Tunis/Tunisia — The activities of the Social Affairs Ministry in general and its role in protecting low-income earners in particular took centre stage at a meeting held on Tuesday between President of the Republic Kais Saied and Social Affairs Minister Malek Ezzahi.

Saied reaffirmed that the State cannot renounce its social role and that the eradication of poverty requires national efforts and new legislation to meet the aspirations of the people, reads a Presidency of the Republic press release on Tuesday evening.

The meeting provided the opportunity to discuss the situation of people with disabilities and to stress the importance of involving them in the drafting of legislation to improve their conditions.

The President of the Republic pointed out that article 54 of the Constitution stipulates that the State shall protect people with disabilities against all forms of discrimination and shall take all measures to ensure that they are fully integrated into society.

He also referred to decree law no. 2023-10 of March 8, 2023, regulating local council elections and the composition of regional and district councils, which provides in article 27 for the allocation of an additional seat in each local council to a deputy with a disability who is entitled to vote, so that he or she can take part in decision-making.

The meeting also addressed the subject of community companies and the need to iron out any obstacles to their creation, so that they can be a source of wealth creation, notably for unemployed young people.

To date, 31 community companies have been set up, with a further 36 in the process of being created.