Assessment Based National Dialogue
SPF Good Practices Guide
The social protection floor (SPF) is a basic set of social security guarantees that should be extended to all. Following the adoption of the Social Protection Floors Recommendation, 2012 (No. 202), by the International Labour Conference (ILC) at its 101st Session in June 2012, "creating and extending social protection floors" became an Area of Critical Importance (ACI) for the International Labour Organization (ILO).
In the East and South-East Asia and the Pacific, the establishment of social protection floors has increasingly been recognized by ILO member States as an efficient approach to combating poverty, inequality, and exclusion and as a key element of national development strategies. The level of engagement on social protection among ILO member States has increased significantly as evidenced by the number of Decent Work Country Programmes (DWCPs) and United Nations (UN)/government development frameworks that prioritize the development of social protection and the provision of basic social security guarantees. The ILO has taken a leading role in promoting social protection floors and supporting member States in designing and implementing their national social protection strategies.
The design and establishment of social protection floors is a new area of work for the Organization, requiring the development and testing of new methodologies and tools to aid in the assessment of social protection situations, provide compelling and evidence-based recommendations to governments, ensure the sustainability of financing, and support the development of innovative implementation strategies and mechanisms in accordance with national circumstances.
This guide is a unique resource package that aims to provide the necessary knowledge and expertise for conducting assessment based national dialogue (ABND) exercises, which are the first steps towards the implementation of nationally defined social protection floors. Designed by practitioners for practitioners, it is based on real country cases and experiences. Its standardized and systematic approach can serve several purposes, including self-learning, delivering trainings or conducting full-fledged ABND exercises at the national level. It will be enriched in future with new experiences. It is structured along the lines of the ABND approach and includes hands-on exercises to allow users to gain practical knowledge and understanding.
Acknowledgement by the authors
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Acknowledgement by the authors >
The authors gratefully acknowledge the support received from all those involved in conducting ABND exercises in Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Viet Nam over 2011–2013: ministries and institutions in charge of social protection policies, planning agencies, social security institutions, research institutes, national statistical offices, workers’ and employers’ representatives, civil society organizations, and representatives and colleagues from UN agencies involved in the SPF Initiative. Special gratitude goes to the authors of the ABND reports (in alphabetical order): Florence Bonnet, Michael Cichon, Carlos Galian, Jean-Claude Hennicot, Gintare Mazeikaite, Orawan Prasitsiriphol, Dr Thaworn Sakunphanit, Sinta Satriana, Wolfgang Scholz, and many others who contributed to the compilation and production of the reports.
The authors also value the support of the Faculty of Economics, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok for organizing the training course on "Social Protection: Assessment, Costing and Beyond" in October 2012, where a preliminary version of this guide was tested. Feedback from participants of the course helped enrich the guide. Special thanks goes to all the experts and consultants who have contributed to the course or the dissemination of the ABND methodology in Asia and the Pacific (in alphabetical order): Rachael Chadwick, Charles Crevier, Sophy Fisher, Jean-Claude Hennicot, Michael Glowacki, Marion Maurice, Tauvik Muhamad, Malika Ok, Celine Peyron-Bista, Piyamal Pichaiwongse, Orawan Prasitsiriphol, Dr Thaworn Sakunphanit, Sinta Satriana, and Jessica Vechbanyongratana.
Finally, the authors are grateful to Florence Bonnet, Jean-Claude Hennicot, Celine Peyron-Bista, Dr Thaworn Sakunphanit, Jessica Vechbanyongratana, and Hiroshi Yamabana for peer-reviewing the guide.
The authors are solely responsible for the contents and especially, any opinions expressed in the guide.
- Valerie Schmitt and Loveleen De

