Social Protection: Approach

A multi-year action-oriented learning program

A team-based and action-oriented learning initiative for Bank staff and their counterparts from client countries was launched in early 2002. A series of learning activities through videoconferences, follow-up regional and country-tailored workshops have been organized since. These learning events introduced participants from over 20 countries to key social protection concepts such as social risk management and vulnerability and the various instruments of social protection including social safety nets, pension reforms, and labor market policies. Some sessions included the dimension of institutional capacity, gender, HIV/AIDS, and conflicts, using best practices and recommendations on integrating these concepts in different country settings.

As the process moved forward, training sessions focused on SRM tools and policies that balance between risk coping and risk reduction/mitigation, the multi-sectoral nature of risk management interventions, and the importance of strengthening the demand for key social services (using the findings of the WDR 04), as well as specific risk mitigation/reduction opportunities for commonly identified main risks such as health, old-age and weather-related hazard. Training on public spending, financing, and the macro-economic framework enabled participants to understand the link between macroeconomic conditions and sector budgets and the ways to apply the medium term expenditure framework to implement the Social Protection strategy and bring Social Protection issues into the budget process. The latest regional workshop provided guidelines on developing a Social Protection strategy with key elements in terms of both process involved and contents. Several country teams have been actively conducting national level workshops to further advance the process of finalizing their Social Protection strategies.