ACTION/Portugal Phase III: Strengthening the Social Protection Systems in Timor-Leste

Background

The Project ACTION/Portugal project governed by ILO international standards on social security and the Social Protection Floor (a joint initiative of the United Nations system), namely Convention 102 on Minimum Standards of Social Security, Recommendation 202 on National Social Protection Floors and the other so-called third generation instruments that emanated from Convention 102. It also contributes to the pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals enshrined in the United Nations 2030 Agenda.

The ACTION/Portugal is currently on the third phase, besides continuing to increase the coverage and improve the adequacy of social protection systems, based on the strengths and lessons learnt from previous interventions, also introduces changes that aim to respond to the needs identified by the donor, to issues raised by the beneficiary institutions themselves as a result of the continuous outreach work over the years and also to the findings and recommendations of the independent final evaluation of ACTION/Portugal Phase II.

Thus, the Project is structured in three interrelated intervention axes:

1. Support national institutions in progressing the universalization of social protection through the strengthening of legal and effective coverage and the adequacy of social benefits, adapting social protection systems to become not only more comprehensive in terms of population and risks covered, but also flexible so as to prevent and respond to crises and external shocks
2. Promote good governance and financial sustainability of social protection systems, contributing to the mobilisation and/or reallocation of resources for social protection and their efficient and effective management; and
3. Design, plan, monitor and evaluate the implementation of social protection strategies, policies and programmes based on increasingly reliable and comprehensive data.

Main strategic objectives of the work developed by ACTION/Portugal in Timor-Leste:

Extension of non-contributory social security measures, including:

• Implementation of the National Social Protection Strategy.
• Strengthening institutional capacities for the development of a more integrated and efficient Social Protection system.
• Creation of new non-contributory social protection measures, and reformulation of existing measures.
• Improve the regularity and reliability of the delivery/payment of social benefits.

Development and strengthening of the Contributory Social Security System, in which the following stand out:

• Development of supervisory mechanisms and technical cooperation between operations at national and local level.
• Stabilisation and strengthening of the registration processes of the contributory social security system and the internal procedures of the contributory social security system.