EXPLORE OUR WORK

Explore our assignments. Our assignments provide expert guidance, policy advice, and capacity strengthening to improve social protection systems. Our outputs are the results of our assignments, such as country case studies, technical reports, and policy briefs.

Location

Theme

OUR ASSIGNMENTS

Channelling DRF insurance through social protection systems

June 2023 – January 2024 (finished)

STAAR and the Centre for Disaster Protection were commissioned to examine how climate risk insurance payments and other financial instruments could be integrated into social protection systems to assist people and communities in coping with shocks, including climate-related ones.

The study employed a combination of quantitative and qualitative data from desk-based research and interviews with key informants at the global level and in three case study countries. The study looked at whether these approaches were, cost-effective, integrated gender equality and social inclusion considerations and engaged with local actors.

The study addressed evidence gaps on integrating disaster risk finance (DRF) and social protection, and recommendations based on key findings.

Comparative Analysis of Shock Responsive Social Protection Systems in East Africa

October 2024 – March 2025 (finished)

STAAR was commissioned, in collaboration with Key Aid Consulting by FCDO to conduct a cross-country comparative analysis on shock-responsive social protection (SRSP) systems, focusing on Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Mauritania.

The assignment set out to understand the policy, programme and implementation barriers that face effective SRSP. The STAAR team compared the respective challenges and solutions of recent climate, health and economic shocks and will examine whether these systems are effectively responding to the needs of those affected.

The findings of this study will be used to inform FCDO’s future work on SRSP systems in these contexts, as well as inform programmes on social protection at the global level.

Coordination Support to the Social Protection and Cash and Voucher Technical Working Group for the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)

April 2024 – March 2025

STAAR has been tasked with supporting ILO, to improve the functionality of the Social Protection Cash and Voucher Assistance Thematic Working Group (SPCVA TWG or TWG) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

The assignments is undertaking facilitation expertise, technical assistance and coordination support, to enhance effective coordination, integration new actors into these coordination structures, res; n dto shifts in priorities and provide a quality assurance function to the group, while keeping considerations around GESI prioritised.

of sustaining and strengthening a cohesive, hybrid social assistance system amid ongoing violent conflict, while continuing to pave the way for longer term system building.

Disability Inclusive and Gender Responsive Care

July 2023 – December 2023 (finished)

STAAR was commissioned to prpoduce an evidence note and organise a workshop to support the development of the approach of UNICEF, FCDO and other key stakeholders on the role that social protection can play in promoting high-quality care and support systems for children and their families in low- and middle-income countries that are gender responsive/transformative, inclusive, fiscally sustainable, and contextually relevant.

The workshop focused on how governments can develop inclusive, gender-responsive, and fiscally sustainable systems to provide care and support across the life cycle. Discussions explored what ideal care and support systems might look like, addressing both the opportunities and limitations faced in various contexts. Key themes included intersectionality, social norms, the role of the private sector, and structural considerations.

This evidence note outlines how governments in low and middle-income countries can develop high-quality care and support systems for children, persons with disabilities, older persons, and their families. It provides guidance on creating systems that are rights-abiding, gender-responsive, disability-inclusive, fiscally sustainable, and contextually relevant.

FCDO learning event on lessons from COVID-19 for social protection

July 2023 – July 2023 (finished)

STAAR supported FCDO in broadening and supporting a shared understanding within FCDO, f the lessons from the social protection response to COVID-19 as well as what this means for FCDO’s policy priorities, programming and influencing.

STAAR provided support to FCDO to increase understanding of the commitment to social protection as an early, effective and sustainable approach to crisis prevention through a learning event as well as guidance note.

A structured approach was provided to ensure a wider joint understanding and to facilitate a broader discussion on what the learning means for current and future crisis response, as we move from pandemic to tackling the polycrisis.

Forum on Social Protection in Fragility and Conflict

January 2024 – June 2024 (finished)

STAAR was funded by FCDO to design and support the delivery of the ‘Global forum on social protection in conflict’, co-hosted by WFP, UNICEF, USAID and BMZ.

