The document summarizes a session on the role of social protection systems in fostering social cohesion during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on persons with disabilities. It discusses challenges faced by persons with disabilities in Palestine and Jordan during the pandemic due to lack of inclusive social protection. Recommendations are provided on ensuring disability inclusion in emergency response and building back better through accessible communication, participation of disability organizations, and establishing well-designed social protection systems that can help realize rights of persons with disabilities.

2. Session 6:
COVID-19: Role of Social Protection Systems
in Fostering Social Cohesion
28th of October 2020

3. WELCOME… From the Inclusion Workstream Focal Points
Yaser Zeedia
Programme Advisor – Civil Society
Programme Gaza Strip - Palestine
Ghada Naser
Deputy Head of Civil Society
Programme - Palestine

4. Guest Speakers
Maysoon Al-Hamarsheh - Jordan
Former Director of Accessibility Unit
in Higher Council for Rights of
Persons With Disabilities
Shatha Abusrour - Palestine
Advocacy Supervisor at YMCA / Activist
for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
on a Local Palestinian and Regional
Level

5. Colleagues from GIZ Headquarters
Sarmina Ferhad-Stavginski
Technical Advisor, dept.
Governance and Conflict
Tandem Partner
Alex Hobinka
Disability Inclusion Advisor
Verena Damerau
Social Protection Advisor

6. Input from Speakers
Panel Discussion
Q&A
Introduction & Background
Agenda…

7. Introduction….
Society
Access to
Health
Persons
with
Disability
Access to
Information
Access to
Education
Access to
Employment
Access to
Social
Protection

8. How was the situation
of people with
disabilities during
COVID-19 Pandemic?
How did the absence of
inclusive social protection
systems impact the lives of
persons with disabilities?
How did this
reality impact
social cohesion?
Thinking beyond the “Response”-mode…
“Recover Better” or “Build Back Better”
How can we ensure the participation of
persons with disabilities in the design of
shock-responses to fit different needs?
What are the recommendations to achieve
inclusive social protection systems and
thus social cohesion?
Questions to Tackle…

9. Society
Access to
Health
Persons
with
Disability
Access to
Information
Access to
Education
Access to
Employment
Access to
Social
Protection
Inclusion as a means to Social Cohesion

10. On a scale from 1-5:
How often do you think of persons with
disabilities when you plan your work?
Slido Activity

11. Definition and instruments of a social
protection system
tel0.2020
Social protection is a human right defined as a
set of policies, programmes and interventions
aimed at preventing or protecting all people
against poverty, vulnerability, social exclusion
and against all (covariate and idiosyncratic) risks
during the whole life-cycle. Its transformative
aspect contributes to eliminate structural causes
of vulnerability and inequality and particularly to
Leave-No-One-Behind (LNOB).
Social protection systems include interventions
such as social assistance, social insurance,
social services, active labour market instruments
(promotion) and the informal (private) social
protection.
Individual social protection instruments can also be used in
humanitarian/fragile/transitional aid contexts.
Examples of instruments in a SOCIAL PROTECTION SYSTEM
Adapted from WFP/University of Maastricht; Gasmann and Timar (2018)
SOCIAL INSURANCE SOCIAL ASSISTANCE SOCIAL SERVICES
INCLUSIVE/ ACTIVE
LABOUR MARKET/
SOCIAL POLICIES
• Maternity leave/benefit
• Child/ family benefit
• Unemployment benefit/
severance payments
• Sickness/injury leave
and pay
• Severance payments
• Pensions (old age,
survivors, disability)
• Health insurance
• Funeral benefit
Different type of targeted/
unconditional transfers (in-
kind or cash):
• Social
pensions/grants
• supplementary
feeding/benefit
• schools meals
• Food stamps and
vouchers,nutritional
programmes
• Fee waivers
• Family/child allowance
• Housing/utility
allowance
• Subsidies
• (Temporary) public
works// cash for work
(and “Cash Plus”)
• child protection
• Helplines and
guidelines to ensure
accessibility of
services
Social care services, e.g.
• foster care
• day care and longer-
term care services
• basic/specialised care
• domestic violence
victim care
• residence care
services -disability
and elderly
• homeless shelter
• Employment incentives
(tax and social security
exemptions, credit to
finance)
• Wage subsidies
• Labour intermediation
• (Vocational) training
• Rehabilitation/return-
to-work policies
• Training programmes
• Microcredit programme
• Saving groups
• start—up grants
INFORMAL (private) SOCIAL PROTECTION (e.g. remittances)

