The Overview of Non-contributory Social Protection Programmes in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region through a Child and Equity Lens is the first of a series of four knowledge products about non-contributory social protection in the MENA region that are being produced by a partnership between the International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth (IPC-IG) and UNICEF Middle East and North Africa Regional Office (MENARO).

This report provides an overview of the non-contributory social protection programmes currently implemented in the MENA region and a preliminary estimation of the proportion of children covered by these programmes, which in turn may help countries to report on SDG 1.3 and assess their own policies. In total, more than 100 non-contributory social protection programmes were mapped and classified in the following categories: cash and in-kind transfers (conditional and unconditional); school feeding programmes; public works programmes (cash-for-work—CFW); educational fee waivers; housing benefits; programmes facilitating access to health (non-contributory health insurance and health care benefits); and food and energy subsidies.