1. Social Protection Strategy in UNDP Tajikistan
Social Protection Internal Meeting
Almaty, 22 June 2016
Furkat Lutfulloev

2. Social Protection Expenditures (2014, WB)
Social Protection = 4% of GDP
Social insurance and pensions = 80% of social protection budget
Social services = 2% of social protection budget
Public expenditure is rather low in the country
Spending on social assistance and social services as a proportion of social protection is very low in the region, as is the proportion of spending on social assistance that goes to children and families

3. Social Protection Concept
CASH BENEFITS
SERVICES
Social Insurance and Pensions
(contributory schemes)
Social Assistance
(non-contributory)
Social Services
Long term
Old age pensions
Social insurance schemes (ILO Convention 102)
Long term incapacity for work or income replacement benefits in case of old age, invalidity, loss of the primary earner
Short term incapacity for work or income replacement benefits in case of maternity, sickness and unemployment
Social Assistance
Targeted Social Assistance: eradicate the poverty
School attendance benefit (conditional budgetary support): enrollment to education
Energy subsidy: access to basic services
Social services
Care services at home, day centers, residential care for persons in vulnerable situations
Short term
School and energy subs
Invalidity
Survivor’s pensions
TSA
Social services
Maternity benefit
Sickness benefit
Unemployment benefit

4. UNDP’s Experience ( )
UNDP Tajikistan has good experience mostly in policy development process of social protection sector through:
Provision of technical assistance in developing the National Development Strategy ( ) with the main focus on economy growth
Participation in UNICEF-led WG under Donor Coordination Council which assists MHSP in accelerating sector reform
Collaboration with EU, WB, GIZ, WFP, WHO and ILO in conducting Social Protection Situation Analysis
Implementation of UNPRPD to strengthen Alliances for Inclusive Policies for PWD in Tajikistan 2014–2016 (joint project with UNICEF and WHO)
Promotion of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities through the Capacity Building as Rule of Law Project component
Integration of Mine Victim Assistance as a part of TMAC mandate into existing governmental and non-governmental development programs
The Agency experience can be classified as:
Contribution in the set up Working groups at national level to ensure that UNDP priorities are integrated in country priorities
National Development Strategy development
DCC on Social Protection
Situation Analysis of the Sector
Support to the relevant Ministries to achieve the social protection priorities through UNDP projects
UNPRPD Project
Rule of Law and Access to Justice
Mine Victim Assistance
There is interaction between interventions under the UNPRPD and TMAC projects where policy level analysis cover mine victim social and economic empowerment situation and development of recommendations for inclusion of the category of population into social service packages.

5. Lesson Learnt/Challenges
Without ‘stand alone’ social protection project UNDP support position is not well recognized among the partners
There is political will for the Reform but limited fiscal space and dominant ideology (as charity) to initiate acceleration of social protection sector reform
So far UN efforts is not focused on developing the low cost services and building on existing structures of the sector
Fragmentation of the sector (geographically, client groups, reporting lines, types of service) complicates focused strategy on partnership development
Low number of professionals in the sector (social workers, physiotherapists, etc.) slow down the process of scaling up community based support services
For the last 5 years, there was no stand alone project addressing social protection sector specifying UNDP contribution to the on-going SP reform process. Even UNDAF does not include UNDP as the implementing Agency for the related Outcome which is further lobbied through the UNDAF Bi-annual JWPs.
High level dialogues showed the willingness and commitment of the GVT for the sector reform which is obstacle with several factors such as a) slow economic growth reducing an opportunity of creating fiscal space, b) fragmentation and complication of the existing system, c) lack of professionals in all pillars of the sector
In the lower middle income countries like Tajikistan where the social protection expenditure constitute only small % of the GDP with lowest number of social work professionals per capita in Central Asia, UNDP efforts should be made to developing and integrating the low cost services and focused on building on the existing structures of the social protection sector

6. Ways Forward
As part of the “Delivering as One” approach, UNDP works with UNICEF to assist the MHSP to address the issues of social equity through:
Conducting functional analysis of the Social Assistance at Home Units with the focus on service provisions to vulnerable population
Building capacity of newly established Social Policy Planning unit of the MHSP in evidence based policy making targeting the most vulnerable
Introducing social work minimum standards and case management process with PLHIV and PWD at education and practical service provision levels
Applying mechanisms of the state social insurance to increase the payment of cash benefits from 0-16 to 0-18 years of children living with HIV
Increasing inequalities among certain groups of the population, suffering a range of discriminations, especially people with disabilities and people living with HIV, call for targeted solutions to protect their rights, and empower them in line with the new UNDAF and corporate UNDP strategic agenda
Through increased collaboration with civil society and joint efforts with other UN agencies as part of the “Delivering as One” approach, UNDP assists the Ministry of Health and Social Protection to address the issues of social equity in provision of existing services and accelerate holistic reform of Social Assistance at Home Units in the structure of social protection sector.
UNDP, jointly with UNICEF and EU funded projects, develops the capacity of the Social Protection and Social Insurance Department to increase the quality and availability of disaggregated data and statistical information to inform policy decisions targeting the most vulnerable.
Under the UN Joint Advocacy Project, the capacity of civil society organizations providing services to KP and PLHIV will be enhanced in social work case management process
UNDP will also support to improve the insurance system to ensure monthly benefits to children living with HIV

7. Ways Forward: SAHU Reform