Signing a tripartite cooperation protocol to activate and sustain the National Network for Persons with Disabilities Services and the electronic platform for employment "Ta'heel"

Project : National Network for Services for Persons with Disabilities

Madbouly: The protocol comes in implementation of the President's recommendations to support people of determination and integrate them into national projects and initiatives. Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly has witnessed, today, the signing ceremony of a tripartite cooperation protocol between the Ministries of Communications and Information Technology, Social Solidarity, and Manpower, on activating and sustaining the National Network for Services for Persons with Disabilities and the electronic platform For employment ( Ta'heel ) means "qualification". The signing ceremony was attended by the Minister of Communications and Information Technology      Dr. Amr Talaat, the Minister of Social Solidarity Mrs.  Nevine El-Kabbaj, and the Minister of Manpower Mr. Hassan Shehata. The cooperation protocol was signed by Mr. Ayman Abdel Mawgoud, Assistant Minister of Social Solidarity for Civil Society Institutions Affairs, Ms. Manal Abdel Aziz, Head of the Central Administration for Office of the Minister of Manpower Affairs, and Eng. Hoda Dahrouj, Advisor for Digital Community Development and Director of the Digital Transformation for Sustainable Development Project at MCIT.
On the sidelines of the signing, the Prime Minister said that the cooperation protocol comes in line with the recommendations of the President of the Republic during the annual celebration "Differently Abled" 2022 ( Qaderoun Bekhtelaf ) , in its fourth edition, for people of determination and special abilities, which was held under the slogan "Lina Makan", to take all executive measures aimed at supporting people of determination, integrating them into all national projects and initiatives in the country, and investing their capabilities as an important and effective part of the list of priorities to improve the lives of all Egyptian citizens. He added that the cooperation protocol aims to activate and sustain the electronic platform by providing and spreading the services provided through it and marketing them among all concerned parties and authorities, as well as reaching the largest number of target groups of persons with disabilities, companies and business owners. Dr.Talaat pointed out that the Ministry of Communications and Informations Technology (MCIT) has developed and launched the "National Network for Services for Persons with Disabilities" through the "Digital Transformation Project for Sustainable Development in Egypt", and under cooperation protocol signed today, MCIT will activate the "network" in cooperation with the Ministries of Social Solidarity and Man Power.
He added: "The cooperation protocol mainly aims to improve the capabilities of persons with disabilities, facilitate their access to the services provided to them by various concerned authorities in the country, and meet the requirements of the labor market in the various fields." The cooperation protocol also includes two main axes of work, the first is acting as activation and sustainability of the electronic platform (Ta'heel) by providing and spreading the services provided by the platform and marketing for them among all concerned parties and authorities. He continued: The second axis aims to reach the largest number of target groups at the state level from persons with disabilities, companies and business owners, bodies, associations and civil institutions, and to achieve automatic compatibility among them using modern technologies such as artificial intelligence.
He added that the platform aims to help young people with disabilities by facilitating access to distinguished services through the launch of a digital network that includes the authorities concerned with providing services to persons with disabilities as a single window and in an interactive manner between the parties. He explained that the Ministry of Communications will specialize in the technical aspects related to the operation of the "network", the establishment of databases for the provided services, the maintenance of the "electronic platform", and will develop an electronic system to maintain the confidentiality of data, information and documents on the "network".
He continued: The Ministry of Communications will host this network "technically" on its server, and will provide technical support during the period of validity of the protocol, provided that these technicals will then be transferred to the Ministry of Social Solidarity, pointing out that the ministry will train a number of technicians and administrators on the use of the platform who are nominated by the Ministries of Social Solidarity and Manpower and their affiliated bodies. In this context, Talaat pointed out that the ministry will also organize training programs to qualify a number of technical trainers to carry out the tasks of training employees of the two ministries on developing and hosting the platform, and participating in spreading its services among the targeted people of the three categories: persons with disabilities, service providers, and business owners. He pointed out that MCIT strategy depends on achieving the goal of Digital Egypt and building the human being, with the need to technological empowerment of human cadres, adapt technological applications to help and empower persons with disabilities, develop their digital capabilities, and deploy rehabilitation services, training and capacity building, thus creating more suitable job opportunities for them. 
Mrs. Nevine Al-Kabbaj said that the Ministry of Social Solidarity will be responsible for operating the platform to be part of the services provided by the Ministry to persons with disabilities, and the Ministry will also prepare the process of linking the "network" through the platform of services for persons with disabilities with the database system of disability identification cards and integrated services, with the aim of benefiting persons with disabilities by providing all services provided to them under the umbrella of one platform. While Mr. Hassan Shehata explained that the Ministry of Manpower will participate in the operation of the platform to be part of the services provided by the Ministry in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Solidarity for Persons with Disabilities, and will also nominate a number of employees of the Ministry and its affiliated bodies, such as labor offices, to receive training of trainers on the operation of the "network". He added: The Ministry also contributes, under the cooperation protocol, to spreading the services provided among the target groups of persons with disabilities, as well as companies and business owners looking for workers with disabilities through the platform and special advertising materials, such as videos, photos, user guides at labor offices, and the website. It should be noted that the implementation of the National Network for Services for Persons with Disabilities (Ta'heel) was carried out through the project (Jobs and Skills for Persons with Disabilities Using Informations and Communications Technology).
Which was done in partnership with the International Labor Organization and the United Nations Development Program - the United Nations Partnership Committee for the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, where the aim was to work with key partners to set and define the implementation and activation strategy, and to provide a digital services network, which includes the authorities concerned with providing rehabilitation, training and employment programs for persons with disabilities as a single window that works in an interactive manner between the parties, and ensures that the largest number of people of determination have access to the services provided, as the network seeks to build an integrated system for all the efforts of the state Provided by training, rehabilitation and employment services to support persons with disabilities, and work to provide them with appropriate job opportunities.  During the preparatory stages of building the National Network for Services for Persons with Disabilities, which began in 2019, MCIT cooperated with the Ministry of Social Solidarity in developing a strategy for construction, implementation and identification of the different needs of persons with disabilities, leading to the actual launch of the network's electronic platform last year, under the slogan "Your Professionalism in Your Difference" on the https://npd-egypt.net/ website. 
A group of civil society organizations also participated as an executive partner in the preparatory stages of the project, besides groups of persons with disabilities, as these stages included playing a number of executive roles in organizing workshops, seminars, training and participating in the set of the vision through the project's advisory committee. It is also worth mentioning that the National Network for Services for Persons with Disabilities includes the latest applications of modern technologies, which supports opportunities to use informations and communications technology to empower people with disabilities and meet their needs in an accessible manner.