UN agencies sign agreement with KRG to reform social protection

"This program is just the beginning of a process that will improve access to basic needs."

Wladimir van Wilgenburg 2022/03/02 18:03

Three UN agencies on Tuesday, Mar 1, 2022, signed an agreement with the KRG to reform the social protection system in the Kurdistan Region (Photo: UNICEF).

Kurdistan Ministry of Planning Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs Krg UNICEF WFP ILO

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Ministry of Planning and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and three UN agencies launched a new program on Tuesday to reform the Kurdistan Region's social protection system.

The program work is funded by the European Union (EU), which has "prioritized support for Iraq to build a sustainable and more inclusive social protection system for families in need," the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said in a press statement on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Planning and Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the Kurdistan Regional Government launched this new partnership with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), and the International Labour Organization (ILO).

UNICEF said that the program aims to support the Ministries of Planning, Labour, and Social Affairs to improve, reform, and update the Kurdistan Region's Social Protection Strategic Framework.

"This program is just the beginning of a process that will improve access to basic needs such as food, access to health care, education and vital public services for vulnerable families, as well as employment opportunities and improved working conditions," read a joint statement by UNICEF Iraq Representative Sheema Sen Gupta, WFP Iraq Representative Ally Raza Qureshi, ILO Country Coordinator in Iraq Maha Kattaa, and EU Head of Cooperation Barbara Egger.