US$18 million joint programme on Social Protection launched – Mozambique

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US$18 million joint programme on Social Protection launched – Mozambique

5:23 CAT | 04 Mar 2018

Photo: Twitter @SwedeninMZ

The Mozambican Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare, together with the United Nations system, on Friday in Maputo launched a “Joint Programme on Social Protection” for the next three years, budgeted at 18 million US dollars.

The programme is intended to support the Mozambican government’s capacity to carry out the second phase of the National Basic Social Security Strategy, and to make its action plans operational.

The programme is financed by the Swedish ad Dutch embassies and by the Department for International Development (DFID) of the United Kingdom.

Signing the agreement to mark the takeoff of the programme were the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Welfare, Cidalia Chauque, the resident representative of the United Nations, Marcia Castro, and Mikael Elofsson, head of the development cooperation section at the Swedish embassy, on behalf of the three donors.

Foi lançado hoje o Programa Conjunto das Nações Unidas para a #ProtecçãoSocial em Moçambique com o Ministério do Género Criança e Acção Social, e financiamento do @UKinMozambique, @SwedeninMZ e @NLinMozambique. pic.twitter.com/sTLcHyltEP

— UNICEF Moçambique (@UNICEF_Moz) March 2, 2018

“A #ProtecçãoSocial é o melhor investimento que podemos e que devemos efectuar neste momento crítico da história de #Moçambique” – @MdeCastroUNMoz, Coordenadora Residente da ONU para Moçambique. pic.twitter.com/j6GG7viP5W

— UNICEF Moçambique (@UNICEF_Moz) March 2, 2018

At the signing ceremony Chauque said the joint programme results from a partnership and the building of a common vision of basic social protection in Mozambique.

“This programme is of great importance since it strengthens our capacity to provide assistance for individuals and social groups living in poverty and vulnerability”, said the Minister.

The signing of the agreement, she added, was just a stage towards ensuring that more beneficiaries can be reached by social security.

“We are guaranteeing total commitment to the undertakings we have given through the programme signed today”, said Chauque. “We will do everything to ensure that at the end of the three year period the activities agreed have been carried out and have achieved positive results that justify the investment”.

Marcia Castro said that, despite the 2007 law on social protection, the majority of the Mozambican population still faces high levels of vulnerability. Despite improved coverage of social protection, most poor people are still not being reached.

“The target figure for the number of beneficiaries from the social protection programmes in 2018 is 19 per cent of the households living in poverty in Mozambique”, Castro pointed out.

Elofsson said the coverage of social protection is far below what would be desirable. He called for a “coherent and predictable” state budget, and said that, in times of financial constraints, social protection should be one of the government’s priority areas.

Selado hoje o compromisso de fazer da Protecção Social uma realidade p’ra todos em #Moçambique. #OIT e @UNICEF_Moz) vão implementar com o governo o programa financiado pelo Reino Unido através do @DFID_Moz @SwedeninMZ e @NLinMozambique @HCJKuenssberg @PMGrotenhuis @CateTurton pic.twitter.com/Khfrs9Gms5

— UK in Mozambique (@UKinMozambique) March 2, 2018