Ninth meeting of the Expert Group on Social Protection Reform in the Arab States

• Minister of Social Development in the Sultanate of Oman, Dr. Leila Al Najjar, highlighted Oman's recent comprehensive reforms in her opening remarks, particularly the merging of previously eleven fragmented funds into the Social Insurance Fund and the Pension Fund. She also discussed the roles of care centers for children, victims of domestic violence, and the elderly, emphasizing cooperation between the Ministry, private sector, and civil society in this regard. Heads of several Departments presented their respective work in family protection, elderly affairs, cash transfer, social insurance, housing support programs, basic goods and services, employment, empowerment and care programmes. The presenters also addressed challenges faced previously and innovative approaches adopted in the updated system, with a focus on long-term sustainability, comprehensive designs, and data-driven decision-making, concluding with future steps aligned with Oman's vision for 2040.
• Participants expressed significant interest in Oman's pioneering approach to revising its social protection system and the radical reforms adopted to enhance its responsiveness and inclusiveness. The Omani team responded to participants' inquiries regarding the roles of care and the cases they safeguard.

• During the session, Mr. Marco Schaefer summarized accredited graduation programs aimed at lifting families and individuals out of extreme poverty by gradually transitioning them away from social assistance programs through integration into the workforce or small-scale productive ventures. Mr. Abdul Rahman Naji from the Sawiris Foundation presented the "Bab Amal" project, inspired by the BRAC model, which transfers assets and provides training to enhance productivity. Implemented in Egypt's poorest governorates, the project showed significant improvements in living standards.
• Palestinian representative Mr. Khalid Atmizi highlighted the importance of economic and social empowerment in sustainable poverty alleviation, emphasizing the need for coordinated interventions to address multidimensional aspects of poverty such as health, education, housing, and employment. Social and cooperative economy, focusing on cooperatives, were also underscored for poverty reduction and employment generation.

• The ESCWA Social Protection team presented reports and outputs of the team, which member States use for enlightenment and learning from each other's experiences in developing and reforming social protection systems. Key outputs included the Annual Digest of Social Protection Reforms of the Arab region, Template for the development of Comprehensive National Social Protection and Reforms Country Profile Report, and a working paper on the multiplying and stabilizing effect of comprehensive social protection on economy.
• On the Annual Digest of Social Protection Reforms of the Arab region, members of the Group suggested seeking additional official sources beyond the ones currently used for summarizing. They emphasized collaborative communication during summary preparation and suggested conducting annual performance comparisons among. Finally, it was advised that the annual digest should be expanded to cover more reforms and provide detailed information on each country's social protection reforms, fostering a broader discussion on comprehensive social protection system reforms.
• Dr. Barq Ad-Damour, Secretary-General of Jordan's Ministry of Social Development, highlighted their collaboration with ESCWA in preparing a comprehensive report on social protection systems and reforms. He stressed that the efforts of preparing the report, extending beyond report, facilitated dialogue, knowledge exchange, and consensus-building among stakeholders, enhancing reform ownership and alignment with Jordanian societal needs and national strategies. It significantly influenced Jordan's National Social Protection Strategy review for 2019-2025, linking it to broader national development plans.
• Tunisia, Mauritania, and Egypt, currently preparing Comprehensive National Social Protection and Reforms Country Profile Report, echoed Dr. Ad-Damour's sentiments, appreciating ESCWA's support. Other countries, including Morocco, Lebanon, Syria, Djibouti, and Libya, expressed keen interest, particularly those in need of assessing and proposing contextually appropriate, implementable, costed, and integrated social protection reforms. Participants proposed institutionalizing ESCWA's support within its regular agenda, allowing periodic self-assessment and reform evaluation, adjustment, or reconsideration as needed.

Mrs. Mona Fattah presented a proposal for an Arabic Electronic Platform on Social Protection, advocating for a centralized Arabic information hub. Group members, in responding to a Google Form survey, expressed strong support for the concept. The majority of responses endorsed the platform's creation and its focus on the Arab region.

The second day featured field visits organized by the Ministry of Social Development, introducing the Group to Oman's reform of social protection systems and its best practices. Visits included a center for autistic children and the National Museum showcasing Omani artisans, who are now able to join social insurance via voluntary contribution. The Group further learnt about the Ministry’s electronic registration and grievance redress systems, as well as unified social registry and data management system in one of its local branches.