Its aim was to strengthen action on social protection in situations of acute, rapid onset and protracted conflicts, recognising social protection as an essential component of the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) nexus.

The forum had strong participation from researchers, private sector and government representatives, NGOs and civil society, who convened together to discuss routes to impact, support to systems strengthening and created a Charter for Action towards more effective social protection in settings of fragility and conflict. The charter includes 15 statements on critical and promising areas for change – collectively prioritised and refined by the participants ” experimente cortar ou copiar novamente.

Guidance Note on Digital Cash Transfers in crises settings

November 2022 – May 2023 (finished)

FCDO’s Cash Lead requested STAAR’s support to finalise internal guidance on digital cash payments.

STAAR was tasked with providing expertise to help FCDO improve its understanding of the benefits, risks, and considerations of using digital cash transfers in crisis settings. The guidance aimed to clarify how digital payments can align with FCDO’s policy objectives, particularly around linking humanitarian cash with social protection systems, and supporting the design and evaluation of effective cash transfer programmes.

The final product, which built on existing frameworks, was widely disseminated and received interest within the humanitarian sector. It highlighted key considerations for transitioning to digital payments in crises, offering practical advice for programme design, stakeholder engagement, and ensuring that digital transfers meet the needs of vulnerable populations.it and exploring opportunities for further learning sessions.

Guidance on gender transformative social protection and contribution to the BMZ and World Bank Adaptive Social Protection Global Forum

Social protection “can change social norms and role models – and thus have a gender-transformative effect”. Svenja Schulze, German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development opens this new guidance on the transformative power of social protection to support gender outcomes in crisis contexts.

An estimated one in five forcibly displaced women in humanitarian crises have been subjected to sexual violence.
Approximately 11 million girls may not return to school after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Single female-headed households may have higher expenditures than male-headed households to respond to climate disasters.
Less than one in five global social protection measures during COVID-19 addressed specific gender inequalities, such as supporting women in informal employment, mitigating risks of violence, and confronting the unequal distribution of care work.
As inequalities are exacerbated during crises, the guidance note identifies concrete steps how social protection can help reverse, and even transform, the disadvantages faced by women and girls in these contexts.

The guidance note was written by Rebecca Holmes and Paola Pereznieto with valuable inputs from Valentina Barca and Helene Juillard and in consultation with members of the SPIAC-B gender working group. It was produced through STAAR Facility as commissioned by GIZ on behalf of BMZ.

Humanitarian and Social Protection Linkages in Ukraine Regional Response

January 2023 – October 2023 (finished)

The assignment, commissioned by FCDO, provided a desk-based analysis on the role of social protection in responding to the needs of displaced people in Ukraine, as well as in Poland, Moldova, the Slovak Republic, the Czech Republic, Romania, and Hungary.

It aimed to identify how social protection systems could integrate with humanitarian assistance to support a transition from emergency aid to long-term support, ensuring sustainability and freeing up resources for other crises.

The analysis produced a comprehensive briefing paper and country profiles for each of the seven target countries, with findings influencing discussions around social protection policies and practices. These outputs were widely shared and cited, contributing to the regional response and informing further policy recommendations in Ukraine and Moldova.

Implementation of the PeReHID Initiative

May 2023 – March 2025 (finished)

The Perekhid Initiative was a UN, NGO, development partner and Government of Ukraine initiative to support the sustainable transition and absorption of humanitarian caseloads into an inclusive shock-responsive national social protection system.

STAAR’s support to the Perekhid initiative included providing leadership, strategic direction and overall management of the Perekhid Initiative’s Technical Assistance Facility (TAF), to support the sustainable transition and absorption of humanitarian caseloads into an inclusive shock-responsive national social protection system.

The Initiative provided a TAF embedded within the Government of Ukraine’s Ministry of Social Policy (MoSP), and accountable to a joint Steering Committee, to reform the country’s social protection system to increase capacity, adaptivity and shock responsiveness in response to the current context and potential future crises.

