Gender sensitive social protection training

Effective national social protection systems are recognized as powerful tools to provide income security, prevent and reduce poverty and inequality, and promote social inclusion and dignity. A well-designed gender-sensitive social protection policy, which is linked to other policies, could enhance social cohesion, productivity and employability while supporting economic development. Despite its fundamental role and functions, a comprehensive social protection is still far from being a reality for the vast majority of the world’s population, which has little or no access to it. In this light, the International Training Centre of the ILO, in collaboration with UNICEF Somalia, provided a tailored capacity building to the government officials of Somalia, introducing them to gender-sensitive social protection systems and equipping them with knowledge about current thinking and practice on social protection, which includes the broadening of the social protection agenda towards transformative and distributional goals signaling a shift from short-term solutions towards long-term approaches that tackle the structural barriers underpinning poverty. The training course exposed participants to basic principles and key policy issues in the field of gender-sensitive social protection, directly linked to the conceptualization, formulation and implementation of the Social Protection Policy of Somalia. The course also contributed to the global knowledge-sharing initiative on gender-sensitive social protection. OBJECTIVES This training course offered participants the opportunity to: • Strengthen the capacity and technical skills of participants to support the implementation of Somalia Social Protection Policy; • Better understand gender-sensitive social protection design and implementation issues; • Enhance ability to contribute to debates on improving gender-sensitive social protection policy and practice. CONTENT Module A: Key concepts and principles underpinning social protection from a gender-sensitive lens • Key objectives, concepts and definitions of gender-specific social protection; • Life-cycle approach to social protection and risk-management mechanisms; • Role of social protection systems for inclusive growth and development; • Taxonomy of social protection policies and schemes; • Challenges and positive effects of social protection. Module B: Designing and implementing gender-sensitive social protection systems • International framework for the realization of the right to social protection and equality of opportunity and treatment • Gender-sensitive policy and programme design and implementation • Examples of gender-sensitive social protection programmes from other countries; • Stakeholder analysis as a methodology to facilitate institutional and policy reform processes in Somalia; • Advancing gender-responsive social protection across social protection floors as nationally-defined sets of basic social security guarantees. Module C: Analysing social protection programmes from a gender-sensitive lens • Designing an effective and gender-responsive social protection system: an introduction to systems approach, long-term perspective and national ownership; • Exploring experiences and lessons from countries around the world; • Elements of implementation: making social protection floors a national reality; • Internal and external efforts in building a gender-sensitive social protection system. Module D: Building a strategy for an effective and comprehensive gender-sensitive social protection system • Building a comprehensive social protection system on the basis of a floor for all; • Gender analysis by social protection floor guarantees; • Frameworks of alignment between humanitarian programs and social protection; • Effects of cash assistance through a gender lens; • The way forward: capacity needs, issues of design, stakeholders involved and gender mainstreaming perspectives.