Online session highlights social protection and welfare services

AMMAN — The Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD) on Wednesday held a virtual dialogue session on the sustainability of social protection and welfare services, particularly during crises.

As part of ARDD’s regional discussion series on social protection policies in the region, the session also placed emphasis on prospects for improving the current strategies and efforts, through public sector institutions, together with the private sector and civil society organisations.

The session, moderated by the Chair of the Senate Labour and Development Committee Sawsan Majali, was streamed live on ARDD’s Facebook page.

National Social Protection Team Member Nisreen Barakat talked about the Kingdom’s journey towards social protection, noting that Jordan’s national strategy for social protection, aims at making progress by empowering individuals and reaching the social protection floor.

Barakat, who is a former Minister of Social Development, added that the scope of social protection is broad, therefore Jordan’s national strategy focuses on three main pillars: a job market that is just and decent, comprehensive and quality basic services, and social assistance.

Most impoverished families are characterised as large households with more than seven members, Barakat expressed, adding that 42 per cent of the poor have taken loans in one way or another. Whereas the total monthly average wage of the working poor is JD241.

“The situation has worsened after the pandemic, which means that the number of marginalised individuals has increased,” Executive Director of the Palestinian NGOs Network Dua’a Qurie said during the session.

Global capitalism during this crisis has highlighted many structural issues that need to be dealt with, as it revealed the weakness of social protection services as well as other systems, Qurie further said.

“Social protection is everyone’s right, regardless of the current situation,” Qurie expressed.

The session also featured Lawyer and Human Rights Activist Rasha Hulool as guest speaker.