Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday pledged to overcome any challenges facing his country. Speaking at the “Differently-Abled” Celebration for persons of determination, Sisi stressed that unity and seeking strength from the country's "historical and divine gains" aid in building the Egyptian state. “The critical events that the world has witnessed over the recent period have resulted in consecutive economic crises and huge challenges that made us undoubtedly realize that adhering to the homeland, resorting to its historic resources, and divine blessings is the only way not only to overcome these crises and face challenges but also to achieve the dream of building the Egyptian state,” Sisi said. The president greeted the army and police martyrs, asserting that they paid a high price to protect Egypt and its people. He said that up to 3,000 army and police members were killed, and 13,000 others were injured in their efforts to maintain the country's security. Sisi added that a civil war was thwarted between 2011 and 2013. He pointed out that he was concerned about Egypt's future, especially in the period between 2011 and 2014 which witnessed a wave of terrorism and bombings of mosques, churches, and security directorates. The president called on all Egyptians “to protect the country” and urged state authorities and institutions, including the Suez Canal Authority, to offer financial support worth 1 billion pounds to the fund of the differently-disabled persons. Responding to a question about the Egyptian dream to reach the world cup finals, the president said that 60 percent of Egypt's population are youth, and have the potential to work hard to make that dream come true. In his speech, Minister of Youth and Sports Ashraf Sobhy said that Egypt organized 289 international events and championships and snatched 2,664 medals in individual and team sports. He pointed out that Egypt hosted international championships for differently-disabled persons that were not hosted in any other country around the world. Sobhy added that Egypt implemented 50 projects and programs with the participation of 250,000 youth from people with special abilities.