermore, the launch ceremony for National Solidarity Week continued its tradition of recognizing individuals and organizations that have provided invaluable support to the fight against poverty. This year, the “Community Management Committees” (CGCs), a network of associations operating throughout the country in the fight against poverty, received official accreditation, automatically granting them the status of partners of our government agencies and ministries.

In addition to this official recognition, the CGC also received a subsidy of 24 million FD.

The Prime Minister, Mr. Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed, the President of the National Assembly, Mr. Dileita Mohamed Dileita and all members of the Government including the Minister of Social Affairs and Solidarity, Ms. Ouloufa Ismail Abdo, surrounded by the main officials of her department, took part in this event.

A leading figure in the Djiboutian public landscape and a personality notoriously known for her constant commitment to fraternity and solidarity among all her compatriots, the First Lady and President of the National Union of Djiboutian Women (UNFD), Mrs. Kadra Mahamoud Haid, also participated in this ceremony.