The IPC-IG is working on a new project related to social protection responses to COVID-19 in the Gulf Countries

By IPC-IG
Photo: Foly_21 / Canva

The International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth (IPC-IG), in partnership with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Gulf Area Office and the UNICEF Regional Office for Middle East and North Africa (MENA), are working on a new project related to social protection responses to the COVID-19 crisis in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.  

The COVID-19 crisis has been a threat to the global economy and to the lives and livelihoods of millions of people. In this context, the governments of GCC countries have enacted fiscal and monetary policies featuring different social protection packages, mainly focused on protecting the employment and livelihoods of citizens. While the responses were immediate and substantial, solid evidence is still needed to measure how effective and equitable these interventions and strategies were. 

The project entitled "The Social Protection response to the COVID-19 crisis in GCC countries: Analysis and lessons for building shock-responsive social protection systems" aims to map the social protection responses to the pandemic implemented by four GCC countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates). This will be accomplished by documenting the social assistance responses implemented and delving into the specific aspects of the programmes used to reach the most vulnerable (including, but not limited to: low-income and female-headed households, people with special needs or disabilities, the unemployed, women, youth, children, elderly people, and migrants). 

The report will bring together lessons learned from the COVID-19 response—successes and failures alike—to assist policies and programmes in building shock-sensitive social protection systems that can potentially also respond to future crises. The review will be based on secondary data and evidence, including reports and other relevant sources, to clarify the effectiveness of the responses, in addition to identifying unintended consequences such as inclusion/exclusion errors. 

It will also provide recommendations on adjustments and improvements that would make existing social protection systems in each country more equitable, sensitive to shocks and sensitive to vulnerable populations.