Social Protection in Kosovo in 2020

1. Social Protection in Kosovo in 2020 • Some considerations for the path of reforms

2. Strategic vision for 2020 (draft) • “Our vision for Kosovo is a society where social protection and inclusion of every citizen, at each social category and age is guaranteed with the aim of leading a decent social and economic life.” But the small print: “To the extent that the government deems necessary to address the circumstances that create unforeseen fiscal strain on public budgets or otherwise provide public maintaining fiscal discipline, the government will have the authority to issue a decision that reduces or eliminates any privilege secured with this law, including benefits related to financial payments even if funds are appropriated by the budget law applicable at that time.” 2012 - Law no. 04/L-096. "On changes and additions to Law no.2003/15 on social assistance in Kosovo" Article 15.A Benefits - subject to fiscal difficulties

3. Strategic Objective 2 • “Increase of social welfare through expansion and improvement of social and family service provision, with particular focus on vulnerable groups” • How is it proposed to expand and improve provision given budgetary constraints mentioned in situational analysis? • “Social and family service provision" - i.e. SCS. Hence there are no objectives for SA! • Definition of vulnerable groups?  • ◦ How have they been identified? What are their needs? 

4. Specific objectives • 1. Poverty reduction by providing integrated services for people in need • ◦ Services as poverty reduction instrument?  • ◦ The lack of objective for SA means no measures for poverty reduction  • ◦ Needs prior explanation of what is meant by integrated services, what issues this will overcome and what benefits it brings 2 Development of alternative and innovative forms of social protection service provision and promotion of social inclusion; ◦ Who will develop them?  ◦ Also 'promotion of social inclusion'  needs to be elaborated/made clear. 3 Increase the level of social service provision, by implementing decentralization of social and family services, and setting up mechanisms for sustainable financinig; ◦ How is this different to objective 2? 4 Increase and building of human capacities for social and family services of public providers and licensed non-government providers. ◦ Human capacities? ◦ Prerequisite for 2 & 3 

5. Outstanding issues The graph shows that in the period covered by the previous strategy, spending on pensions and war veterans doubled, while SA declined marginally.  In the context of monetary inflation and rising general prices we should note that this represent a decline in SA spending in REAL terms (that is adjusted for inflation) and represents a fall in REAL terms of the purchasing power of beneficiaries.

6. Children in Kosovo  • Children are the only category that have no direct assistance from state • Children have as much right to support as other people • Consider pensioners who have not contributed. • Services don't get children out of poverty • Childrens dependent status makes the case stronger than for most adults, as they are de facto vulnerable

7. Transformative & Child Sensitive Social Protection • Principles of child-sensitive social protection • Avoid adverse impacts on children, and reduce or mitigate social and economic risks that directly affect children‘s lives.  • Intervene as early as possible where children are at risk, in order to prevent irreversible impairment or harm.  •         Consider the age- and gender-specific risks and vulnerabilities of children throughout the lifecycle.  •         Mitigate the effects of shocks, exclusion and poverty on families, recognizing that families raising children need support to ensure equal opportunity  •         Make special provision to reach children who are particularly vulnerable and excluded, including children without parental care, and those who are marginalized within their families or communities due to their gender, disability, ethnicity or other factors.  • Include the voices and opinions of children, their care givers and youth in the understanding and design of social protection systems and programmes  • Source: DFID et al. (2009). 

8. Implications: Governance • MLSW itself needs to be the standard bearer within government that makes the case for social development in the interests of all.  • Financial sector review should be conducted. • Lessons and expertise can be learned from member countries in how they prioritise social budgeting and put the social agenda to the forefront of government policy making.  • A refreshed EU and civil society framework focused on improving child protection should give impetus for GoK to call on partners to develop an agenda that befits European goals. • Greater donor coordination and support is needed to raise MLSW capacities in policy making. • Draw on support of international partners to strengthening indicators (EU-SILC) and standards (EU Voluntary Framework for Social Care) • Social protection has important linkages with social inclusion that need developing at strategic level and in the Action Plan for SP. 

9. Social Care & Social assistance • Develop local leadership along with transfer of greater powers to local level. • Strengthening of inter-communal structures and systems along with professionalisation of social work to facilitate learning and best practice.  • Improve poverty alleviation of social assistance through an increase in total fund and higher award levels from improved targeting to the poor and extreme poor.  • As a first move, MLSW/GoK should aim for cost-containment in pensions and war veteran benefits to cope with increasing demand across the benefits system. • Separate budget line for Social Care services. • GoK/MLSW should recast its view of children as individuals with full rights. • Need to realign priorities and policies accordingly and to communicate this through all its institutions and to the general public. • Conduct local poverty assessments to make SA more responsive to real needs • Reform SA to have measurably better impacts on children. • Chilldrens fund, universal ages 0-5