Sana'a - Saba:
The Board of Directors of the Social Welfare Fund held a meeting on Sunday, chaired by the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor—and Head of the Board—Samir Bajjalah.
The meeting reviewed the Fund’s tasks, objectives, structure, components, branches, and past activities, as well as the repercussions of aggression and the blockade on its ability to continue supporting impoverished families, having previously targeted around 1.5 million cases.
The discussion also addressed the Fund’s current status, the volume of external funding disbursed between 2017 and 2024, and aspects related to the 2025 Social Support Program, including disbursement criteria and the preparation of beneficiary lists and data.
During the meeting, the Minister of Social Affairs emphasized the Fund’s crucial role in serving vulnerable groups. He noted that the new cycle of cash assistance for social welfare includes 500,000 cases, which will be disbursed to eligible recipients according to agreed-upon criteria once funding is secured.
He further explained that the Ministry is working to establish an Empowerment and Response Bank in line with the directives of the revolutionary leadership and the Supreme Political Council. The bank will focus on urgent responses to societal needs and eligible beneficiaries.
Minister Bajjalah stressed the importance of coordinated efforts among relevant entities and the Ministry of Social Affairs, as it oversees economic empowerment, social protection, and securing funding. He highlighted that the Ministry now possesses the necessary components for success, including qualified sectors, expertise, and personnel.
He added that the Fund has the infrastructure, personnel, and expertise to efficiently manage cash assistance and economic empowerment projects, along with a comprehensive database of beneficiaries.
The meeting included interventions on the importance of revitalizing the Social Welfare Fund’s role, enhancing coordination with relevant entities, and mobilizing funding to implement economic empowerment projects for needy and impoverished families.
The session concluded with several recommendations, emphasizing the need to allocate operational expenses to enable the Fund to fulfill its duties, implement activities, and achieve the objectives of the Social Welfare Law and the government program. It also stressed the importance of involving the Fund in economic empowerment projects.
The recommendations urged providing support and securing funding for assistance programs to ensure the Fund can carry out its tasks effectively.
The meeting underscored the necessity of approving a field verification mechanism for current beneficiary data and securing funding to update the poverty database in the Social Welfare Fund’s records.
Additionally, it emphasized approving the proposal submitted by the Fund’s leadership regarding the new cash assistance project—the 2025 Social Support Program—and granting the Fund’s leadership the authority to implement the project in partnership with the Social Fund for Development.
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