Joint Statement on Advancing Social Protection in Pakistan

We, the representatives of the Federal and the Provincial Governments, as well as the Development Partners, recognize that for ensuring equity and resilience of the vulnerable, social protection measures based on lifecycle approach, are imperative. Sustained progress in this regard requires collaboration and coordination, along with efficient and secure data-sharing, as well as sustainable financing mechanisms, aligned with the Constitution and mutually agreed inter-governmental arrangements. We reaffirm our commitment to strengthening Pakistan’s social protection delivery system through enhanced coordination, innovation, and integration.

Recognizing the evolving social protection landscape, as well as the challenges and opportunities that it presents, we collectively agree on the following key priorities and needs as outcome of the Second National Social Protection Conference:

1. Policies, Institutions and Partnerships
   • A national social protection forum, with provincial representation, may be established, after due approvals from the relevant governments, to ensure frequent and meaningful exchange including general coordination amongst actors, finding solutions to common problems, and dissemination of research.
   • An inter-provincial forum may be established, after formal approval of the willing provincial governments, to enable cross-learning and exchange of best practices for better programme design and implementation.
   • Steering Committees on Adaptive Social Protection need to be formed at the provincial level to ensure well-coordinated and effective prevention, preparedness, and response to shocks and all types of disasters.
   • Provincial governments to develop social protection policies as needed, taking into account the different needs of the provinces.
   • Development partners will launch a Social Protection Website / Gateway for Pakistan to facilitate knowledge sharing and innovation.
   • Tailored capacity building measures for social protection practitioners should continue to be implemented.
2. Financing
   • For sustainable social protection financing, efforts will be made to develop consensus over the distribution of financial responsibility between the federal and provincial tiers, such that the same is equitable, constitutional, and in line with mutually agreed commitments of the concerned governments.
   • Opportunities to leverage climate and disaster risk financing instruments such as the Global Shield as a sustainable funding source for adaptive social protection programs will be actively explored.
3. Programmes and Delivery Systems
   • Social protection programmes should be designed and implemented with a focus on nutrition and gender sensitivity, ensuring strong linkages with health and education to enhance and sustain investments in human development.
   • Social protection programmes should incorporate financial inclusion, skills development, and livelihood approaches that aim at graduating the beneficiaries.
   • Social protection and disaster risk management programmes and policies should be aligned to incorporate anticipatory and adaptive mechanisms.
   • Climate-responsive social protection programmes should be strengthened to ensure long-term resilience building of the populations at the risk of climate shocks.
   • Payment delivery mechanisms to disburse benefits will be strengthened using innovative, digital tools.
4. Digital Infrastructure
   • The national digital ecosystem, at both federal and provincial levels (including databases such as NADRA, NSER, PSERs, NDMA, and PDMAs), should be strengthened and integrated to ensure interoperability, enabling dynamic and multidirectional data exchanges while maintaining robust safeguards for data protection and privacy.