Peshawar: The Provincial Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa unveiled its Social Protection Policy at a dissemination event organised in Peshawar. The event was jointly organised by the Public Policy & Social Protection Reforms Unit, Sub-National Governance (SNG) Programme funded by Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) UK, GIZ Pakistan funded by Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Germany, International Labour Organisation (ILO), and Italian Agency for Development Cooperation. The policy aims to extend social protection to the poor and vulnerable people in the province, providing them with a safety net to overcome the adverse effects of poverty, unemployment, and marginalisation.
\nMr. Adil Saeed Safi, DG Sustainable Development Unit (SDU), P&DD Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while welcoming the guests said that the Social Protection Policy is more critical now than ever, given the recent rise in poverty and vulnerability due to COVID-19. The policy seeks to address traditional challenges around poverty, low human capital, gender gap, unemployment, and marginalisation that have persisted and increased despite the enhanced focus of the current Government on alleviating poverty through economic growth and redistribution. He thanked SNG, GIZ, ILO and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) for their handholding in the process. Dr. Raheal Siddiqui, SNG\u2019s Provincial Team Lead and Dr. Franz Von Roenne, GIZ SP \u2013 SHP Team Lead appreciated the colleagues especially International Labour Organisation (ILO) that started work on this policy and helped formulate it for the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
\nThe merger of FATA with the province has further necessitated urgent policy action to address the spatial dimension of poverty by promoting equitable regional development and broadening the scope of social protection for excluded individuals, households, and communities.
\nThe Social Protection Policy was developed under the technical support of the Sub-National Governance Programme (SNG) and German Cooperation (GIZ), which stepped in when the Government sought technical support during COVID-19. SNG reviewed the past work on developing the social protection system in the province and developed a Social Protection Roadmap, which the Government approved in December 2020. The Social Protection Policy was an essential milestone of SNG’s Social Protection Roadmap.
\nThe policy formulation process was led by Dr Sohail Anwar jointly with SNG and German Cooperation (GIZ), and International Labour Organisation (ILO)’s expert, Mr Khalid Mahmood, provided support in conducting Focus Group Discussions. SNG’s Social Protection Advisor, Shahid Farooq, facilitated the policy formulation process and authored the chapter on “Implementation Framework.”
\nThe Provincial Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa acknowledged the contribution of several individuals and organizations in the development of the Social Protection Policy. Mr Waseem Qadir, former ACS, initiated the process, and then former ACS Mr Shahab Ali Shah provided support in the policy development. Former CS Mr Shahzad Bangash and Secretary P&DD Shah Mahmood Khan also provided their patronage. The Sustainable Development Unit (P&DD) and Public Policy and Social Protection Reform Unit’s teams also contributed significantly to the policy development process.
\nThe Social Protection Policy’s successful implementation will require strong partnerships and collaboration between the Government, development partners, and civil society organisations. The Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is committed to ensuring that the policy’s vision and strategic direction are translated into effective and efficient programs and schemes that can make a tangible impact on the lives of the province’s most vulnerable people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Peshawar: The Provincial Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa unveiled its Social Protection Policy at a dissemination event organised in Peshawar. The event was jointly organised by the Public Policy & Social Protection Reforms Unit, Sub-National Governance (SNG) Programme funded by Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) UK, GIZ Pakistan funded by Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":320872,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-320870","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-national"},"yoast_head":"\n