Result achieved
Outcome summary
(1) The Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) adopted a Social Protection Policy on 5 December 2022 which it launched on 21 March 2023.
The policy is also used to inform the financial year budget for 2022-23. The Policy in KP features a life cycle appr...
Outcome achieved
(1) The Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) adopted a Social Protection Policy on 5 December 2022 which it launched on 21 March 2023.
The policy is also used to inform the financial year budget for 2022-23. The Policy in KP features a life cycle approach and subscribes to the guiding principles of R202. The policy was consulted with the social partners. The policy foresees an increase in coverage, strengthening of coordinated social protection coverage to graduate beneficiaries but also to address concerns of adequacy.
(2) The Government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) has adopted a Social Protection Policy on 28 September 2022 and consequently formed a poverty graduation taskforce to support the implementation of the policy in which ILO has been requested to join as a technical member.
The policy has made use of the gaps identified by the ILO Social Protection Mapping Study 2019 to inform the various contours and prioritised social insurance and contributory schemes to allow more excluded groups of population to access social protection benefits. Based on the recommendations of the mapping study, the AJK social protection policy emphasises the need for an unemployment benefit scheme, a gap that exists in the social protection landscape in Pakistan.
ILO's contribution to the outcome
(1) ILO in collaboration with the Italian Technical Cooperation Agency extended technical support in translating the provisions of ILS, including C102 on minimum standards for social security and R202 and on social protection floors for reflection in the Policy in KP. The ILO supported the Government to organize tripartite plus consultative workshops to draft and agree on the policy contours. The ILO also provided a social protection scan identifying gaps and challenges that hamper a life cycle approach to social protection in KP, that fed into the policy framework. ILO mobilized partnership avenues with the United Kingdom and GIZ in KP to support the instrumentalization of the policy. Together the three partners are providing support to KP in developing the social protection strategy.
(2) In AJK, the ILO’s technical support, with funding from the Italian Technical Cooperation Agency, has contributed towards convening different stakeholders. AJK is in its infancy with regards to tripartite dialogue, hence ILO also ensured representation of workers and employers at the consultations and that their voice is represented in the formulation of the social protection policy.
Gender equality & non-discrimination
e Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) social protection policy prioritizes equity and inclusion as policy principles. These outcomes include enhancing the economic empowerment of women through targeted social protection programs, ensuring that vulnerable women have access to essential services, such as healthcare and education, and promoting women's participation in the policy development and implementation process. The policy emphasizes reducing gender disparities in social protection benefits, addressing gender-based violence, and supporting women's economic independence. Furthermore, it includes mechanisms for data collection and monitoring to assess the impact of the policy on gender equality and ensure that the unique needs and challenges faced by women in KP are adequately addressed within the social protection framework.
In AJK, the policy has prioritized improving the overall well-being of vulnerable women and girls in the region by providing them with better access to healthcare, education, and livelihood opportunities, ultimately contributing to gender equality and women's empowerment. The policy zooms into all stages of life cycle and proposes interventions and measures that are gender responsive.
SDG
Goals
- Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
- Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all