Social Protection System: an Afghan Case Study
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Social Protection System: An Afghan Case Study Analysing the Potential of a Child-Focused Social Protection Cash Transfer Programme in Balkh SAMUEL HALL/UNICEF – Social Protection System in Balkh – Draft Report 1 Samuel Hall is a leader in conducting quality field research and providing expert analysis and strategic consultancy to public and private sector organisations investing in present and post conflict regions. Covering Asia, Africa and the Middle East since 2009, Samuel Hall brings evidence-based and participatory research findings from the field to the tables of policy and decision makers. Our areas of expertise include monitoring and evaluation,strategy and impact assessments, as well as economic, migration, governance and rule of law, education and protection research. Contact us at: [email protected]. Visit us at: www.samuelhall.org Photos: Lalage Snow © This publication was commissioned by UNICEF in Afghanistan and was prepared and conducted solely by Samuel Hall. The views and analysis contained in the publication therefore do not necessarily represent UNICEF’s views. This report should be cited using the following referencing style: Samuel Hall 2014, “Social Protection System: An Afghan case study” for UNICEF Afghanistan. Samuel Hall encourages the dissemination of its work and will normally grant permission to reproduce portions of the report promptly. For permission to photocopy or reprint any part of this work, please send your request, along with complete information, to [email protected] SAMUEL HALL/UNICEF – Social Protection System in Balkh – Draft Report 2 Table of Contents Acronyms 4 I. Introduction 5 1. Background of the Study 6 2. Key Concepts & Definitions 8 3. Methodology 8 II. Household Risk and Vulnerability Assessment 12 1. Assessing Household Vulnerability 13 2. Assessing Children’s Vulnerability 28 3. Coping Mechanisms 34 III. Opening up the Social Protection Landscape 42 1. Government structures of social protection 43 2. Non-governemental organisation 48 3. Community structures of social protectio 50 4. The Zakat system 53 IV. Recommendations 60 1. A ‘Zakat pilot project' in Balkh 61 2. Cash-Transfer Programmes in Balkh 64 V. Annexes 72 VI. References 75 SAMUEL HALL/UNICEF – Social Protection System in Balkh – Draft Report 3 Acronyms ACTED – Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development AKF – Aga Khan Foundation ANDMA – Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority ARTF – Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund CDC – Community Development Council CSO – Central Statistics Organization DoWA – Department of Women Affairs DoLSA – Department of Labour and Social Affairs EVAW – Elimination of Violence Against Women EU – European Union FGD – Focus Group Discussion FRU – Family Response Unit GIZ – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH GoA – Government of Afghanistan KII – Key Informant Interview MoE – Ministry of Education MoLSAMD – Ministry of Labour Social Affairs, Martyrs, and Disabled MoPH – Ministry of Public Health MoWA – Ministry of Women Affairs MRRD – Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development NGO – Non-Governmental Organisation NRC – Norwegian Refugee Council NSP – National Solidarity Programme PSU – Primary Sampling Unit SH – Samuel Hall UNHCR – United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNICEF – United Nations Children’s Fund USAID – United States Agency for International Development WB – The World Bank WFP – United Nations World Food Programme SAMUEL HALL/UNICEF – Social Protection System in Balkh – Draft Report 4 I. Introduction SAMUEL HALL/UNICEF – Social Protection System in Balkh – Draft Report 5 1. Background of the Study Despite Afghans’ strong will to develop state-centric programmes and policies, Afghanistan has always had a feeble state and a strong society. This situation and the 30 years long and on-going war relegated the importance of social protection spending to a position of second importance. The main budget spending was concentrated on security and military expenses. Moreover, the heterogeneity and complexity of the different provinces made a comprehensive social protection difficult to put in place. Despite these obstacles, it is necessary for the Afghan government to develop a social protection system as the Afghan population is mainly counting on solidarity to be able to fulfil its basic social and health needs. For now, in spite of the existence of a National Social Protection Strategy (2008-13), social protection remains very limited in Afghanistan, with children and women- sensitive social protection almost non-existent. These two groups are the most vulnerable as their needs are many and core challenges still persist – lack of security, lack of economic development, limited access to health systems, lack of education, child labour and female unemployment. The election of a new government in 2014 provides an opportunity for substantial changes in government policies and priorities. One of the main changes expected is an increase in the focus on social protection measures. