Child and Gender Sensitive Social Protection Reform in Barbados and the OECS

Lessons Learned and Way Forward

Violet Speek-WarneryDeputy Representative, UNICEF Office for the Eastern Caribbean Area

Barbados - 26 September, 2013

Background

Evidence based advocacy

Social Protection Reform

Critical Issues

Way Forward

Outline of Presentation

Background

Background

UNICEF covers 12 Countries in the Eastern Caribbean, social protection work focus is in:

1.Grenada

2.St. Lucia

3.St. Kitts and Nevis

4.Dominica

5.St. Vincent & Grenadines

6.Antigua and Barbuda

Evidence Based Advocacy

UNICEF engagement with governments, UN agencies, multilateral ad bilateral donors on social protection reform since 2008.

Since 2008 UNICEF is engaged with evidence based advocacy with policy makers and key stakeholders in Barbados and the OECS Countries

– Child Poverty in the Eastern Caribbean 2008

– Social Budgeting in the OECS (SIDS Paper Series)

2009/2010 – Economic CrisisPartnership with World Bank, UN Women and OECS Secretariat

Country Level Social Safety Net Assessments

– St. Lucia, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St, Kitts and Nevis, Barbados and Antigua and Barbuda

– Effectiveness and efficiency of the countries’ current safety net systems,

– highlighted the lack of focus on the poor and on children,

– Consolidation and rationalization of existing social assistance policies and administrations - key priority for reform.

Evidence Based Advocacy

Social Protection ReformRegional Capacity Building (WB, CDB, UN Women, OECS, UNICEF)

Workshops for the Eastern Caribbean countries to support the social protection policy development and reform process.

– Training workshop on Targeting – 2010

– Training workshop on social protection policy making – 2010

– Training workshop on central registry system/management information system – 2011

South-South Cooperation

– Exchange programme to Jamaica – PATH Programme

•Knowledge Management:

– Inter-Agency Newsletter on Social Protection in the Eastern Caribbean

Social Protection Reform

Social Protection Reform

Country-led Social Protection Reform Initiatives

St. Kitts and Nevis: – National Social Protection Strategy (UNICEF and UN Women)– MEND Programme, Capacity Building in M&E (UNICEF and UN

Women)– EU budget support for social protection reform (EU)

St. Lucia: – National Social Protection Policy (On-going) (UNICEF and UN

Women)– Reforming Social Assistance Programme (UNICEF and UN Women)– Koudmen Sent Lisi Evaluation (UNICEF)

Social Protection Reform

Grenada:

– National Social Safety Net Policy Framework (UNICEF and UN Women)

– Consolidation of cash transfers programmes (WB)

Dominica:

– Consolidation of cash transfers programmes (WB)

– Challenges in implementation of the reform initiatives

Antigua and Barbuda:

– Consolidation of cash transfers programmes (WB) Starting 2013

Social Protection Reform

Eastern Caribbean Partnership Group on Poverty (UN Women and UNICEF)

•EC Social Protection Newsletter

•Coordination of partners’ support to the national child and gender-sensitive social protection reforms-

– ie. joint mission, development of an operational strategy for social protection; reformulation of the proxy means test; development of a national beneficiary information system; and cash transfer system implementation.

Way Forward

Principles of Child Sensitive Social Protection

1. Avoid adverse impacts on children, and reduce or mitigate social and economic risks affect children

2. Intervene as early as possible where children are at risk

3. Consider the age and gender specific risks and vulnerabilities of children

4. Mitigate the effects of shocks, exclusion and poverty on families

5. Make special provision to reach children who are particularly disadvantaged and excluded

6. Consider intra-household dynamics, with particular attention paid to the balance of power between men and women

7. Include the voices and opinions of children, their caregivers and youth in the understanding and design

UN Joint Programme

Enhancing Equity: Ensuring a Social Protection Floor for Poor and Disadvantaged Women, Men, Girls and Boys in

Barbados and the OECS2013- 2015

UNDAF Outcome Group # 3 on Social Protection and Poverty Reduction

UNICEF, UN Women, UNDP, ILO, FAO

•Child Benefit•Unemployment Protection•Old Age/Invalidity Benefits•Disability•Health

Social Protection Floor

The Social Protection Floor promotes a two-dimensional strategy for the extension of social security, comprising a basic set of social guarantees:

Continue to support national child and gender responsive social protection reform processes in Barbados and OECS.

•Strengthen legal and policy frameworks

•Strengthen existing programmes and schemes with particular focus on consolidation and harmonization of public cash-transfer programmes with a Puente-like component for indigent poor households

•Establish linkages and coherence between social programmes; social assistance, health, pensions, education, nutrition, housing, employment, labour market programmes, gender equity, gender-based violence and child protection.

•Expand on access to services among disadvantaged children and adolescents (health, education, ECD).

Critical Areas

• Working poor- decent employment and entrepreneurship to prevent poverty and protection against social risks.

• Reformulate active labour market programs: promote active labour market policies and programmes and/or rationalization of existing programmes within an integrated social protection framework. Combining of ALM programmes with income replacement functions, where appropriate as well as assistance and incentives that promote participation in the formal labour market and promote school to work transition among adolescent and youth.

Critical Areas

•Capacity building of government and civil society professionals in human-rights based monitoring and evaluation systems for social protection and in the core social services areas.

•Consolidating on existing research and assessment (country and sub-regional level) and provide evidence (Social Protection and Expenditure Review and Social Budget Analysis) for Barbados and OECS.

•Fiscal Space and Costing for Social Protection Floor in Barbados and OECS

•Advocacy and assistance for implementation of select social protection floor guarantees in Barbados and the OECS

Critical Areas

Key Challenges

Thank You!