Leveraging Social Protection Systems to Anticipate and Respond to shocks

Geneva - The FAO Liaison Office in Geneva and the Inclusive Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division (ESP) held the third session of the Social Protection Dialogue Series. The session aimed to raise awareness on why and how social protection can and should be leveraged to anticipate and respond to shocks, and to reinforce the role of States as the primary actors responsible for the delivery of social protection to their population, whilst also exploring the complimentary role of both humanitarian and development actors. Speakers shared and commented on country case studies that illustratethe potential of social protection to bridge the gap between humanitarian and development interventions. 

Hasim Guiamil, Chief of the Disaster Risk Management Division for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), in the Republic of the Philippines, discussed the Ministry of Social Services' mandate to provide a balanced and responsive approach to social welfare in the new Bangsamoro Government. He emphasized the importance of designing anticipatory and shock-responsive social protection programs, institutional strengthening through coordinated mechanisms and platforms, and appropriate policies and guidelines. 

Charlotte Bilo, Coordinator of the Social Protection Inter-Agency Cooperation Board Working group on linking humanitarian cash assistance and social protection, explained the objectives of the Social Protection Inter-Agency Cooperation Board (SPIAC-B) Working Group on linking humanitarian cash assistance and social protection, aimed at strengthening national social protection systems. She highlighted the need for more inclusive systems, greater capacity of the humanitarian community to complement government efforts, and the important role of local actors and coordination structures. 

Jonathan Brass, Operations Manager of the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN), at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, shared the experience of the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN), a basic needs program targeting vulnerable refugees with regular and predictable cash transfers. He discussed the main enablers of the program, including a functioning government, robust information management system, agile management driven by data analysis, and financial flexibility. He also highlighted the program's ability to respond to different types of shocks and adapt to the needs of recipients. 

Predrag Avramovic,Minister Counsellor for Humanitarian Affairs at the Permanent Delegation of the EU to the UN Office and other international organizations in Geneva, discussed the complementary nature of the ESSN with other EU programs, and its ability to respond to different types of shocks. He highlighted the global Pilot Programmatic Partnership model as a modality to provide more flexible and predictable funding to trusted partners. He called for efforts to integrate anticipatory action and shock-responsive social protection agendas into conversations on ensuring appropriate and sufficient domestic fiscal space, with governments taking the lead, and increased support from development donors in this field. 

Overall, the Social Protection dialogue highlighted the importance of social protection as a tool to bridge the Nexus and bring together partners working on its different components. It also emphasized the need to strengthen social protection systems to reach populations in need, especially those in rural areas, and ensure responsive, adaptive, and resilient systems that can be leveraged in times of shocks. While humanitarian, development, and private sector partners can play a complementary role, states are recognized as primary actors in advancing this agenda. However, it is  essential to note that social protection alone cannot solve all challenges, and countries will still require disaster risk reduction, disaster management, rural and urban development interventions, among others. 

FAO Geneva and the Social Protection Dialogue 

The FAO Liaison Office in Geneva and the Inclusive Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division (ESP), in collaboration with partner agencies, organizes a series of dialogues on Social Protection with the objective to raise awareness on the role of social protection as a key instrument for poverty reduction and inclusive growth in rural areas, and for achieving the objectives and targets of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.