The Government of Uzbekistan and the UN launch a joint program to strengthen the social protection system in the country
11/11/2019 10:25
The Government of Uzbekistan and the UN launch a joint program to strengthen the social protection system in the country
11/11/2019 10:25
Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Today, on 11 November in Tashkent, Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Aziz Abdukhakimov and UN Resident Representative in Uzbekistan Helena Fraser signed an agreement on the implementation of a joint program for social protection. This document identifies priority areas for the protection of the most vulnerable groups in order to not leave anyone unattended. A joint program with a budget of two million US dollars is aimed at social protection of the most vulnerable segments of the population.
In recent years, Uzbekistan annually invested from 6 to 9% of its GDP in the field of social protection. Despite this, there are some critical barriers in the system that affect its effectiveness. For example, social protection functions are currently divided between different ministries and departments. This leads to a lack of a common vision and integrated approaches necessary to bring people and families out of difficult life situations.
World experience shows that socio-economic reforms in a country can create temporary shocks for some vulnerable groups of the population, and they must be supported by a strong social protection system.
To this end, the UN and the government agreed to jointly implement a program for reforming the social protection system. The aim of the program is to ensure the availability of quality social protection services for all citizens of Uzbekistan throughout their lives. The program will focus on the following three priority areas:
(1) promoting institutional reform to solve the problem of fragmentation of social protection functions in various ministries and departments by creating a single state body for social protection;
(2) development of a comprehensive national social protection strategy in accordance with international standards. This process is aimed at changing the perception of social protection as charity for a narrow circle of people in need of a basic right, accessible to every citizen if necessary;
(3) piloting an integrated “benefits + services” approach to provide social protection to persons with disabilities. In combination with the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the introduction of the International Classification of Functioning, the joint program will contribute to a more complete realization of the rights and a significant improvement in the lives of people with disabilities.
This joint program with a budget of two million US dollars is one of 24 projects funded by the UN, where 114 proposals were considered. The joint program will be implemented over the next two years.
It is assumed that the joint program will be implemented in close coordination between the Cabinet of Ministers, the General Prosecutor's Office, various ministries and civil society organizations. Three UN agencies - the International Labor Organization (ILO), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) will support the implementation of this program.
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