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HOME > Building a National Social Security Strategy and Action Plan

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What are National Social Security Strategies and action plans (NaSSSAP) and why do we need them?

NaSSSAPs develop a holistic vision of providing social security to the whole population of a country, taking into account existing structures, instruments and policies as well as identifying gaps in a country's social security coverage. NaSSSAPs outline a strategy of extension that is well-suited to the needs of the population, to the country's past experiences of extension and to the socio-economic, cultural and political context. NaSSSAPs coordinate all existing social security schemes in a single overarching framework. This allows to identify priorities and to plan social security reforms or the introduction of new social security schemes. A single framework also ensures coherence between different social security schemes which is important for the equitable distribution of the benefits and cost-burden of schemes and for the creation of economies of scale. NaSSSAPs thus contribute to optimizing the use of funds for social security.

Given the crucial role of social security schemes to alleviate poverty and avoid growing inequality, NaSSSAPs are an important contribution to a country's PRSP. NaSSSAPs often also indicate how to realize the objectives defined in the strategy, setting a timeline to achieve certain targets, defining benefits to be provided, allocating institutional responsibilities and suggesting sources of financing. Once a national consensus on a NaSSSAP has been achieved and objectives and activities are clearly set out, a solid foundation for the mobilization of external financing is laid. The process of developing a NaSSSAP will already reveal important information for the implementation. The public debate allows identifying supporters and skeptics as well as possible obstacles for implementation. Even where the NaSSSAP is not part of a law, as a governmental policy document, a NaSSSAP will constitute a basis to mobilize action and step up advocacy for social security.

How to develop NaSSSAPs?

The process of developing a NaSSSAP includes typically the following steps:

1. A stocktaking of the socioeconomic situation and the formal and informal social security structures.
2. Design of a draft national strategy on the build up and extension of social security schemes including a timetable for implementation. The strategy should set clear priorities for the extension of social security, combined with a time-table committing to the introduction of new schemes or the reform of existing ones etc.
3. Launching an Information Campaign/national dialogue to inform the general public and discussing the draft strategy with social partners and other relevant groups of the society. This is important for the acceptance of a new scheme of social security and especially for the acceptance of the expected financial burden for everyone.
4. Approval of the strategy by parliament.
5. The ILO and other international institutions should be approached to request personnel and financial contribution for technical cooperation.
6. Elaboration of a national action plan to implement the strategy. (This will follow through the activities listed in the roadmap, including design, costing, financing)
7. Implementation of the action plan.
8. Governance, Monitoring and Evaluation

Who initiates the process of developing a NaSSSAP and how is it initiated?

The initiative to put the question of social security prominently on the political agenda can come from various sources. Often, governments take the initiative to develop NaSSSAPs (e.g. Burkina Faso and Rwanda) however, experience has shown that NaSSSAPs are sometimes donor-driven (e.g. the Senegalese national strategy had been requested by and produced with the assistance of the World Bank). Countries should take the process of developing a NaSSSAP into their own hands. Without ownership and the political will behind the NaSSSAP, the implementation is likely to falter.

Throughout the following process of formulating a NaSSSAP, it is important to ensure a wide participation of civil society and social partners (often, workers and employers will share large part of the cost-burden to that it is crucial to ensure their support)

What form does a NaSSSAP have and what content does it contain?

Even if countries may not have an overarching NaSSSAPs, all countries will have elements of a NaSSSAP already in their legislation, in sector strategies or other policy documents. It is important to investigate connections to existing policies and legislation to ensure that the NaSSSAP is well integrated in existing structures. At the same time, even if elements can already be found, it is important to develop the NaSSSAP as an overarching framework that ensures coherence and an overall vision how to coordinate and integrate different fragmented social security activities. At the same time, the NaSSSAP should not stand alone but be integrate in larger country strategies like PRSPs or Decent Work Country Strategies.

In other cases, there may not exist any piece of legislation or policy document but there may be a practice of well-functioning social security institutions as is the case in certain countries with community-based schemes. The NaSSSAP should make sure to also capture and build on those experiences and practices of social security. Formal schemes should be designed in a way that does not crowd out informal arrangements.

The document may be organized around different issues, depending on the priorities and needs in the country, variously focusing on certain target population, certain policy areas like health or old age, costs, financial management or governance challenges. At the same time, it is possible to outline a general structure along certain aspects that will always be an issue for developing a NaSSSAP:

• stocktaking of existing schemes
• identification of gaps
• formulation of priorities
• identification of next steps/action plan
• fixing a time line
• discussion of benefit package, target population, administration, financing, service delivery, monitoring etc.

After the formulation of the NaSSSAP, periodic reviews should keep the strategy up to date and adjust it to developments in the country. The terms for review should be laid down in the original document.

What TOOLS can be employed when designing a NaSSSAP? What role do ILO tools play for developing a NaSSSAP?

• SPER
• Social Budgeting
• Priority and needs assessment
• Social Dialogue

Country examples that have develooped a NaSSSAP

• Senegal
• Tanzania
• Burkina Faso
• Zambia
• Rwanda
• Honduras
• Sri Lanka
• Mali