12. • Disability inclusion is an integral part of Social
Cohesion
• Persons with disabilities faced difficult times since
Pandemic Started
• COVID-19 has heightened the vulnerability of around
32 million older persons in the Arab region.
• Of the 7 million older persons in the region with
moderate to severe disabilities, 4 million are women.
(ESCWA; 2020/Policy Brief.12)
Vulnerability
Fear of
Infection
Dependency Stress
Limited
Mobility
Difficulties in
Carrying out
Routines
Background…

14. ❑ Persons with disabilities have the same general health care needs as others, but are three times more
likely to be denied healthcare;
❑ 50% of persons with disabilities can’t afford healthcare;
❑ Persons with disabilities are four times more likely to be treated badly by the healthcare system;
❑ Persons with disabilities are 50% more likely to experience catastrophic health expenditure, and the out-
of-pocket health care expenses can push a family into poverty;
❑ Production of hearing aids only meets 3% of needs in developing countries;
❑ 75 million people need a wheelchair, but only 5-15% have access to one.
Key Facts Cited In The WHO World Report:

15. 2.6
3.2
2.9 2.9 2.8
2.5
2.3
2 1.9 1.9
1.4 1.3
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
DISABILITY PREVELANCE
Disability Prevelance
Disability Prevalence at Selected MENA Countries:

16. The Palestinian Experience…
• Status Quo Before and After the Pandemic
• Challenges…
• What was done?

17. Persons With Disability During The Pandemic
In The Absence Of a Social Protection System In Palestine
“I don’t want money, all I want is
when the Palestinian Authority
demands that we stay home,
they take the necessary
measures to facilitate our
access to urgent and basic
needs… A number to call when
we need something”
A woman with visual disability & a
mother of a 13 years old child.
“I don’t want food. I want my
home to be accessible for my
son… I want the most urgent
medical supplies like medical
matrices, medicine and
catheters for my sons”
A mother of 7 sons with disability,
2 with physical & intellectual
disability who were sent home two
weeks after the pandemic started
in Palestine since sheltered
institution closed.

18. The Jordanian Experience…
• Status Quo After the Pandemic
• Challenges…
• What was done?

19. Challenges Facing Persons With Disabilities In Jordan In Light Of COVID 19
Pandemic
• Lack of accessible measures for persons with disabilities inside quarantine places founded by
government.
• Limited communication channels with persons with disabilities during lockdown by government.
• Access to E-learning was a huge challenge.
• Limited access to transport means during lockdown.
• Limited access to markets and shopping areas which is available to those capable of moving using their
vehicles.
• Many persons with disability lost their jobs.

20. Role of the Higher Council of Persons with Disabilities…
Coordination &
1st Responder to
PwD
Awareness
Raising
Hotlines &
Emergency
Phone
Numbers
Video Calls
Counselling
Delivery of
Medicine
Appointed
Liaison
Officers in
Governorates
Assisted in
Accessible
E-Learning
Financial
Support
Inclusive
Media
Channels –
Sign Language
Interpreters

21. The Status of Social Protection of Persons with Disabilities as
stated in the Jordanian Law
The Law of Persons with Disabilities
2017 / No. 20
The following principles shall be taken into consideration in implementing this Law:
➢ The respect for the inherent rights and dignity, individual autonomy and freedom of
choice of persons with disabilities.
➢ The participation of persons with disabilities and their organizations in policymaking,
drawing up plans, programs, and decision-making operations related to them.
➢ Not to discriminate against persons with disabilities on the basis of, or because of,
disability.
➢ The acceptance of persons with disabilities as part of human diversity and
difference.
➢ The inclusion of the rights and issues of persons with disabilities into national
policies, strategies, plans, and programs, as well as, the state budget.

22. Key elements for inclusion in the context of Covid-19
Titel31.10.2020
• Inclusion is a human rights-based approach and a common ground for
the German Development Cooperation (e.g. BMZ-Strategy on Inclusion, 2019)
• Non-discrimination and participation (accessibility and empowerment) involving
representatives of LNOB target groups in planning and implementation of measures;
• Do-No-Harm monitoring and context sensitivity: analyzing possible negative, unintended
impacts of response measures on the target group and identifying mitigation measures
• Accessible communication (appropriate use of existing communication channels for
information (making communication accessible e.g. for persons with disabilities: radio, hotlines,
platforms, apps, etc.)
• Ensuring data protection and disaggregation (to avoid discrimination and stigmatization)
• Cooperation with and strengthening of civil society (e.g. self-advocacy organizations of
elderly persons or Disabled Peoples Organizations)
• Holistic context-specific analysis: put human rights + take interlinkages (e.g. multiple
discrimination) into consideration

