Strategy for Development of Social Protection launched in Tajikistan

DUSHANBE, 21 DECEMBER, 2022 – UNICEF in Tajikistan together with the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population of Tajikistan organized an official launch of the “Strategy for Development for Social Protection of the Republic of Tajikistan” for the period of up to 2040. The event was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Population, Ministry of Justice, Parliament of the Republic of Tajikistan, representatives of local civil society, as well as development partners and international experts. 

The launch event was aimed at facilitating discussions on ways to better understand the challenges and opportunities of  strategy implementation in Tajikistan as well as the process of assessing the Social Protection sector in Tajikistan. 

The Social Protection Strategy is a framework document that reflects comprehensive vision of Tajikistan’s prospects for the social protection sector and its further development priorities. It focuses on required institutional reforms, need for sustainable social development, necessity for ensuring social security for people throughout life cycle, as well as fosters enhancements of social justice. 

The Strategy draws attention to pressing challenges and problems and is aimed at developing and implementing specific measures for the most priority directions in the medium- and long-term perspectives based on three stages of life:

• pregnancy, childhood and adolescence,
• working age and
• old age.

Strategic areas identified for the period up to 2040 are focusing on system strengthening and innovative practices, improvement of technical, human and financial resources, reforming of pension system, introduction of voluntary social insurance schemes and ensuring access to social care services, income generating initiatives and food security. Another key priority areas of the strategy are aimed at the growth of productive employment, enhancing social assistance schemes, review and analysis of legislation and by-laws and costing of work and staff ration. International and local experts made presentation of initiative to assess Social Protection Sector in Tajikistan and discussed the ways of its improvement. 

UNICEF works with the Government of Tajikistan and partners to translate social protection goals into laws and policies, to increase social protection financing and to improve synergies between social protection and public finance management. This includes, generating evidence, promoting responsive/ transformative social protection, promoting disability-inclusive social protection systems, enhancing shock responsiveness, working on connecting families, and promoting a case management approach.  

UNICEF, jointly with the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population and the World Bank, is initiating a comprehensive assessment of the Social Protection system in Tajikistan. This is another step forward towards achieving the 2030 agenda – leaving no one behind.