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.
