The webinar provided simultaneous interpretation of English and Arabic. Access both versions of the recording: English | Arabic

 

[English]

Compared to urban populations, rural populations often have more limited access to comprehensive social protection. One of the main gaps of social protection systems in low- and middle-income countries remains the limited coverage of contributory schemes among agricultural workers, especially in regions where the agricultural sector is essential for livelihoods, such as the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region [1]. 

Countries in the region have been discussing reforms of their social protection systems, including options to extend the coverage of contributory schemes to workers who have been traditionally excluded, such as those in the agricultural sector. Aligned with these efforts, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa (FAO RNE), the International Labour Organization Regional Office for Arab States (ILO ROAS), and the International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth (IPC-IG) joined forces to produce three policy-oriented reports:

1. The role of social insurance schemes in addressing the risks faced by agricultural workers in the Middle East and North Africa 
2. Financing social insurance schemes for agricultural workers in the Middle East and North Africa
3. Administrative barriers and capacity constraints hindering the inclusion of agricultural workers in social insurance schemes in the Middle East and North Africa 

The reports are informed by a literature review and a regional consultative process including two stakeholder workshops and fifteen semi-structured key informant interviews with representatives of agricultural workers. The webinar presented the main results of the research and the best practices for expanding social insurance for agricultural workers observed in the MENA region and other low- and middle-income countries. The webinar intended to engage government representatives with the main results and the possibilities of extending social insurance schemes in the region.

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[1] The MENA region includes Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Yemen, and Occupied Palestinian Territory.

 

[Arabic]

بالمقارنة مع سكان الحضر ، غالبًا ما يكون لسكان الريف وصول محدود إلى الحماية الاجتماعية الشاملة. لا تزال إحدى الفجوات الرئيسية في أنظمة الحماية الاجتماعية في البلدان المنخفضة والمتوسطة الدخل هي التغطية المحدودة للبرامج القائمة على المساهمة بين العاملين في قطاع الزراعة، لا سيما في المناطق التي يكون فيها القطاع الزراعي ضروريًا لسبل العيش ، مثل الشرق الأوسط وشمال إفريقيا (MENA) ) المنطقة[1].

كانت ولا تزال بلدان المنطقة العربية تناقش إصلاحات لأنظمة الحماية الاجتماعية الخاصة بها، بما في ذلك خيارات توسيع نطاق تغطية البرامج القائمة على الاشتراكات للعمال الذين عادة ما يتم استبعادهم تقليديًا ، مثل العاملين في القطاع الزراعي. وتماشياً مع هذه الجهود ، فإن منظمة الأغذية والزراعة التابعة لمكتب الأمم المتحدة الإقليمي للشرق الأدنى وشمال إفريقيا (FAO RNE) ، والمكتب الإقليمي لمنظمة العمل الدولية للدول العربية (ILO ROAS) ، ومركز السياسات الدولية للنمو الشامل (IPC-IG) تعاونت لإنتاج ثلاث تقارير موجهة نحو السياسات:

 

Opening Speakers:

Peter Rademaker, Deputy Regional Director, ILO ROAS

Serge Nakouzi, Deputy Regional Representative, FAO RNE

 

Speakers:

Dalia Abulfotuh, Environment and Development Researcher, FAO RNE

Lucas Sato, Research Assistant, IPC-IG

Nourjelha Mohamed, Consultant, IPC-IG

 

Invited discussants:

Mouayad Bsharat, Union of Agricultural Work Committees from the State of Palestine

Mervat Sabreen, Ministry of Social Solidarity of the Arab Republic of Egypt

Nejia Hayouni, Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries of the Republic of Tunisia

 

Closing speaker:

Luca Pellerano, Senior Social Protection Specialist, ILO ROAS

 

Moderators: 

Lea Bou Khater, Technical Social Protection Officer, ILO ROAS

Luca Pellerano, Senior Social Protection Specialist, ILO ROAS