How can social protection policies help? They can play a crucial role in reducing labor market exclusion, by facilitating access to productive jobs, protecting workers, and providing a safety net for people who are left behind and are at risk of poverty. And they should do so in an efficient manner, by ensuring financial responsibility and avoiding unintended consequences on decisions regarding work, retirement, and hiring. This report shows that social protection policies in countries across the region are, unfortunately, falling short of protecting people. The social protection responses to COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine have been commendable, but they have also revealed the weaknesses of preexisting social protection systems. For instance, most of the poor do not receive income support, while MENA spends more than any other region on inefficient generalized energy and food subsidies. Most workers are not covered by pensions or unemployment insurance, and pension systems are unsustainable. And MENA countries impose more legal restrictions on women’s employment than anywhere else in the world.