Result achieved
Outcome summary
The Malawi National Social Support Programme (MNSSP II) has been adopted by the Government in November 2017.
Outcome achieved
Throughout 2016, the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development (MoFEPD) undertook and finalized a year-long comprehensive and stakeholder-driven review of Malawi’s social protection system and, in December 2016, agreed with line ministries, social partners, development partners, non-governmental and civil society organizations on key interventions and priorities for Malawi’s new social protection framework.
In November 2017, after extensive consultations with the social partners, donors, academia, development partners and civil society, the Government of Malawi, through MoFEPD, adopted the Malawi National Social Support Programme (MNSSP II), which is in line with international labour standards and promotes gender equality and non-discrimination.
Also in 2016, the MoFEPD developed an econometric model to simulate the cost-benefit ratios and local economic impacts of social protection and agricultural interventions, including the Farm Input Subsidy Programme, to improve understanding of the economic case for social protection, to prioritize programmes on the basis of their cost-effectiveness, and to develop policies that better align social protection and agricultural interventions. The findings and recommendations informed Malawi’s new social protection framework, in particular its focus on coherence between the social protection and agricultural sectors. The report was validated at a Government-led workshop in July 2017, and finalized in August 2017.
In 2017, the Ministry of Labour, Youth, Sports and Manpower Development undertook an assessment of the challenges and opportunities of the establishment of the Employment Injury Insurance scheme, including the development of a costed implementation plan.
ILO's contribution to the outcome
Throughout 2016, the ILO led a Government-instituted task force mandated to implement the review of Malawi’s social protection sector. As the task force leader, the ILO was requested by the Government to conceptualize the review process, take responsibility for the overall implementation, provide relevant analytical inputs, and draft the final review report. In addition, with support from the Government of Ireland [RAF/16/54/IRL], the ILO contributed to this process by co-organizing three large consultative workshops.
In January 2017, the MoFEPD requested the task force to support the development of a new social protection framework. As part of these efforts, the ILO organized three workshops and supported the new framework with a process development consultant to ensure that the new programme was developed though an inclusive national dialogue. In addition, the ILO supported the drafting of key sections of the framework in line with the Government’s priorities.
The MoFEPD requested the ILO, as well as the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and UNICEF, to provide support to the development of the econometric model and report, and present findings and recommendations. The ILO and the FAO took the lead in the development of the study, while UNICEF provided additional technical support. The ILO further developed and implemented a validation and discussion workshop with key stakeholders from the social protection and agricultural sectors in Malawi.
The ILO also provided support to the MoFEPD in reviewing the institutional coordination mechanisms and arrangements of Malawi’s social protection system. In May 2017, the ILO collaborated with the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) to undertake field research in Malawi and engage with stakeholders to identify and discuss key challenges and opportunities for the institutional coordination of Malawi’s social protection sector.
Gender equality & non-discrimination
The process of reviewing Malawi’s social protection framework focused on generating evidence and awareness of specific vulnerabilities that affect women and other groups at risk of marginalization. On the basis of this analysis, the new policy framework sought to address these vulnerabilities and develop or adjust social protection instruments to better respond to the needs of these groups. Informing those processes, the ILO’s policy analysis and reports have included gender-disaggregated data and analysis.