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani highlighted in his acceptance speech the need to delve into new solidarity mechanisms, such as the zakat. Thus far, one of the most significant attempts at establishing a larger system of social protection is the Afghanistan Pension Administration and Safety Net Project, implemented by the World Bank and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MoLSAMD) aiming to improve the administration of the public pension schemes and develop an administrative system for safety net interventions.1 Started in 2009, this programme has predominantly focused on piloting cash transfer projects in order to test different beneficiaries’ selection criteria and methodologies. A second pilot is due to start in the fall of 2014 and will cover 4 provinces of Afghanistan (excluding Balkh province). In this context, UNICEF is considering the development of a social protection programme with a specific focus on children, within the already existing framework developed by the World Bank and MoLSAMD. With the end goal of articulating children-sensitive programming with the World Bank’s own safety net programme in mind, the first step in this direction is for the organisation to launch a pilot programme in Balkh to test the best modalities of programming to cover children’s needs for social protection in the country. In the longer run, both organisations aim at increasing the scale of interventions, with the government eventually taking ownership of the system. In order to support the design of this pilot, UNICEF commissioned Samuel Hall Consulting to conduct formative research in five districts to be targeted by UNICEF. The overall objective of this research project is for Samuel Hall’s research team to advise UNICEF on the design of a child-focused social protection cash transfer programme in Balkh province. Specifically, the research aims to: 1 The World Bank, Implementation Status & Results, Afghanistan Pension Administration and Safety Net Project, Feb 2014 SAMUEL HALL/UNICEF – Social Protection System in Balkh – Draft Report 6 1. Build knowledge on child poverty and vulnerability Identifying determinants of child poverty and shocks impacting vulnerable children; 2. Map existing social protection mechanisms Including private, public, NGO-based initiatives, local, district and provincial levels; 3. Assess the state and vitality of zakat and awqaf institutions Assessingwhether these could be used as a basis for social protection interventions; 4. Develop a set of recommendations on the most appropriate modalities of interventions For UNICEF’s pilot, an analysis of the indicators to monitor and evaluate the pilot. UNICEF will conduct a baseline survey separately to measure the impact of the pilot. PART A. BUILD KNOWLEDGE ON CHILD PART B. ASSESS THE STATE OF ZAKAT POVERTY AND MAP EXISTING AND AWQAF IN BALKH AND DEVELOP MECHANISMS FOR SOCIAL PROTECTION RECOMMENDATIONS The first section provides an The second section will examine the role understanding of the nature of poverty of Zakat and Awqaf, two traditional tools and vulnerability experienced by for poverty alleviation, as social children in Balkh, including their protection mechanism and explore exposure to shocks and associated opportunities and modalities for scaling- coping mechanisms. Do current service up these practices in Balkh. This research provides contribute to reducing poverty? will analyse the potential of mainstreaming both as instruments in a systems approach to social protection. SAMUEL HALL/UNICEF – Social Protection System in Balkh – Draft Report 7 2. Key Concepts& Definitions SOCIAL PROTECTION:‘All public and private initiatives that provide income or consumption transfers to the poor, protect the vulnerable against livelihood risks, and enhance the social status and rights of the marginalised; with the overall objective of reducing the economic and social vulnerability of poor, vulnerable and marginalised groups.’2 This wide definition, which encompasses different aspects of social protection, has ledto some confusion around what should be included in practice. For the purpose of this study we will concentrate on the protective measures of social protection which are defined as ‘mechanisms for smoothing consumption in response to declining or fluctuating income.’ The promotive (developing economic opportunities), preventive (insurance and diversification mechanisms: social security) and transformative (extending social protection to arenas such as equity,