Independent Commission on the Role of Social Protection in Preventing and Managing Food Crises

June 2023 – December 2023

FAO and WFP have requested STAAR’s support in conducting an independent commission to raise the key issues, identify the unanswered questions and provide initial ideas for solutions around the role of social protection in preventing and managing food crises.

The objective of the commission is to identify the causes of increasing food crises, from global to local levels, and understand why food systems fail. It also aims to explore whether and how social protection can contribute to building stronger, more resilient food systems.

Additionally, the commission seeks to provide examples of where social protection approaches have helped prevent or manage food crises. It will identify where a food crisis or food systems lens should be applied when developing or strengthening social protection systems, highlight operational entry points for intervention, and recommend necessary policy and coordination changes.

Making the Case for Climate Financing in Social Protection

August 2023 – August 2023 (finished)

STAAR was commissioned by FCDO to outline the status of international public climate finance going to social protection, focusing on three categories of climate finance providers, bilateral, multilateral development banks and the climate funds.

In the accompanying STAAR report, STAAR consultants propose options for more efficient and targeted use of climate finance for social protection.

The assignment consisted of reviewing existing literature that looks at climate finance and social protection, and assessing the climate finance strategies and portfolios of the major international public climate finance providers.

Needs Assessment for Nigeria’s National Cash and Voucher Assistance Policy

February 2023 – April 2023 (finished)

Nigeria’s National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO) requested STAAR’s support in developing a strategic roadmap for the NCTO, to enable the NCTO to grow sustainably and become institutionalised within the Nigerian government.

The process includes consulting stakeholders to identify needs, assessing CVA approaches for humanitarian challenges, and developing recommendations for the NCVA policy to ensure clarity and effective use of CVA to address these needs.

The assignment provided an assessment of the humanitarian CVA landscape in Nigeria to inform the NCVA policy based on evidence, promote clarity and accountability to the government, and enable humanitarians to utilise different modalities, as feasible and appropriate, to meet humanitarian needs in accordance with humanitarian principles and the commitment to do no harm

Review of VSLAs and Self-Help Group Programming Within FCDO Yemen’s Food Security Safety Net (FSSN) Programme

February 2023 – October 2023 (finished)
CDO commissioned a review to strengthen its understanding of how Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) and Self Help Groups (SHGs) have been used by local and international humanitarian agencies in Yemen.

The review assessed the effectiveness of VSLAs and Self Help Groups in contributing to empowerment goals such as gender equality, social inclusion, food security, and economic resilience. It involved mapping different models used by FCDO partners and other actors in Yemen and analysing their strengths and weaknesses across key criteria including relevance, efficiency, and sustainability.

It also examined how FSSN partners were implementing these approaches, identifying opportunities to strengthen coordination, share learning, and draw on global evidence. Findings were delivered through a concise final report with a four-page executive summary, alongside regular engagement with FCDO and a final presentation of recommendations to improve effectiveness, value for money, and inclusion.

Roadmap for FCDO South Sudan’s Engagement on Social Protection

March 2024 – June 2024 (finished)

FCDO requested STAAR’s support in developing a roadmap for FCDO’s engagement on Social Protection in South Sudan.

The three-month desk-based analysis aimed to provide FCDO with a comprehensive approach to social protection in South Sudan, focusing on both short-term humanitarian interventions and longer-term resilience strategies. This involved gathering new insights from key actors like UNICEF, UNOPS, and the World Bank, alongside existing evidence of social protection in the country.

The final output offered a set of process-oriented principles to guide FCDO’s engagement and strategy in South Sudan. Although it didn’t meet all of the user’s original expectations, particularly regarding policy influencing recommendations, it provided valuable frameworks to support future decision-making and engagement with key stakeholders in the country.

Roadmap for the Use of Social Protection to Tackle Child Marriage, Zambia and Nepal

March 2024 – October 2024 (finished)

FCDO had commissioned STAAR to scope what support is needed to translate global evidence into good practice on the ground for using social assistance to tackle child marriage in Zambia and Nepal.

