Attachments
Purpose
The aim of the mapping of social safety nets (SSN) was to explore the potential for alignment between humanitarian cash assistance and SSN in forced displacement situations. It considered various aspects of SSN, including programme design, targeting and the legal and regulatory framework. The mapping categorised 18 countries based on the opportunities and challenges with including refugees in the national social safety nets.
Rationale
While recognising an increasing trend in inclusion in national systems, refugees in particular rarely enjoy the same rights as citizens. Only in every second UNHCR operation, refugees can choose their place of residence; in less than 50% they access national health care systems; in two third they access the national education systems; and in less than 40% they are allowed to work according to law and policy and in practice. In approximately 10% of UNHCR operations, refugees are included in the national or local development plans. Initiatives related to shock-responsive social protection rarely address conflict and include displaced people.
UNHCR is placing more emphasis on the additional value of cash beyond the monetisation of humanitarian assistance through promoting financial inclusion, social protection and socio-economic development. Implemented as part of the basic needs approach, multi-purpose cash grants, which represent 60% of UNHCR’s cash and link multi-sectoral cash assistance with the provision of essential services and protection, present important opportunities for leveraging social safety nets to include forcibly displaced people.
Key findings
Opportunities
• Growing opportunities for inclusion of displaced people in national social protection systems.
• The mapping found that inclusion can happen in 4 countries; may be possible in 10 countries; and will be challenging in the near future in 4 countries.
• In 6 countries, UNHCR’s cash assistance was to some extent aligned with the government’s in terms of targeting, transfer mechanisms, transfer value and monitoring.
• The interest in funding SSN in forced displacement contexts is growing among external stakeholders, notably as a potential exit strategy from humanitarian assistance and a more efficient means of managing protracted displacement.
• The Global Compact on Refugees and the World Bank IDA 18 Refugee and Host Community SubWindow provide opportunities for enhancing SSN for refugees.
• Refugees are increasingly accessing national services in certain contexts.
Challenges
• The majority of national social safety nets are not accessible to non-nationals. When refugees are granted partial access to SSN, full access is often limited due to restrictive legal frameworks.
• Governments rarely have capacity, tools and processes in place that can adapt to the impacts of mass displacement shocks.
• Complex targeting, across multiple safety nets, coordinated by numerous ministries make data analysis, accountability and coordination challenging.
• Funding of humanitarian and government safety nets often differ in terms of duration, political requirements, objectives and conditions, making alignment challenging.
• Refugees do not always have access to national services.