Government wants fund for social protection – Mozambique

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Government wants fund for social protection – Mozambique

7:35 CAT | 25 Oct 2016

UNICEF Mozambique (File photo)

The Mozambican government believes it important to set up a social fund to meet the growing needs for basic social protection, and to improve the living conditions of the most vulnerable strata of the population.

Speaking at the opening in Maputo on Thursday of the Second National Conference on Basic Social Protection, Foreign Minister Oldemiro Baloi, who was representing Prime Minister Carlos Agostinho do Rosario, added that the mobilization of resources to implement social protection programmes is crucial in order to meet the current challenges posed in this area.

These challenges, Baloi said, concern the expansion of social protection to more citizens, and improving the size of the payments and the quality of the services provided.

“Obviously the mobilisation of resources to implement basic social protection programmes is crucial, under any circumstances, to improve living conditions in the communities”, he said. “The establishment of a social fund that can respond to the growing needs of the population is also crucial”.

Baloi added that various institutions have been working to improve the lives of the most vulnerable members of society, and have implemented a variety of programmes to assist groups living in poverty. The government has been channelling assistance to the neediest strata through the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare.

Representing the government’s partners, Marcoluigi Corsi, of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), guaranteed that they will continue to support the government in this area.

“We know that social protection has multiple positive impacts on the life of the beneficiaries”, said Corsi. “However, if transformational change is to occur, then a series of necessary instruments must be made available. Continued political support must be guaranteed, and the establishment and implementation of a favourable framework of socio-economic policies and favourable legislation, as well as the provision of social assistance combined with protective actions and access to basic social services”.

The conference is supported by the World Bank and the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

Source: AIM