The STAAR team identified key actors and coalitions and worked closely with them to explore what needed to change for social protection systems to begin fulfilling their potential in addressing child marriage. This process drew on global literature as well as rich, context-specific knowledge surfaced through a dedicated workshop or roundtable. It also included an analysis of both the enablers and barriers influencing progress in each context.

Based on these insights, the team co-created a flexible roadmap for each country. These roadmaps outlined suggested activities to stimulate change, proposed a rough timeframe and sequence, and identified the actors best positioned to take ownership of each component.

Social Protection as a ‘Solar’ System

Social Protection practitioners, decision-makers and researchers have long been using the term ‘system’ when referring to social protection. This paper frames Social Protection as a ‘Solar’ System to demonstrate the building blocks which collectively contribute to the System as a whole. These building blocks are built on three different ‘levels’: Policy, Programme and Implementation / delivery which this paper sets out in detail.

Specialist Support to the G20 Brazil Task Force for the Establishment of a Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty

June 2024 – December 2024

Brazil, the current president of the G20, has proposed the establishment of a Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty. Within this Global Alliance, Brazil has established a specific G20 Task Force to discuss it.

The British Embassy Brasilia requested STAAR’s support in providing a social protection specialist to ensure social protection mainstreaming in the design of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty through the G20 Task Force (TF) during the Brazilian Presidency.
The support included tracking and reviewing the studies commissioned by the TF, developing its foundational documents, and supporting the selection of evidence-based policy instruments to fight poverty and hunger – ensuring that social protection is a core component of this work and that there is a strong focus on climate change and crisis response. Additionally, it involved facilitating knowledge sharing of these policy instruments among G20 countries.

STAAR Climate Lead

The connections between climate action and social protection are not yet generally mainstreamed into planning, nor very widely researched and addressed. As set out in STAAR’s theory of change, it is expected that the advice and knowledge shared through the facility should contribute to better alignment across these sectors and ultimately to social protection systems being better able to support climate vulnerability in crisis settings, and among women and girls.

STAAR has recognised a need for climate considerations to be integrated into all (relevant) STAAR activities. And for STAAR to develop an offer focused explicitly on tackling issues at the intersection of climate, social protection and crisis; and climate, social protection and gender. The Climate Lead is expected to take ownership of responding to these twin needs.

Strengthening humanitarian-social protection linkages within Ukraine

April 2022 – July 2022 (finished)

FCDO have commissioned STAAR’s support to produce a briefing paper on key considerations and options for strengthening humanitarian and social protection linkages (including transitions) in the Ukraine regional refugee response.
This paper focuses on Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Poland. Based on a literature review and key informant interviews conducted in May 2022, it examines social protection systems, humanitarian cash transfers, and the response up to that point. The paper provides recommendations to enhance linkages between cash assistance and social protection, aiming to make these systems more shock-responsive.
This analysis informed FCDO’s work on the Ukraine Regional Refugee Response, including strategic planning, development of country response plans, and technical assistance on humanitarian-social protection linkages. It supported engagement with donors and agencies, and contributed to regional efforts across key countries. A clear, accessible briefing provided practical recommendations for coordinated, inclusive support for refugees.

Strengthening Linkages Between Social Protection & Climate in Productive Inclusion Programmes in the World Bank’s Sahel Adaptive Social Protection Programme (SASPP)

April 2024 – March 2025 (finished)

FCDO commissioned STAAR to provide support to the World Bank Sahel Adaptive Social Protection Programme (SASPP) to strengthen the linkages between social protection and climate resilience in productive inclusion activities in the Sahel.

Support was provided through an embedded adviser, tasked with designing a guidance note and working with SASSP team members to apply and implement in the design and delivery of their programmes.

The guidance focused on practical recommendations for programme design and delivery, with specific relevance to Mauritania and Senegal. It included considerations for both urban and rural contexts, while drawing on experiences from other regions.

Strengthening Linkages Between Social Protection & Climate in the World Bank’s Sahel Adaptive Social Protection Programme (SASPP)

April 2024 – March 2025 (finished)

Support was provided through an embedded adviser to strengthen the integration of climate risk information and early warning systems across the four building blocks of shock-responsive social protection systems. This included efforts to embed climate risk data into social protection targeting and data systems through climate-smart targeting approaches.