23. Well-designed and implemented disability-
inclusive social protection systems
Adapted from Cote, Alex (2020)
National disability
registries/
disaggregation of type
of disabilities MAY IMPACT POSITIVELY ON
SOCIAL COHESION
as social protection is key in
realising the rights of persons with
disabilities and contributing to LNOB
(Re)habilitation & Return to Work
programmes (Occupational health &
safety measures)
with proper functioning
grievance redress,
complaints and appeal
mechanisms
Yet, the reality is that most
of them DO NOT have
(sufficient) access to social
protection benefits with an
adequate level of support.
Coverage of disability related cost
including access to support services
Facilitate access to early childhood
development, education and economic
empowerment programme
(Basic) income security and
adequate standards of living
Access to health care including early
intervention, assistive devices and

24. Social Protection of the Ultra Poor
in Malawi
Social Protection
Programme in
Indonesia
1) Support to the Identification of Poor
Households (IDPoor) Programme & 2)
Social Health Protection IV, Cambodia
Accident insurance for
employees in textile &
leather sector, Bangladesh
- Social Cash Transfer + SOAP and
COVID-19 Awareness raising
- Unified beneficiary registry includes
key characteristics of HH
- COVID-19 Urban Cash Intervention
(CUCI) targeting poor urban
households;
- previous Public Works Programme
(video available)
Inclusive labour market
for persons with
disabilities (e.g.
Inclusive Job Centre &
Return to Work progr.)
Assessment tool +
handbook
support of UN policy +
(translated) Internat.
Disability Alliance rec.
- Cash during COVID-19 to pre-identified
HH from the ID Poor programme.
DPOs engaged with local authorities to
include persons with disabilities (if not pre)
- Village Health Support Group (VHSG)
and Health Center Management
Committee (HCMC) trained Covid
prevention + personal hygiene.
Disability Data Application Disaggregation
of data → incredible Dashboard
Rehabilitation and Return to
Work Strategy
(Disability as a result of a work
place injury or occupational
disease)
Training, guidelines and
curriculum (including persons
with disabilities)
Selected GIZ projects integrating persons with disabilities
Other projects:
- Project Jeeth, Disability Inclusive COVID-19 Response (CBM India Trust) - immediate relief and rehabilitation measures
- Strengthening Governance and Civil Society –> “Coronavirus and disability: LET´s TALK an interactive radio campaign on the impact of COVID-19
on the livelihood of people with disabilities” in Uganda
- Equitable access and response to Covid-19 Pandemic (EAR-C) project: Ensuring disability mainstreaming in key sectors, by the African Disability
Alliance (ADA)
- “Improvement of public services project” (IPSP) works on a mobile app and service channels for persons with disabilities/marginalized in Egypt
- Rwanda: 1) Development Advisor of the “Promotion of Economy and Employment Programme” placed at the National Council of Persons With
Disabilities (NCPD) and 2) “Improve adaptation and mitigation capacities for target population against COVID-19 effects”, as part of the Rights-
based Program
- Persons with disabilities included in vulnerability/deprivation criteria of projects e.g. the Indo-German Programme for Universal Health Coverage
(IGUHC) - “disabled members and no-able bodied adult members” as per the latest Socio-economic Cate Census

25. Key considerations for the implementation of social protection
responses to COVID-19
✓ Designing mainstream and disability-targeted social protection measures (through
preliminary vulnerability studies, needs assessment, disaggregation of data, etc.)
✓ Adapting delivery mechanisms to provide adequate relief and support to persons with
disabilities and their families (e.g. advancing and/ or increasing payments of disability
benefits)
✓ Employment and working conditions need to be responsive to accessibility and
inclusion (e.g. accessible environments and workplace adjustments based on individual
needs)
✓ Working arrangements and conditions should be made accessible and inclusive
(Platforms and new ways of meeting and work should be accessible (working from home,
etc.)
✓ Supporting Expert Helpline SPACE! (Social Protection Approaches to COVID-19 )

