The EU-funded Programme Improving Synergies Between Social Protection and Public Finance Management (SP&PFM) has supported 17 countries in their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and the strengthening of social protection systems for a human-centred recovery and better resilience to future shocks. The programme was launched in 2019 and will have supported 24 countries by 2023 to strengthen their social protection systems and financial sustainability, as well as improve linkages with public finance management.
SP&PFM supports countries under two approaches. Through approach 1, eight partner countries benefit from three-year technical assistance from the ILO, UNICEF and the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF) to strengthen their social protection systems. Other sixteen countries receive on-demand shorter-term technical advisory services from the ILO with a focus on the COVID-19 pandemic response and promoting a human-centred recovery through strengthened social protection (Approach 2).
Ten countries of Approach 2 concluded their activities in March 2022. For a year and a half, the ILO has worked closely with governments, social partners and European Union Delegations to support these ten countries in designing, adapting, /or upscaling social protection policies and schemes to cover more people in order to mitigate the socioeconomic effects of the COVID-19 crisis.
The following list focuses on the main results achieved by those ten countries:
New social protection schemes designed and adjusted in response to the COVID-19 crisis
- Design of new emergency cash transfer programmes and alternative payment mechanisms in Bangladesh, Cabo Verde and Sri Lanka.
- Evidence-based design or improvement of unemployment insurance schemes through actuarial and legal studies and supported by social dialogue in Bangladesh, Ecuador, Myanmar (for the latter, social dialogue was not possible) Peru, and Sri Lanka.
Improved financial sustainability for comprehensive social protection systems
- Identification of new financing options for social protection in Malawi.
Extension of the social protection coverage and benefits
- Opened opportunity to ratify the ILO Convention N°. 102-Part IV and the ILO Convention N°. 168 in Ecuador and Peru.
- Policy scenarios supported by actuarial simulations for extending social protection to self-employed and the informal economy workers in Malawi and Togo.
Improved administration, delivery and monitoring capacity of social protection systems
- New administrative mechanisms and Management Information Systems (MIS) for enrolling workers in the informal economy in social insurance schemes in Cote d’Ivoire and Togo, and vulnerable population, including workers of the informal economy, in non-contributory social protection programmes in Nigeria.
- Awareness and communication campaigns to increase registration to social protection in Cote d’Ivoire and Togo.
Learn more about some of the main results achieved clicking on the links above.