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Newsletter 5: June - September 2009 |
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Welcome to the 5th Newsletter of the Social Protection in Asia (SPA) Research and Policy Networking Programme www.socialprotectionasia.org
"Social Protection in Asia: Experiences, Lessons, and Barriers to Extension" - The annual policy and research conference of the Social Protection in Asia programme was held in Hanoi, Vietnam on June 1-5, 2009.
Organised by the Insitute for Human Development, |
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Following the policy conference, a two-day research workshop was conducted to present progress and initial findings of the 13 projects underway within the SPA programme. This spurred detailed discussion on a number of themes - rural-urban migration, rights based programmes, social support for the aged, shelter security, health care programmes, conditional cash transfers, impact of natural disasters, ‘graduation’ models and problems in design, evaluation and delivery of social protection schemes. Informality, gender, and political contexts were emphasized as important cross cutting themes for all the projects. Feedback on project findings was sought from peers for placing the research in a wider ‘policy context’, while examining other issues relating to methodology, dissemination and advocacy. Attempts were made to identify cross-country and sub-regional level agendas while drawing theoretical conclusions, policy implications and addressing gaps in knowledge. |
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Details of the conference and research workshop and related background papers/ conference presentations, are available at http://www.socialprotectionasia.org/June_Conference-programme.asp
"National Rural Employment Guarantee in India – Lessons from Implementation" - As
part of ongoing networking, advocacy and
Details of the programme, participants, background papers and conference presentations are available on the ADB website http://www.adb.org/Documents/Events/2009/Poverty-Social-Development/default.asp
"Women's Empowerment through Guaranteed Employment: A Case Study of NREGA Implementation in
Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh" – The findings of a UNIFEM sponsored
study done by Ashok K. Pankaj and Rukmini Tankha of IHD were discussed at a one-day consultation
workshop on August 31, 2009. The study explores the extent to which women's participation in the
employment guarantee scheme has enabled their empowerment.
Empowerment aspects have been examined vis-a-vis
income-consumption effects, changes in
intra-household decision making, increase in choice and capacity of
women workers and increased participation in community development
processes. The long-term implications of these changes in terms
of gender relations have also been explored.
For more details see http://www.ihdindia.org/pdf/A-CONSULATION-WORKSHOP.pdf |
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| News and Forthcoming Events: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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UNICEF Social Protection Training 2009 - A participatory learning course for UNICEF Staff across the world was presented by the Centre for Social Protection, IDS, July 13-24, 2009. For more details see http://www.ids.ac.uk/go/research-teams/vulnerability-and-poverty-reduction-team/centre-for-social-protection/training A workshop – “Policy Coherence in ICTs for Development” was held in Paris on September 10-11, 2009, jointly organized by the World Bank/infoDev and the OECD. The workshop shared and highlighted best practices in coherent approaches to meeting development objectives using Information Communication Technologies (ICT). For more details see http://www.oecd.org/site/0,3407,en_21571361_42740239_1_1_1_1_1,00.html An interregional training course –“HIV /AIDS and the World of Work: A Social Protection Perspective” was held in Turin, Italy on September 7-18, 2009. It was aimed at strengthening the capacity of planners and social actors to develop and implement workplace policies and programmes on HIV/AIDS. For more details see http://www.worldaidscampaign.org/en/HIV-AIDS-and-theWorld-of-Work-a-social-protection-perspective-7-18-September-2009-Turin-Italy The Asia-Europe People’s Forum (AEPF) organized a Southeast Asia Regional Roundtable Strategizing Meeting with the theme "Building Southeast Asia Peoples’ Agenda on Transformative Social Protection as a Democratic and Human Rights Response to the Crisis " on October 12-13, 2009 in Manila, Philippines. The SPA programme is involved in supporting this event. Professor Naila Kabeer, one of the directors of the SPA Programme is the lead author of the new UN report on the World Survey on the Role of Women in Development, to be launched at the UN headquarters in New York on October 26, 2009. The theme for the World Survey in 2009 is "Women's control over economic resources and access to financial resources, including microfinance". The report dedicates an entire chapter to social protection. For more details, see the UN DAW website- http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/ws2009. The Department of Personnel Management and Industrial Relations, Patna University, Bihar and IHD are organizing an International Seminar on “Women, Employment and Poverty in Bihar" at Patna during 7-8 November 2009. For more details The 51st Annual Conference of the Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE) at Punjabi University, Patiala (India) is to be held on 11-13 December 2009. Researchers and other professionals are invited to contribute papers on the conference themes - Labour Market Discrimination, Right to Employment, Labour Regulations in India. For more details see http://www.isleijle.org/NormalView.asp?m_id=135 The Asia Pacific Scholarship Consortium invites applications for facilitating scholarships in postgraduate courses for individuals from Myanmar, Cambodia and Lao PDR requiring financial support. Scholarships will be for high quality, post-graduate study in fields relevant to development of the Mekong Sub Region, particularly in the following fields - community health, development, education, environment, humanities & social sciences, media, policy & administration and social work. Read more details at http://cambodiajobs.blogspot.com/2008/10/asia-pacific-scholarship.html . CGAP and the Ford Foundation are partnering to explore how the “graduation model” can create pathways for the poorest out of extreme poverty, adapting a methodology developed by BRAC in Bangladesh. For more details on an overview of graduation models and also experiences of SKS and Bandhan in India, Relief Society of Tigray in Ethiopia and Fonkoze in Haiti, see http://www.cgap.org/p/site/c/template.rc/1.11.1925/ . |
