IPC-IG hosts social protection study tour for the Republic of Congo and the Republic of Mali

By IPC-IG

Study visit from 29 May to 2 June will contextualise Brazil’s social protection system to delegations of both countries, to foster the exchange of knowledge within South-South cooperation.

 

 

 

Brasilia, 29 May 2017 – The International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth (IPC-IG) is hosting a joint social protection study tour for the governments of the Republic of Congo and the Republic of Mali, aiming at sharing the Brazilian experience on social protection and poverty reduction programmes and policies. 

 

Between 29 May and 2 June, the members of the delegations will be presented with the Brazilian experience in implementing, managing and monitoring world-class social policies, such as the Bolsa Família and the Brasil sem Miséria programmes, as well as the Single Registry of Beneficiaries (Cadastro Único). Researchers from the IPC-IG, the Institute for Applied Economic Research (Ipea) and the Brazilian Ministry of Social and Agrarian Development, among others, will deliver presentations to contextualise Brazil’s social protection system. Most of the speakers are researchers with significant experience in the monitoring and evaluation of public policies, and who advise key decision-makers in the Brazilian government. Many of them have also held official positions and have extensive experience in managing social programmes.

 

                                                                     

 

During the opening of the event, on Monday, participants shared their expectations regarding the knowledge exchange aspect of the tour, prepared in partnership with the World Bank Group and part of the IPC-IG’s mandate of South-South cooperation. The delegation of the Republic of Congo, headed by the Minister of Social Affairs, Humanitarian Action and Solidarity, Doctor Antoinette Dinga-Dzondo, stated its interest in intersectoral and interfederative coordination as well as financing regarding the implementation of social policies. 

 

“Since 2014, the President of the Republic has become aware of everything that was done in Brazil in the social area, and has committed to start a knowledge transfer. Since then, we have started to develop social protection projects, still in a pilot phase”, she said.

 

Congo’s social registry today includes 41,000 families, of which 4,000 are beneficiaries of social programmes. The current administration wishes to scale up the number of registered families to 400,000. The delegation of the Republic of Congo is also composed of other four senior technicians from the Ministry of Planning, Statistics and Regional Integration, the Ministry of Finance, Budget and Public Portfolio and from the LISUNGI Project Management.

 

Another point of special interest to both countries is data management. 

 

We need to improve our statistical data on all projects, not just on social protection. The databases need to be shared and coordinated between the different ministries”, explained the Head of Delegation of the Republic of Mali, Mr. Abdoulaye Diabate, Technical Advisor to the Ministry of Solidarity and Humanitarian Action (MSAH). Mali’s delegation is composed of other seven senior technicians from the MSAH, as well as from the Ministry of Economy and Finances and the WBG.

 

For Sergei Soares, Ipea researcher and IPC-IG Research Associate, the study tour represents an excellent opportunity for knowledge sharing, given that the most pressing demands from both countries in social protection are Brazil’s and IPC-IG’s domains of expertise. 

 

Didier Trebucq, Country Director of the United Nations Development Programme in Brazil, noted that “the country’s results in social protection were accomplished after proactive policies” and encouraged all participants to start a knowledge exchange relationship to scale-up the offer of public services in Brazil, Mali and Congo.

 

The opening ceremony also gathered the Ambassador of the Republic of Congo, H.E.  Mr. Louis Sylvain Goma, and IPC-IG Senior Research Coordinator, Diana Sawyer, as well as the Centre’s team. Luís Henrique Paiva, Ipea researcher and IPC-IG Research Associate, presented Ipea’s work in the field of international economy and public policy. 

 

 

 

Article prepared by Marco Prates, Communications Assistant.