Description

2020: Annual Report
The Zambia government has shown increased commitment to social protection programming. Recently government through the Minister of Community Development and Social Services announced increased funding to the social cash transfer programme from 699 million kwacha to 1.4 billion kwacha in 2021. However, the sector has had limited participation of the stakeholders such as civil society, media, and members of parliament in policy debates on social protection programs. The increased relevance and commitment of social protection in the government agenda prompts a need to create space for increased involvement of these key stakeholders in awareness raising and advocacy on social protection programs. As a result program interventions under this output have focused on increasing awareness, advocacy and raising citizen’s interest and voice on the role of social protection in national development. The engagement has been through the main national civil society organization called civil society for poverty reduction and national media organizations such as Media Institute for Southern Africa.

The engagement with Civil Society for Poverty Reduction has enhanced social accountability through tools such as the protection budget tracking and service delivery monitoring report.The recommendations of the report have been instrumental in supporting social protection debates through round table meeting comprising participation from civil society organizations, government line ministries and parliamentarians. The budgettracking report has also been disseminated through print media briefs and to enhance awareness among the general public. It is envisaged that the results will contribute to influence policy changes, improved budgetary allocations, and disbursements for the sector from central government.

The civil society media campaign programs on the importance of social protection during the pandemic have contributed to raising the citizen voice and engagement on the need to take the human rights perspective in provision of social protection services.