DFAT-ILO-UNICEF: Leaving no one behind: Establishing the basis for social protection floors in Lao PDR

This project is designed to fit within the 2-year timeframe for the Australian Development Accelerator (ADA) support. Two co-dependent components will provide the foundations for the adoption of the the Mother and Early Childhood Grant (MECG), which will be initially funded through donor assistance. The proposed design – which will be completed during the inception phase of the programme – builds on lessons from past experiences in both Lao PDR and peer countries in South-East Asia. The action emphasises a holistic approach to promoting the adoption of scaled-up social transfers to tackle child poverty and malnutrition in Lao PDR. While the MECG pilot exercise is central to this action, experience shows that unless accompanied by parallel actions to establish the legislative, policy and fiscal environments, isolated pilot initiatives rarely succeed. Therefore, the resulting joint UN programme combines the development of a sustainable social protection system with the implementation of the Government’s flagship social welfare intervention to be supported by this action.

Project symbol

LAO/20/01/CEF

Admin unit

CO-Bangkok

Start date

01/07/2020

End date

30/06/2022

Total allocation

134200

Total expenditure

Status

Closed

133880

Development Partners

United Nations Children's Fund

Country/Countries

Lao People's Democratic Republic

Outcomes

Outcome 8: Comprehensive and sustainable social protection for all