Zubair Qureshi
For optimal shock-responsive social protection, innovation in delivery; paying attention to evidence gaps; transition to strategy and alignment of Federal and Provincial Social Protection programmes can play a vital role in enhancing the overall impact.
These views were expressed during an online-consultative session titled: ‘Aggregating the Evidence: Shock-responsive Social Protection Delivery Mechanism in Pakistan.’
The webinar was organized by the Sub-National Governance Programme, Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office-UK and Sustainable Development Policy Institute, SDPI-Center of Evidence Action Research.
Dr. Amjad Saqib, Founder, Akhuwat, while chairing the session highlighted the need to view poverty through a multidimensional lens, especially in the context of shocks such as Covid.
He emphasized the need for synergies among the public, voluntary and private sectors to address poverty in its entirety through reliable and innovative solutions.
SDPI Executive Director, Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri said the consolidation of social safety nets was a step in the right direction by the government, which helped in avoiding the overlapping and duplication of institutions, programmes and benefits.
Dr Aliya Hashmi Khan, Chair Ehsaas Labor Expert Group, discussed the horizontal linkages; the policy question of covering the informal workers and shared the vision of a ‘Live Registry’ of social protection.