Further support focused on enhancing the integration of climate resilience within programme design and delivery systems. This included incorporating climate considerations into productive inclusion activities to ensure that social protection interventions are more adaptive and sustainable in the face of climate risks.

Strengthening Mozambique’s Shock-Responsive Component of its Social Protection Programmes

June 2019 – July 2019 (finished)

The Government of Mozambique has requested STAAR’s support in strengthening the shock-responsive nature of its social protection programmes.

The assignment assessed the national social protection system to identify opportunities and operational gaps, which will enable Mozambique’s Ministry for Gender, Children and Social Action (MGCAS) to respond more effectively to shocks, including climate-related ones such as droughts and floods.

This assessment was used to inform recommendations for effectively embedding the Adaptive Social Protection Working Group’s shock-responsive workplan into the existing national system, including a detailed pathway to address these gaps with further technical support. “

Strengthening the Role of Local Actors in Social Protection

March 2024 – March 2025 (finished)

STAAR undertook research on the role of civil society and local actors in the design, delivery, and monitoring of social protection and humanitarian cash programming, with a focus on improving gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) outcomes in both crisis and stable contexts.

The research examined how local actors engage with social protection systems, including their linkages with humanitarian responses. It identified challenges to effective engagement and proposed strategic opportunities to strengthen local involvement, enhance programme design, and improve outcomes for marginalised groups.

This work drew on experiences from five to seven countries and focused on localisation and GESI to generate practical recommendations for inclusive, resilient social protection. The findings were used to support FCDO’s delivery of commitments in the 2022 UK International Development White Paper, including a new localisation strategy by 2024.

Support to the SPIAC-B Working Group to Define Common Principles for Linking Humanitarian Assistance and Social Protection

October 2022 – April 2023 (finished)

STAAR’s support was requested to support the SPIAC-B working group to fine tune the advocacy messages and strategy in line with the common principles for Linking Humanitarian Assistance and Social Protection.
STAAR’s support included conducting a review of existing literature and interviews with key stakeholders to inform these principles. Facilitated discussions within the working group helped refine the guidelines and advocacy strategies, ensuring a coordinated and effective approach to linking humanitarian assistance with social protection.
The SPIAC-B Working Group on Linking Humanitarian (Cash) Assistance and Social Protection aligned humanitarian efforts with social protection systems, focusing on disaster preparedness. This group, which brought together donors, INGOs, UN agencies, and IFIs, developed common principles to guide this integration, with cash transfers as a key entry point.

Support to UNICEF’s “We Deserve Better” Initiative: Exploring the Lived Experiences of Women and Girls with Social Protection in Nepal

July 2023 – February 2024

UNICEF requested STAAR’s support in consulting with local women and girls in Nepal as part of UNICEF’s We Deserve Better Initiative.

STAAR supported the initiative by exploring their lived experiences with social protection systems, focusing on their perceptions and involvement in participatory policymaking. The assignment aimed to identify the barriers, opportunities, and objectives for gender-responsive and transformative social protection in Nepal.

STAAR provided national consultants, including a researcher and facilitator, as well as logistical support, while UNICEF contributed technical assistance with filming and communications. Through this collaboration, STAAR played a crucial role in gathering valuable insights from women and girls. The support is expected to continue as the initiative enters its second phase, which will focus on influencing governments in champion countries.

Support to WFP for Conflict-sensitive Social Protection Programming in Somalia

November 2022 – March 2024 (finished)

STAAR’s support was requested by the WFP Somalia Country Office, to strengthen WFP’s engagement in Social Protection in the humanitarian-development-peace nexus (HDP).

The support consisted of a social protection specialist adviser forming a methodological design, literature review, data collection and supporting a workshop on social protection for stakeholders, along with supporting the delivery and implementation of the study to position itself and maximise its contributions to the development of social protection.

STAAR produced the analysis and recommendations, taking stock of progress on social protection in Somalia, for WFP to pinpoint how best to provide support for this progress in line with its Country Strategic Plan. The study has extrapolated lessons applicable to other Fragile and Conflict-affected States (FCAS).

