Accelerating Progress Towards an Integrated and Modernized Social Protection System for all in Thailand
The programme brief description
While Thailand has been internationally recognized for its efforts to reduce poverty and its development from a low-income country to a middle-income country, its economic growth has not been fully inclusive. Growth has been concentrated only in some areas, giving rise to both geographical and income inequality. This Joint Programme thus aims to support a comprehensive programmatic approach to social protection, to scale up coverage of the Child Support Grant, and to increase coverage for informal workers. An aging population and an influx of migrants has led to the review of the social protection system, which will be followed by integrated policy solutions. The Child Support Grant will be scaled up from supporting 700,000 children to 2 million by the end of 2021, as a result of the strengthened integrated social protection systems. Finally, policy changes to the existing social security schemes will be designed and tested, to allow for more effective coverage of domestic workers, including women and migrants.
Approach
The Joint Programme will conduct a comprehensive review of the social protection system, followed by recommendations for a more inclusive, integrated system. It will pilot new technologies to deliver benefits, focus on finding solutions to address the coverage gaps and reach groups left behind (vulnerable children, migrant and domestic workers) and focus on a reform of its social protection system to ensure the absorption of new entrants in the system. Additionally, the 20 Year National Strategic Plan creates an opportunity for structural reform of the sector, at a time when the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (MSDHS) has been designated to provide leadership for an increasingly integrated approach.
Target groups
Children, informal and migrant workers (often women).
Quick facts
UN Agencies:
ILO, UNICEF, IOM, UN Women
National Partners:
Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council, Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Interior, Social Security Office
Duration:
Financial Information