26. Useful resources
Internal
• SPACE Strengthening Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) During the Implementation of
Social Protection Responses to COVID-19
• DFID, GIZ (2020) Building an integrated and digital social protection information system
• GIZ (2015): Inclusive Social Protection Checklist.
• Toolbox social protection and Inclusion of persons with disabilities
• GIZ (2015). Applied research concerning inclusion of persons with disabilities in social protection. Study
reports from Peru and Tanzania Available at LINK
External
• No one left behind, not now, not ever. Persons with disabilities in the COVID-19 response
• Joint statement. Towards inclusive social protection systems supporting the full and effective participation of persons
with disabilities
• Disability inclusive social protection response to Covid-19 crisis
• Inclusive Social Protection Systems for Children with Disabilities
• Inclusive Social Protection for empowerment of persons with disabilities
• INCLUSION GROWS – Toolkit on disability mainstreaming for the German Development Cooperation”
• CBM (2012) Inclusion made easy. A quick program guide to disability in development.
• Kidd, S., Wapling, L.; Schjoedt, R; Gelders, B.; Bailey-Athias, D.; Tran, A. and Salomon, H. (2019). Leaving No-one
behind: Building Inclusive Social Protection Systems for Persons with Disabilities. Orpington:Development Pathways
Limited
• VENRO (2019) Handreichung für inklusive Projektarbeit Prinzipies und Leitfragen für die Teilhabe von Menschen mit
Behinderung (only in German available)
Videos
- What can social protection do for persons with disabilities in the current global crisis?
WEBINARS
1) Upcoming:
• Register for tomorrow 29th October:
Addressing Disability-related Costs
through Social Protection Systems
2) Recordings
• Inclusion of persons with disabilities in social
protection for COVID-19 recovery and beyond
• Disability Inclusion in COVID-19 responses in the
World of Work
• Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in the COVID-19
Response: Applying the IASC Guidelines
• Women and Girls with Disabilities: intersectional
approach for eliminating violence and discrimination
• COVID-19 and girls with disabilities: A safe inclusive
return to school

27. Vision + Mission22.01.2019Seite 27
5 kritische ErfolgsfaktorenRecommendations to policy dialogue (A. Hauschild)

28. Seite 28
5 kritische ErfolgsfaktorenRecommendations to policy dialogue
The social model of disability (A. Hauschild)

29. Seite 29
5 kritische ErfolgsfaktorenRecommendations to policy dialogue
The social model of disability (A. Hauschild)

30. Pave the way to …
Seite 30
Exclusion
Inclusion
- segregation
+ integration improve
inclusion in
our work
+ Communication
- NO assumptions
+
Micro & macro
Disaggregate type of
vulnerabilities
+
INTERSECTIONALITY
Learn more about
specific needs to think
out of the box
e.g. Twitter
Adapt and adjust
to all needs
(that may vary for the
same person)
…by strengthening disability-inclusive social
protection systems

31. Identify
potential key
positive
multiplier
effects to
spread
messages
across
borders,
fences and
mental
boundaries

32. „A determinant aspect in the inclusion of
persons with disabilities is the instilling of
their self-confidence and their
empowerment“
• Housewife with a child
• Was born with cerebral palsy
• Education barriers (+ family fear)
• Health: Giving birth
• Employment (classification group 1
in Usbekistan → incapable to work)
31-Oct-20
Human rights activist
Mrs. Shodiyahon Qosimova

33. Adapt and adjust
to all needs of persons
with disabilities (which
may vary daily)
‘reasonable
accommodation’
UNCRPD Art. 2

34. Panel Discussion

35. Question to Guest Speakers:
Thinking beyond the “Response”-mode, how can we from now on include
persons with disabilities and other LNOB-target groups in developing shock-
responsive social protection systems as a basis for successful social
contributions to “Recover Better” or “Build Back Better”?

36. Questions to GIZ Colleagues:
What are effective approaches within GIZ/other organisations regarding existing
disability inclusive social protection programs, which could be scaled-up?
How do inclusive social protection systems enhance social cohesion?

37. Question to Guest Speakers:
CHALLENGE US:
How can GIZ enhance its contribution in strengthening social cohesion through
improving the inclusion of persons with disabilities?
(in national systems, technical cooperation, sector network)

39. What topics related to fostering social cohesion
would be of interest to you in future discussions?
Slido Activity

40. Recommendations from Guest Speakers On Potential Topics Of
Interest From The Lens of Inclusion of Persons with Disability
o Facilitating Public-Civil Society Partnerships And Its Impact
On Social Cohesion.
o Development Of Inclusive Social Protection Policies In MENA
Countries As A Means To Fostering Social Cohesion.

41. Summary