Social Protection Floors Mozambique Experience

1. REPUBLIC OF MOZAMBIQUE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND SOCIAL ACTION Social Protection Floors Mozambique Experience New York, 12th September 2013

2. Mozambique socio-economic context • About 23 million of population (52% are women); • High levels of Economic Growth in the last 15 years; • The poverty rate in 2008/2009 was 54,7%; • High dependence on subsistence farming (70% of households); • High exposure to weather related and economic shocks • Between the months of December and March food insecurity levels rise to around 40%. • About 20% of the population is food insecure • 43% under 5 suffer from Chronic Malnutrition

3. Main progresses in recent years • The Government of Mozambique, aware of the challenges to guarantee the welfare of the population, especially those living in vulnerable situations and that can be affected by various risks, defined the basic social protection as one of priorities, highlighting the care the most vulnerable groups. • As milestones, Mozambique defined specific legislation on social protection and the basic social security enshrined as one of the basic levels to guarantee this right so important. • The recognition that all citizens should have access to a social protection floor that led to consecrate the structured interventions in health, education, social action and the creation of employment opportunities for people with capacity to work.

4. Main progresses in recent years • Social Protection gained a prominent position in national debate • It is now one of the priorities within the PARP (PRSP) • Basic Social Security Regulation approved in 2009 • Basic Social Security Strategy approved in 2010 • Programs Revision approved by the Council of Ministers in 2011 • Started a revision of the operational system, including a fully review of Manual of Procedures, including identification and targeting mechanisms • Ongoing development of a new Management and Information System including: single registry, terciarization of payments, case management, Social Action identification card

5. Main progresses in recent years • For the Government of Mozambique, the interventions in the area of ​​basic social protection is evident in key Government planning instruments (PG, PRSP). • These important instruments defined priorities and goals to be achieved in the establishment and strengthening of a social protection floor in Mozambique. • One of the great achievements in the reform process that was conducted to revise the basic social protection programs implemented by the Government and directed to people who live in poverty and vulnerability.

6. Main progresses in recent years • Today, with the process restructuring of our programs stand out as successes: • Increased investment in human capital interventions with sustainable, long-term programs taking in account the main challenges of our country; • Increased coverage of basic social protection interventions to more households, a fact which allowed us to increase the coverage of the families who need these interventions since 2010, from about 7% to 20%; • The response to the needs of children, elderly, people with disabilities, women became more structured and integrated because these groups have access to the benefits of health, education, social welfare and we have tolls for better monitoring and evaluate government response; • The budget allocation has registered remarkable progresses; • A better coordination between the different stakeholders.

7. The National Basic Social Security Axes • Direct Social Action: managed by MMAS, comprised of social transfers used to address the needs of the most vulnerable and destitute households (older people, people with disabilities, those who are chronically ill, and households with orphans and vulnerable children) and to respond to situations of permanent and transitory vulnerability. • Health Social Action: managed by the Ministry of Health, this intervention aims at promoting the access of the most vulnerable populations to primary health care; • Education Social Action: managed by the Ministry of Education, this action promotes the participation of the most vulnerable populations in the education system • Productive Social Action: jointly managed by different sectors, this intervention aims to promote the economic inclusion of households living in absolute poverty, but with residual capacity to participate in the labour market.

8. The Revised Social Protection Programs implemented by government • The Basic Social Subsidy Program (PSSB) - a cash transfer program targeting extremely poor households in which no adult is able to work (i.e., households headed by the elderly or by persons with disabilities). • The Productive Social Action Program (PASP). Consists of direct employment in public-works projects aimed to build or upgrading infrastructure in poor and vulnerable communities, and by providing training programs and other educational opportunities. • The PASP focuses on extremely poor households in which one or more adults are able to work, but face limited employment or income-generation prospects.

9. The Revised Social Protection Programs implemented by government • The Direct Social Action Program (PASD), which provides short-term support to households that are temporarily vulnerable, including: • Pregnant women head of households, including support after birth; • Support to Households with Children suffering from acute malnutrition (identified by the Ministry of Health); • Support to HIV patients receiving ART support (identified by the MoH); • Social Action Services • Orphanage, Day care for Children and Elderly • Promote of Family Reunification • Access to information to vulnerable groups

10. Budget Allocations for Social Protection Programs implemented by government • increase in 2012/2013 and likely 2014 in National Budget and new pledges from development partners • Around 90% of the Budget comes from domestic sources

11. What changed for people? • Constant trend in terms of increasing nr. of beneficiaries • Increase o benefits: • For PSSB (the biggest program): • Basic monthly transfer was 70 Mts (2,3 Usd) in 2007 and is be 250 Mts (8.6 usd) in 2013 • Adding 25% for each dependent (up to a max of 4), going up to a maximum of 500 Mts ( 17,2 Usd) per HH

12. A New Social Protection Operational System for government Programs • Including a single registry (in a first phase to be used for INAS Programs, but on a second phase to be rolled out to other Ministries like M. Health and M. Education) • Improved manuals of procedures including: • New beneficiary targeting mechanisms • Involving categorical targeting for some programs and community mechanisms for others • New payment modalities • Including using third parties like mobile phone companies (ongoing process for public tender) • Reinforcement of INAS Case Management function • INAS will be more close to the beneficiary • Promoting linkages with other sectors like health and education • Reducing inclusion and exclusion errors • Monitoring & Evaluation with linkages to the production of National system of statistics (including information on panel national household surveys)

13. Main challenges for the implementation of a Mozambican Social Protection Floor

14. The importance of South-South Cooperation • Mozambique benefited in different moments from the experience of other countries, particularly from the African Continent • At policy level inspiring visits • to Brazil early in the process (2005 and 2006) • to Cape Verde in 2009 during the Strategy drafting • To countries in the region - Zambia (2006), South Africa (2008), Malawi (2010) and Botswana (2011) • Visit to Ethiopia (in 2010) to see in loco the implementation of the PSNP, including management and decentralization process; • Participation of more than 20 African countries in a Conference Organized by Mozambique in 2012 that fed the National Discussion on social protection; • Kenya Visit (2013) to look at payment and targeting mechanisms; • Participation in Global, Continental Training Experiences • Participation in South South Events

15. The role of International Partners • Mozambique benefited from the support of various partners, • Particularly relevant was the work of the UN team in Social Protection (ILO UNICEF WFP): • Supporting capacity building –investment in training and facilitating the exchange of experiences with peer countries • Enhancing and participating on the National Development Dialogue (through a strong participation on the PRSP Working Groups) • Enhancing coordination among International Development Partners and promoting the SP agenda • Providing Technical Assistance in key moments • Support to the definition of the National Basic Social Security, the Regulation and its operational plan, including its costing • Evaluation of the old programs and assistance on the reviewed design • Support to the development of operational systems (the new IMS) • Strong role in advocating the role of Social Protection in promoting Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction

16. The role of International Partners The joint ILO and International Monetary Fund work to support government in a mid-term costing of the programs and compare it with the potential fiscal space, contributing to national dialogue and increasing budget allocations; • to guarantee the budget allocation for social sectors, taking into account the priorities set out in the main strategies and programs in the realization of basic social protection;

17. Final considerations Mozambique has reaped rich lessons with the materialization of a social protection floor and coordinated work with partners. It has been increasingly evident that: • the establishment of a social protection floor that responds to the needs of vulnerable groups, is an effective response to the needs of these groups; • the social protection programs should include sustainable responses to people and households with members who are able to work; • the social protection interventions should allow greater access to health care, greater access to education and social assistance to the most vulnerable people and for who may be affected by risks arising from structural and environmental impacts;

18. THANK YOU