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Centre for Social Protection Newsletter October Issue 10: Seasonality and Social Protection. As seasons across the world appear to become more unpredictable, the impacts of seasonal shocks and stresses on poor people are increasing. This edition of the CSP newsletter examines ways in which social protection measures can be designed and implemented in ways that can help reduce these seasonal vulnerabilities. UNICEF Social Protection Training at IDS, Sussex - Reading list, available at http://www.ids.ac.uk/go/research-teams/vulnerability-and-poverty-reduction-team/centre-for-social-protection/training/unicef-2009 UK’s new White Paper on International Development, Building our Common Future available at http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-DFID/Quick-guide-to-DFID/How-we-do-it/Building-our-common-future Work on the impact of the financial crisis at the Centre for Social Protection, IDS, available at http://www.ids.ac.uk/go/news/social-protection-july-issue-9-financial-crisis-and-social-protection ODI Briefing Paper – The Global Financial Crisis: Poverty and Social Protection, available at http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/details.asp?id=3282& title=social-protection-global-financial-crisis ODI Background Note – Putting the ‘social’ back into social protection: A framework for understanding the linkages between economic and social risks for poverty reduction, available at http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/details.asp?id=3286&title=social-protection-economic-social-risks-poverty-reduction “Social Protection in South Asia: A Review”, ODI-UNICEF study, available at http://www.socialprotectionasia.org/pdfdoc/Spa_reports.pdf “Strengthening Social Protection for Children - West and Central Africa”, UNICEF study, available at http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/download/3478-full-report.pdf NCAER-PIF STUDY on “Evaluating Performance of National Rural Employment Guarantee Act”, available at http://www.ncaer.org/downloads/Reports/NREGA-report-downloadpage.htm "Globalization and Informal Jobs in Developing Countries", a joint study of the International Labour Office and the Secretariat of the World Trade Organization focuses on the linkages between globalization and informal employment in developing countries, and how well designed trade and decent work policies can contribute to more favourable employment outcomes. For more details, see http://www.wto.org/english/res_e/booksp_e/jobs_devel_countries_e.pdf “Perspectives on Equitable Development", a recently released book by S.
Mahendra Dev and N. Chandrasekhara Rao (Academic Foundation Publishers, October 2009),
comprises a collection of research papers written by eminent economists and social scientists.
Six interrelated themes are explored through the articles in the collection - macroeconomic
performance and policies; employment, food security, and poverty; physical and social
infrastructure; agriculture and rural industrialization; foreign direct investment in
manufacturing and services; and socio-political issues in the reform process. Emphasizing
the need for inclusive growth in India and around the world, this volume highlights the
necessity of the social protection agenda.
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| About SPA: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Social Protection in Asia is a research, networking and advocacy programme that aims to create a regional voice and develop a research base for advocating innovative and informed policy on Social Protection issues. We welcome your contributions The SPA Network aims to keep people informed of required and requested information and to facilitate collaboration on social protection. To do this, the network needs you! If you would like to share your experiences, express your views or share information, for example, if there is an event you think network members would be interested in, please contact info@socialprotectionasia.org |
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The SPA Programme is funded by The Ford Foundation www.fordfound.org and |
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New Delhi and Insitute of Development Studies, Sussex,
the conference brought together policy makers and researchers to share understanding, experiences,
lessons, and barriers to the extension of social protection policies across the globe - Latin America,
Southern Africa and through diverse regions of Asia.
A panel of experts from Asia, Latin America and
sub-Saharan Africa discussed the implications of the economic crisis for social protection needs and
responses in these regions. Country specific challenges were raised, and common trends and concerns
in extension of social protection across regions were identified. The conference included key note
presentations from Vietnamese officials, providing an informative overview of Vietnam’s social
protection challenges and policy responses. The context of the discussions also revolved around
the global economic crisis and the implications for poverty, vulnerability and the future direction
of social protection policies. The conference allowed for developing of a broader social protection
agenda, through different learnings and experiences. 
dissemination efforts of the Social Protection in Asia
programme, ISST and IHD, New Delhi organized a two day National Workshop on at the National Institute
of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bangalore during September 8-9, 2009. The workshop brought
together over 60 scholars and practitioners from across South Indian states, who shared
their field experiences of the NREGS and helped in identifying recommendations for its
effective implementation. Participants discussed progress of the NREGS and highlighted
issues and concerns for better delivery of scheme benefits. Findings of field research
studies carried out by IHD and ISST were also discussed at the workshop. Additionally
over 15 papers were presented which discussed process dimensions, state-wise issues and
problems of implementation and thematic aspects like reaching poor women, Dalits and
innovative experiences of social audit. A brief summary of conference proceedings
will be shared soon. For further details on conference programme, participants and
presentations, see