Egypt: Assessment to achieve a Social Protection Floor

To uplift people from poverty and vulnerability and empower them through the provision of social protection and decent livelihoods, the Egyptian Ministry of Social Solidarity (MOSS) requested the ILO for assistance to identify recommendations to establish a national Social Protection Floor (SPF) and the way forward to progressively build a comprehensive social protection system. Egypt thereby embarked on an SPF assessment process, based on national dialogue. The exercise will assess the social protection system in the country, identify gaps in design and implementation according to the situation in the country and the vulnerabilities of the people, and ultimately propose recommendations to establish an SPF in Egypt. This is validated through a process of national dialogue involving all relevant social protection stakeholders in the country. The ABND will also estimate the cost of the SPF.
 
The SPF is nationally-defined and allows the people in a country to access basic social benefits and services including, but not limited to:
  1. health care for all residents;
  2. nutrition, education, care for all children;
  3. income security for all working-age people in case of sickness, unemployment, maternity, disability;
  4. pensions and care for all elderly people.
The SPF should be aligned with the development of the national social protection system and can include other components according to the situation and vulnerabilities in the country. These four SPF guarantees set minimum standards with respect to the access, scope and level of benefits and services rather than prescribing a specific architecture of the national social protection system. The SPF can be implemented progressively, taking into consideration national circumstances, fiscal space, institutional and human resource capacities and existing synergies.
 

The SPF assessment consists of three steps:

STEP I – Defining the national SPF through the assessment matrix

The matrix lists the existing social protection, poverty alleviation and employment promotion schemes in the country, It also identifies policy gaps and implementation issues, and recommendations for establishing an SPF for all people. The matrix is developed in joint consultation with the national and local governments, employers and workers, civil society and development partners.

STEP II – Estimating the cost of the SPF

The cost of implementing the SPF recommendations over the next few years is estimated using ILO's cost-estimation tools and based on joint discussions with stakeholders. The results of the cost-estimation are used as a basis for discussions on prioritizing the recommendations.

STEP III – Endorsing the ABND report

The ABND report, including the recommendations for a nationally-defined 'SPF for all', is finalized, endorsed and launched by relevant national stakeholders. Further, future steps of action are prepared.

 

Assessment based national dialogue: A good practices guide is now available online!

 

Several meetings and workshops between government departments, social protection institutions, social partners and development agencies were organized at the start of the ABND process.

  • The Development Partners Group (DPG) Thematic Group on Social Protection met on 6 December 2015 to discuss the ABND process and receive updates from members on recent activities in social protection. The meeting was chaired by UNDP and the World Bank. Download the presentation on ABND | minutes.
  • A workshop was organized by Agence Française de Développement (AFD) on 9 December 2015 where panelists made up of the Ministry of Social Solidarity, Ministry of Finance, World Bank, WHO, UNICEF, the academia and others presented their vision of social protection in Egypt. The ILO presented the ABND methodology and the planned process in Egypt. Download the workshop agenda | presentation on ABND.
  • A workshop was held on 1 March 2017 with MOSS, ILO and several development partners to renew discussions on the SPF assessment process and invite agencies to propose ways in which they could contribute to the assessment. Download the presentation on Egypt's social protection system | presentation on SPF assessment.

As part of Step 1 on building the assessment matrix and SPF recommendations, several meetings and workshops were conducted. The assessment matrix will be available for download soon.

  • Between 26 November - 6 December 2015, the ILO conducted bilateral meetings with government departments, social security agencies, employer and worker organizations and development partners (including MOSS, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Health and Population, Ministry of Planning and Administrative Reform, Public and Private Social Insurance Fund, Government Social Insurance Fund, Federation of Egyptian Industries, Egyptian Federation of Independent Trade Unions, Egyptian Democratic Labor Congress, Egyptian Trade Union Federation, AFD, WHO) to explain the ABND methodology and collect information for the ABND matrix.
  • The ABND process benefitted from discussions at the technical workshop on the social health insurance (SHI) implementation organized by the Ministry of Health and Population and WHO during 7-8 December 2015. The SHI workshop was an independent event from the ABND that nevertheless supported the ABND methodology and objectives, thus highlighting the coherence between different social protection processes and the system-wide assessment conducted through the ABND. Download the concept note and agenda | workshop summary.
  • Three workshops were conducted with international organizations (24 January 2016), ministries and NGOs (28 January 2016) to present the ABND and obtain inptus to the matrix.
  • Between 24 - 28 January 2016, the ILO also met with field specialists, the European Delegation, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the Swiss Embassy.
  • During 13-14 March 2017, MOSS will organize a workshop to discuss the draft matrix and jointly identify recommendations for a national SPF. Download the tentative agenda

Coming up soon!

Coming up soon!

 
Assessment Egypt
06.03.2017
3042
3124 Work plan