Khaberni - Representative Dima Tahboub followed up on the disbursement file of an amount of ($111) million from the World Bank funding allocated for social protection programs, confirming that the social protection and poverty alleviation file was one of the first files she addressed since the commencement of the council's term, as part of her supervisory role and her commitment to enhance transparency and ensuring the support reaches the rightful beneficiaries.
In this context, Tahboub directed a set of parliamentary questions to the government, requesting clarification of the information circulating about the disbursement, the actual date of the transaction, the government entities that received the funding, the mechanism of expenditure distribution among them, and whether the Ministry of Social Development is the sole entity responsible for its implementation.
She also inquired about the specific programs and projects on which this funding was spent under the umbrella of social protection, the spending ratio for each program, the number of families or individuals who have actually benefited to date, and the direct impact achieved on their living conditions.
Tahboub urged the government to disclose the performance indicators that the World Bank relied on to describe the progress made in implementing the program as “satisfactory”, the extent of the Ministry of Social Development's participation in preparing these indicators or evaluating them, as well as clarifying the total achievement percentage compared to the total value of the program which amounts to ($400) million.
The parliamentary questions also included inquiries about the unspent remaining amounts, the expected timeline for their disbursement, in addition to whether the implementation of the program faced any administrative, technical, or financial challenges or obstacles that affected the pace of disbursement.
She also emphasized the importance of stating the control and monitoring mechanisms adopted to ensure that these funds reach their real beneficiaries and achieve their goals in enhancing social protection, urging the government to provide a clear assessment of the impact of these programs in reducing poverty and unemployment and social vulnerability, especially in light of the current economic conditions.
Tahboub confirmed that these questions come within the framework of the constitutional role of the House of Representatives, the concern for public funds, and the assurance that international financing is directed towards the most needy groups to achieve the desired social justice.
