Pakistan

Publications

Situation et prioritiés

Situation de la protection sociale

The first quarter of 2021 saw a political change in Pakistan. This change also resulted in a shift in priorities. However, with respect to social protection, the budget allocation increased by 45 per cent in 2022 (from US$1,120 million in 2021 to US$ 1,625 million in 2022).

After the launch of Ehsaas (Compassion), a national poverty alleviation programme in 2019, several provinces continued the work on social protection focusing on the policy direction provided by Ehsaas. In the spirit of universalizing social protection and reaching out to the excluded, 2021 marked the rollout of several initiatives to extend social protection to workers in the informal economy, domestic workers, agricultural workers, home-based workers, sanitation workers, and street vendors. The range of measures taken includes policy initiatives, the establishment of endowments funds to create fiscal space, awareness raising, registration, financial inclusion, and training in e-commerce.

The establishment of the Social Security Coordination Forum by the Government of Pakistan, with the intention to pursue USP 2030 has advanced deliberations on reviewing existing social security prorgrammes for expansion, improved governance, creating fiscal space, and borrowing best practices across the provinces. The SSCF is positioned to pursue the vision of the Global Accelerator.

COVID-19 and other crises

Pakistan has faced cascading crises: COVID-19, followed by economic instability, and the more recent floods of June 2022. The climate-induced calamity hit around 84 districts in Pakistan, inundated by the monsoon floods, resulting in an unprecedented loss to human lives, livestock, infrastructure, assets, and livelihoods, pushing an additional 9 million people into poverty. Around 4.3 million people were affected by the loss or disruption of employment and jobs, with a significant number of them in the agricultural sector. The social protection response to the floods, as part of the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment, includes a comprehensive set of initiatives to address the vulnerabilities of those left furthest behind. It also calls for shock responsive social protection policies and programmes. The government quickly responded through cash assistance of 25,000 rupees provided to over a million beneficiaries, disbursing around 24 billion rupees through the Benazir Income Support Programme. The Recovery Framework developed by the government estimates that approximately US$ 1.6 billion is needed for social protection initiatives.

Priorités du gouvernement

In the wake of recurrent crises, the government prioritizes:

  1. Increase in social protection spending;
  2. Enhanced scope and coverage of safety nets;
  3. A strong focus on the governance of institutions implementing social protection programmes;
  4. Development of a universal national registry for workers and employers to ensure coordinated coverage and implementation of social protection programmes;
  5. System building for efficiency and integrity; and
  6. Service delivery through One-Window Operations, especially integrating crisis response
     

Projets et programmes de l'OIT

Resultats

In 2019, the ILO and UN agencies provided technical inputs for the National Poverty Alleviation policy. The ILO advocated for an integrated social protection framework and facilitated the inclusion of the private sector within the policy through its tripartite links and coordinating role in the national business network on social protection. The policy was launched by the government in March 2019 and resulted in the creation of the Ehsaas umbrella programme.

The ILO has also been active in advocating for the extension of social protection to the informal economy through labour legislation. Agricultural workers, fishermen, and domestic workers now have partial legal coverage, be it at national or provincial level.

Déficits de financement / Soutenir l'OIT

US$ 17 000 000

Active labour market response to floods through design of unemployment benefit scheme (Employment Services)

Impact: 4.3 million workers - N° of persons potentially covered by a strategy

News and Events

Multimedia

Experts de l'OIT

IMG
Bilal Ahmad
Project Officer
Syed Saghir Bukhari
Senior Programme Officer
IMG
Mariko Ouchi
Senior Specialist, Social Protection