A workshop titled International Experience in Social Assistance Benefit Programs and Delivery Mechanisms took place in Kyiv, Ukraine on July 15, 2008. It was organized jointly by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy and the World Bank following policy consultations held within the framework of the Social Assistance System Modernization project.

The workshop was intended to address key needs on the part of the Ukrainian government as regards unifying the benefits system around best targeting programs and cashing out housing subsidies and privileges. The workshop was attended by central and local governments’ officials and as well as academia. In particular, it brought together over 50 participants from Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, Secretariat of Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, Secretariat of the President of Ukraine, Ministry of Finance and others. A group of international experts from UK, the Slovak Republic, Poland and the World Bank presented general principles of setting minimum income support schemes in EU and OECD countries, present good international practice of effective social safety nets, benefit programs designs and delivery mechanisms.

Kateryna Petryna, TTL for  Ukraine Social Assistance System Modernization project said “Poverty and social exclusion have become a crucial political issue in Ukraine. On the other hand, social policies have a great impact on the incidence, intensity and distribution of the poverty and they can modify the functioning of the labor market. The World Bank supported organization of this workshop to allow the Ukrainian Government to learn about key issues at the stake for European policies in the field of the fight against poverty and stress the role of minimum income support programs as a key poverty alleviation program.”