Exploring the role of FAO resilience portfolio in supporting national social protection programmes

Background

Social protection coverage in the Asia-Pacific region currently stands at 53%. This coverage gap is especially concerning as the region is home to 16 of the world’s 50 most vulnerable countries to climate change.  

Despite these challenges, social protection programmes have reduced poverty and built resilience , with increasing adoption of social protection frameworks across the region.

To support national social protection efforts, FAO has developed the Social Protection Strategy for Asia and the Pacific, which focuses on climate change and anticipatory action.

Objectives

• Finalizing Regional Social Protection Strategy: Familiarise country offices with FAO's social protection strategy, for resilience portfolio programs, by unpacking its strategic elements and thereon finalise the strategy.
• Country Office Feedback: Consultative process to receive inputs on the Social Protection strategy, highlight contextualisation, and identify areas where additional support is needed to strengthen social protection programming in the region.
• Integrate Social Protection elements in GCF and GEF programs: Enhance understanding of leveraging social protection programs for implementing climate adaptation programs in the region.
• Link Social Protection with Disaster Risk Management: Explore strategies for integrating social protection with DRM programs, emphasising on anticipatory actions and risk-informed social protection.
• Strengthen knowledge of Social Protection Cash Programming: Sharing the recent updates on MS-702 manual in cash programming to leverage government social protection programs for cash interventions and integrating this approach in future interventions.
• Drawing a plan of action: Facilitate the development of action plans for linking FAO resilience portfolio with national social protection programs.

Expected outcomes

• Regional strategy for Social Protection programming: Finalised Social protection strategy for the FAO RAP Resilience portfolio. Country offices will have an enhanced understanding on how FAO programs can support national social protection systems through agricultural, rural development, disaster management, and climate adaptation programs.
• Identified Support Needs: Clear assessment of capacity gaps and technical support required by the country office to operationalise social protection programming.
• Creation of Action Plans: Country offices will outline potential action plans, based on the regional strategy, for embedding social protection components into ongoing projects or explore new opportunities in social protection.

Format

This workshop is a closed meeting for FAO Country Offices, government officials, and strategic partners and donors.