The IPC-IG and UNICEF study how to combine social protection schemes with child protection

The International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth (IPC-IG) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa (MENARO) have partnered to research good practices in countries of the region that establish links between social protection and child protection.  

According to a Research Report released by both institutions, there is still much room to make the non-contributory social protection programmes in the region more child-sensitive, including through better integration with other social services. At the same time, the number of children living in monetary poor households increased to more than 60 million because of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Against this background, a new Policy Research Brief is being produced. IPC-IG researchers are developing a desk review of best practices, using Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Brazil, and Iraq as references.  

So far, four meetings have been held with UNICEF representatives in Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, and Maghreb to gather information and discuss best practices made by and for the Social Services workforce, combining social protection programmes such as cash transfers with child protection services to improve outcomes for children specifically and social protection more broadly. 

The brief is part of the project Technical Support on social protection to UNICEF MENARO, and will also be presented in a webinar.