Supporting Gender Transformative Design Options for the Ministry of Women and Child Development of India (MWCD), for the National Flagship Scheme on Girl Child and Cash Transfer Programmes for Ending Child Marriages and for Empowerment

January 2022 – December 2023 (finished)

UNICEF, in collaboration with the Institute of Human Development-New Delhi, has requested STAAR’s support in a multi-state review on the national flagship Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) programme to provide the national/state governments with two design policy options.

The purpose was to understand what works well and what does not in these schemes and propose policy tweaks, informed by international and regional good practices for supporting the adaptation and scale-up of the national schemes and state-specific schemes.

The specific scope of TA entailed providing technical and quality assurance support through inputs on the development of assessment tools, review methodologies, and analytical framework for the study.

Supporting Lebanon Multipurpose Cash and Social Protection Linkages Multi-Donor Coordinator

July 2022 – March 2023 (finished)

STAAR was contracted by FCDO Lebanon to provide advisory services to Lebanon’s Multipurpose Cash (MPC).

Technical expertise was provided through an embedded advisor who supported donor coordination on the WFP cash programme in Lebanon, ensured quality assurance, advised on strategic and operational issues, and contributed to global learning on social protection in crises. It also included administrative support and promoted inclusive approaches.

Insights from the adviser’s time have been useful in shaping the FCDO Lebanon post’s understanding of dynamics across donors and partners – which have fed directly into FCDO Lebanon’s plans for influencing the system. Findings have also informed STAAR’s understanding of what works to support coordination through technical assistance – thereby strengthening scoping and design of wider STAAR assignments.

Supporting Social Protection Upon the Onset of Extreme Crisis and Insecurity in Ethiopia

August 2022 – December 2023 (finished)

STAAR, funded by FCDO Ethiopia, conducted a desk-based study from August to December 2022 to explore how social protection programmes can adapt in conflict-affected areas.

The study focused on practical methods for adapting social protection systems in response to conflict, with an emphasis on managing risks, ensuring efficient delivery, and addressing the challenges faced in Ethiopia’s Tigray region.

The findings provided actionable recommendations for enhancing PSNP’s resilience, including improvements in portability, targeting, and digital systems. These insights were used to inform the PSNP’s mid-term review, although budget constraints limited full implementation.

Supporting the Coordination and Facilitation of the Ethiopia Cash Working Group (ECWG)

May 2024 – March 2025 (finished)

Ethiopia Cash Working Group (ECWG) has requested STAAR’s support in improving the conflict sensitivity of their work.

Through a long-term adviser, STAAR’s support involves providing technical assistance, coordination support and facilitation expertise, as well as support to UNICEF’s humanitarian cash programme in the context of conflict sensitivity and cross coordination between different existing platforms in social protection/cash programming.

The support is intended to make conflict-sensitivity and responsiveness an integral part of all coordination activities of the ECW and provide a challenge and question function about what can be done differently.

Supporting the Creation of a Framework for a Localisation Shift Within the Yemen Humanitarian Portfolio

April 2019 – July 2019 (finished)

This STAAR assignment was commissioned to support FCDO’s ongoing efforts for greater localisation in Yemen, by analysing the Value for Money of moving increasingly more funding for the Food Security Safety Net (FSSN) programme to local actors.

The STAAR assignment team conducted a value-for-money assessment of the current operation of the Yemen portfolio and provided a practical framework for greater localisation, looking at separation of functions, step-by-step transition, capacity investment, debunking risks and risk management and shifting not only funding but also power and process.

The assignment developed a framework for a localisation shift within the Yemen FCDO Humanitarian Portfolio.

Supporting the Design of the Beti Padhau-Beti Bachao Programme

October 2022 – December 2023 (finished)

STAAR was contracted to provide the provincial government (Ministry of Social Development) of Madhesh Pradesh, with the design and delivery of the Beti Padhau-Beti Bachao” (BPBB) flagship programme, informed by the challenges and recommendations which are set out in the ODI-UNICEF 2021 review.

