INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SOCIAL SECURITY TO START ON 15 TO 17 DECEMBER 2014, ARUSHA

The Permanent Secretary for Treasury from the Ministry of Finance, Dr. Servacius Likwelile addressing the media during a press conference on the upcoming International Conference on Social Protection.

The Government of Tanzania through the Ministry of Finance, in collaboration with UNICEF, ILO, UNAIDS and the Economic Policy Research Institute (EPRI) based in South Africa, is organizing an International conference on Social Protection from 15th to 17th December 2014 in Arusha, Tanzania. This marks government’s commitment to poverty eradication and achieving growth with fairness and justice for all especially women and children.

The conference, to be officiated by H.E. Dr. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, President of the United Republic of Tanzania is aimed at encouraging South-South exchange of knowledge and best practices  to support Tanzania’s efforts in designing policies and programmes for assisting the poor and vulnerable including women, children, elderly, disabled and youth to achieve a basic standard of living.

As Tanzania prepares and works hard to graduate to a middle income status by 2025, the government wants to ensure that its citizens, including the poorest and the weakest develop their capacities to realize their rights and make Tanzania stronger and a more equal society. Addressing the needs of children especially their nutrition, health and education is critical to helping them grow into happy, productive adults and escape from the inter-generational poverty trap.

The meeting will bring together policy-makers, researchers and practitioners involved in the planning, design, and implementation of social protection programmes and systems countries like Kenya, Uganda, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Mozambique, Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa, Ghana, Ethiopia, Zambia, South Sudan and Tanzania.

At national level, the knowledge and experience gained will support the country’s ongoing efforts to expand its Productive Social Safety Net Programme (PSSN) or TASAF III to reach about six million poorest people by mid-2015.  TASAF provides cash assistance to poor families to send their children to school and seek health care for the mother and the child. It also provides income opportunities through public works projects and helps families gradually escape from poverty through livelihoods and savings group support. It is one of the largest social protection programmes in Africa.

An inter-sectorial taskforce has been set up at the Prime Minister’s office and is mandated to present a finalized document on ‘National Social Protection Framework’ to the cabinet by the end of December 2014. A draft of this framework will be presented by Permanent secretary-Treasury, Ministry of Finance Dr. Servacius Likwelile, for feedback from the international experts present at the Conference. 

Honourable Prime Minister of Tanzania Mizengo Peter Pinda will officiate at the closing session of the workshop. The workshop will adopt a policy consensus document in social protection for guiding Tanzania’s ongoing efforts in setting up a comprehensive social protection system for the poor and vulnerable and ensuring  all  citizens’ have access to basic health, education and income.