Capacity building training for ILO constituents boosts efforts to reform social protection in Iraq

The training is part of broader support to Iraq’s constituents in strengthening the social protection system in Iraq.

News | 19 January 2023
Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq (ILO News) Government, employer, and worker representatives from Iraq, including the Kurdistan region of Iraq (KRI), took part in a four-day training programme aimed at supporting on-going efforts to design, manage and oversee the social protection reform process in the country and the implementation of new contributory programmes.

The training, which took place between 16-19 January in Erbil, brought together experts from the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, the Prime Minister’s Office in KRI, members of the Iraqi Federation of Industries, as well as trade unions.

The training, which was organised by the ILO in Iraq and its training arm ITCILO, focused on building the technical capacities of practitioners on fundamental principles and key components of social security policy, design and delivery, as well as enhance their knowledge and competencies to improve the governance, design, reforms and administration of social security institutions in Iraq.

Under a European Union funded programme to reform social protection, jointly implemented with UNICEF and WFP, the ILO is providing technical assistance to its constituents to strengthen the adequacy, coverage and sustainability of the social protection system. This is being done through both policy development and capacity building interventions.

Part of the capacity building interventions includes a series of workshops to address the needs of authorities to implement the new draft social security laws, which are in the process of enactment. If passed, the draft laws will extend social security coverage to workers in the informal sector, the self-employed, and business owners and introduce new benefits to all workers in the private sector.

Efforts are also being made to upgrade institutional capacities to ensure more efficient delivery of services related to social security, social protection and employment.

The training covered a series of topics: from the foundations of rights-based social protection systems; to a range of instruments that make up a social protection system; as well as financing. It also shed light on extending social protection coverage, improving service quality, overcoming barriers to social coverage, and the digitalisation of social protection delivery.