The BPBB aims to empower girls by reducing early marriage and promoting their education. The programme was initiated in 2019 prioritising girls from Muslim and Dalit families and progressively expanded to cover new-born girls from all communities.

The assignment team worked the provincial government and in consultation with different stakeholders to provide research and recommendations on improving the design and delivery of BPBB.

Supporting the Diagnosis and Programming Options to Support the Social Protection Approaches in Kismayo, Somalia

August 2022 – September 2022 (finished)

STAAR was requested by GIZ to formulate two viable implementation options of a project in Kismayo, to support the evolution social protection approaches in Somalia.
The STAAR Facility provided a briefing note, which describes a number of pertinent issues relating to the design and implementation of two options, including (1) Productive Safety Net and (2) Graduation reimaged.
The options have contributed to policy dialogue and formulation within Somalia and with development partners, and with Somalis and development partners.

Synthesis of Learning and Promising Practices for Preserving and Strengthening Social Protection in Conflict Settings

January 2024 – March 2025 (finished)

Building on previous work focused on Ethiopia, this new assignment highlights how social assistance systems can be built, maintained, adapted, and strengthened, including learning from countries with existing social protection systems facing new conflicts, as well as fragile and conflict-affected states experiencing protracted emergencies. It will draw on case studies from Ukraine, Sudan, Ethiopia, the Sahel region, and Yemen, as well as wider evidence from other relevant contexts.

The synopsis note offers forward-looking guidance for policymakers and practitioners, which highlights both the challenges and promising practices for social protection in conflict contexts, with a focus on the components of systems that are most effective for retention and adaptation during crises.

Country Case Studies:

Maintaining and strengthening social assistance systems in conflict settings: Yemen case study

Maintaining and strengthening social assistance systems in conflict settings: Ethiopia case study

Maintaining and strengthening social assistance systems in conflict settings: Sudan case study

Maintaining and strengthening social assistance systems in conflict settings: Armenia case study

Maintaining and strengthening social assistance systems in conflict settings: Sahel case study (Niger & Burkina Faso)

Maintaining and strengthening social assistance systems in conflict settings: Somalia

Technical Assistance to support FCDO-World Bank Partnership on Linking Humanitarian Assistance and Social Protection in South Sudan

March 2024 – March 2025 (finished)

As part of a global partnership between the World Bank and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) on social protection and humanitarian linkages in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Situations (FCAS), the FCDO, through the STAAR Facility, supported the World Bank’s social protection team in South Sudan through the provision of an embedded technical assistance (TA) adviser.

The adviser supported the creation of principled and meaningful linkages between humanitarian assistance and social protection. This included efforts to improve coordination across both sectors and to build capacity for the eventual establishment of a nationally led social protection system.

The TA helped place the concept of humanitarian–social protection linkages firmly on the agenda in South Sudan, fostered collaboration between key ministries, and revitalised national coordination structures that had been dormant since COVID-19. It created space for dialogue across technical and political actors, supported the reactivation of the national social protection working group, and helped establish initial linkages between humanitarian and development coordination groups.

Understanding the Role That Social Protection Can Play in Supporting Informal Workers and Gender Equality

February 2024 – August 2024

STAAR, in partnership with Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO), supported the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to better understand the role that social protection can play in supporting informal workers and advancing gender equality, and to identify opportunities for FCDO teams to engage on this agenda across different country contexts.

The assignment involved the design and delivery of two internal learning sessions and the publication of an intranet blog to enhance FCDO’s understanding of informal employment. It explored the extent of social protection coverage for informal workers across different geographies, highlighted the benefits and challenges of extending coverage, and shared good practices—particularly multi-sectoral approaches linking social assistance, social insurance and labour market policies. It also addressed implications for policy priorities such as gender equality, disability inclusion, taxation, jobs and economic development, and health financing.

The assignment involved undertaking initial scoping with selected FCDO posts to identify priority areas for further support. This laid the groundwork for potential follow-on technical assistance assignments to deepen FCDO’s engagement with social protection and informality in both programming and policy development.