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Core Commitments

for Children

are the core UNICEF policy and framework for humanitarian action

SOCIAL PROTECTION

Strategic Result

Vulnerable children, adolescents and their caregivers have access to financial support to meet their essential needs

Commitment

Benchmarks

  • Coordination between the social protection and the humanitarian cash coordination systems is established and functional

1. Coordination

 

Effective  coordination are established and functional 

  • Technical assistance is provided to existing social protection systems to maintain regular social protection programmes, including social transfer payments

  • Where appropriate and feasible, multisector humanitarian cash transfers are designed to strengthen and/or build nascent social protection systems

  • Where appropriate and feasible, technical and/or financial assistance is provided to adjust and/or scale up social transfers to respond to newly identified needs[85]

2: Support social protection systems[84]

 

Adequate support is provided for the effective functioning of social protection systems 

 

See 2.2.4 Linking humanitarian and development

  • Scale-up of social transfer programmes includes groups at risk of social exclusion[86] when relevant and feasible

  • Links between social transfers and social services are promoted

  • Risk assessments are undertaken to implement safest access modality for at-risk groups, including girls and women

3:  Access to social transfers

 

Support national systems to address financial barriers of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable families to meet their essential needs

  • Social protection system scale-up is informed by community consultation

  • Any changes to procedures and requirements for social transfers are communicated to the population

  • Mechanisms to seek feedback and redress grievances are functional

4: Community engagement and AAP

 

Communities are consulted and informed on the planning, design and implementation of social protection programmes

 

See 2.1.6 AAP

 See 2.2.8 Humanitarian cash transfers

Social protection is a set of policies and programmes aimed at preventing or protecting all populations from poverty, vulnerability and social exclusion throughout their lifecycle, with a particular emphasis on vulnerable groups[83].

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Key Considerations

Advocacy

  • Advocate to leverage national resources for: shock-responsive social protection systems and for increased use of social protection systems in humanitarian response; for budgetary allocations supporting social transfers; and to extend social protection to non-citizens (especially in context of forced displacement and migration).

  • Promote the role of social protection in humanitarian programming, including in leveraging existing systems for delivering humanitarian cash transfers.

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Coordination and Partnerships 

  • Align humanitarian cash transfers as closely as possible to existing or planned social protection programmes/services, as per SRSP Guidance.

  • Develop joint action plans with national authorities to support adjustment and/or scale-up of social transfers in emergencies and contribute to longer-term resilience-building.

 

Quality Programming and Standards

  • Prioritise multisectoral cash transfers to improve access to different essential services, including health, nutrition, WASH, education and child protection.

  • Promote the strengthening or introduction of linkages between social protection system and other essential services, such as health, nutrition, WASH, education and child protection.

  • Promote timeliness of transfers, coverage of newly vulnerable groups, reducing barriers to enrolment, ensuring safe delivery of assistance, especially to the most vulnerable.

  • Promote the access to safe, equitable and inclusive social protection programmes for the most vulnerable and groups at risk of social exclusion[87].

  • Introduce gender- and age-responsive programming, taking into account the unique needs of women, adolescents and girls.

  • Integrate GBV risk mitigation in all social protection programmes. Work with GBV actors and coordination mechanisms to reduce risks of GBV and ensure provision of care for survivors of GBV. Equip and train social protection personnel with up-to-date information on available GBV response services and referral procedures to support GBV survivors. If there are no GBV actors available, train social protection staff on the GBV Pocket Guide.

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Linking Humanitarian and Development

  • Promote government leadership and ownership at the national and sub-national levels in the design, resource allocation, monitoring and implementation of social protection programmes.

  • Promote linkages between early warning systems and social protection systems to make them shock-responsive (e.g. inclusive targeting and registration; strengthening cash delivery mechanisms for timely scale-up; contingency budgeting at national and sub-national level to increase support for humanitarian assistance; climate change and disaster risk reduction).

  • Ensure that humanitarian cash programmes are leveraged to develop and strengthen nascent social protection systems.

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Footnotes

[83] Vulnerability is the extent to which some people may be disproportionately affected by the disruption of their physical environment and social support mechanisms following disaster or conflict. Vulnerability is specific to each person and each situation. Vulnerable groups are those most exposed to risk, and particularly susceptible to the effects of environmental, economic, social and political shocks and hazards. They may include: children, adolescents, women, older people, pregnant adolescents and women, child and female-headed households, people with disabilities, unaccompanied minors, people from marginalized groups and the poorest of the poor, people marginalized by their society due to their ethnicity, age, gender, sexual identity, disability status, class or caste, political affiliations or religion. The typology of vulnerable groups may evolve depending on contexts and risks.

[84] Social protection system refers to a system comprising the following key components: (i) evidence; (ii) policy, legal framework, finance and coordination; (iii) programmes (including social transfers); and (iv) institutional arrangements.

[85] Scale-up refers to a range of options including (but not only): introduction of new programmes by the government; expansion of existing programmes; use of some or all components of the programmes’ operational system by other ministries (especially Disaster Risk Management) and/or other humanitarian actors such as UNICEF, to deliver humanitarian assistance.

[86] The typology of groups at risk of social exclusion may evolve depending on contexts and risks. This may include pregnant women and child- and female-headed households, people with disabilities, people living with HIV, displaced people, refugees, migrants.

[87] See Ibid for Vulnerable groups and groups at risk of social exclusion

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