About the training course on "Assessment, Costing and Beyond"
What is the assessment based national dialogue?
A window of opportunity for social protection
Getting started
What is SPF?
A social protection floor (SPF) is a nationally defined set of basic social security guarantees, that aims to prevent or alleviate poverty, vulnerability, and social exclusion. By calling for both demand-side (transfers) and supply-side (services) measures, the SPF adopts a holistic approach to social protection. Countries are encouraged to prioritize the implementation of SPFs both as a fundamental element of their national social protection systems and as a starting point for the provision of higher levels of protection to as many people as possible, and as soon as possible, in accordance with growing economic and fiscal capacities.
SPFs should comprise, at least, the following nationally defined sets of goods and services or basic social security guarantees:
- Access to essential health care, including maternity care, at a nationally defined minimum level that meets the criteria of availability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality;
- Basic income security for children at a nationally defined minimum level, including access to nutrition, education, care, and any other necessary goods and services;
- Basic income security at a nationally defined minimum level for persons of active age who are unable to earn sufficient income, in particular in the case of sickness, unemployment, maternity, and disability; and
- Basic income security at a nationally defined minimum level for older persons.
What is ABND?
The ABND exercise assesses whether the SPF is a reality for the whole population of a country and how it can be extended to all members of society. Policy gaps and implementation issues in the social protection system are identified. Recommendations for new or expanded social protection provisions are developed, that guarantee an SPF to all residents and children. The ABND also estimates the financial commitment required to implement the recommendations. During the second stage of the ABND, the Rapid Assessment Protocol (RAP) cost-estimation tool is used to estimate the cost and affordability of implementing the recommendations in each country.
This process takes over one year and entails bilateral consultations, tripartite workshops, and technical seminars. A shared vision of the social protection situation is progressively developed, including the identification of policy gaps and implementation issues. At these meetings, policy recommendations are also drawn up, to achieve a comprehensive SPF that also adheres to international labour standards. The participatory approach adopted throughout the ABND exercise raises awareness among line ministries, workers and employers representatives, civil society organizations, and UN agencies regarding the SPF concept, its relevance for every country, and the importance of a coordinated and holistic approach to effectively develop social protection.
Using the guide
The SPF good practices guide offers a standardized approach for conducting ABND exercises. The contents of the guide draw from the resources and experiences of the ILO and its constituents in East and South-East Asia and the Pacific. The Guide is a comprehensive resource package that can be used for self-learning, training and conducting ABND exercises. It is structured in such a way that it follows the steps of the ABND exercise.
The guide is available in two formats: textbook (publication) and a complementary e-box (website and CD). It is organized into 16 modules, case studies and a library. The textbook comprises modules that describe the ABND exercise, and the case study of a fictitious country called Coresia. The case study is designed to simulate the ABND exercise and give users practical experience of conducting the ABND. In addition to the modules and case study, the e-box also contains presentations, videos and self-learning tutorials, instructions for group activities, and a cost-estimation model for Coresia.
A social protection floor for all
Why is ABND relevant to the ASEAN?
Voices of stakeholders
Modules
Introduction

Step 1: Building the assessment matrix

Step 2: Costing policy options using the RAP model

Case studies
To give participants practical knowledge of the ABND process, a case study exercise has been designed. The cases are based on a fictitious country called Coresia, which endeavours to develop a comprehensive social protection system and complete its social protection floor.
Modules 8, 10, 11 and 14 use the case study exercise to simulate and practically illustrate the ABND approach. Users can download the cases, along with questions and instructions to analyze them. Sample solutions are also provided, to guide users in solving the cases.
Cases

Case study and assessment matrix
Module 10
Instruction sheet - Converting recommendations into scenarios
Health
Children
Working age
Elderly
Maternity
HIV
Group activity - Converting recommendations into scenarios
Group activity - Calculating the cost of benefits using RAP
Module 11
Instruction sheet - Calculating the cost of benefits using RAP | Instruction sheet - Presenting the RAP results to other groups | Blank RAP model | Completed RAP model
Health
Children
Working age
Elderly
Maternity
HIV
Module 14
Instruction sheet - Role play to advocate for the endorsement of policy options | Synopsis of the launching event for the report "ABND in Thailand"
Launching event for the report
Group activity - Advocacy to the government
Library
ABNDs in practice
