BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 4. Uzbekistan, the
World Bank and UNICEF are working together to develop an Adaptive
Social Protection Strategy aimed at strengthening support for
households facing climate, natural and economic risks.
This was reflected in the statement by the Uzbek Ministry of
Economy, following a meeting on the strategy’s development attended
by Deputy Minister Otabek Fazilkarimov, representatives of UNICEF,
the World Bank and the National Agency for Social Protection, as
well as international consultants.
According to the Ministry, in the course of the meeting, the
participants reviewed key approaches to developing the strategy,
which is designed to make social protection more responsive to
risks that can affect household incomes and living conditions.
Discussions focused on measures to strengthen household
resilience to various shocks, improve mechanisms for providing
social assistance promptly, and enhance coordination among
government agencies involved in social protection.
The participants also outlined the next steps for preparing the
strategy.
"The next steps in developing the Strategy were also discussed,
including consultations with stakeholders, reviewing international
experience, and identifying priority risks related to emergencies,
natural hazards, and climate change in Uzbekistan, as well as
developing appropriate response mechanisms," the ministry said in
the statement.
The planned approach would allow Uzbekistan to strengthen the
ability of its social protection system to respond to changing
conditions and provide support to vulnerable households when risks
materialize.
The involvement of UNICEF, the World Bank and international
experts is expected to bring international experience and technical
expertise into the strategy-development process, while
consultations with national institutions will help align the
framework with Uzbekistan’s domestic priorities.
Following the meeting, the participants agreed to continue joint
efforts to develop the Adaptive Social Protection Strategy and
further improve mechanisms for adaptive social protection in
Uzbekistan.
