Context:
Pakistan has important social protection programs in place, such as the "Benazir Income Support Program" (BISP) and government health insurance schemes. Nevertheless, many poor households and those at risk of poverty have only limited access to these benefits. Women and girls are particularly disadvantaged, as they are often unaware of their entitlements and therefore do not take advantage of the available services.Responsibility for managing and further developing social protection programs increasingly lies with the provinces. They play a crucial role in referring people to appropriate services and linking social protection to areas such as food security. Malnutrition remains widespread in Pakistan, while the fortification of staple foods with micronutrients has not yet been sufficiently integrated into social protection programs or secured financially.
Objective:
Institutional mechanisms exist in Pakistan to expand access to social protection. The focus is on health insurance and integrated nutrition programs.
Approach:
The project advises central government and provincial institutions on how to better coordinate and implement social protection programs. It supports the sustainable financing of health insurance and facilitates reform processes. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, the project collaborates with BISP and the provincial social welfare authority to disseminate community-based information and counseling and to strengthen the linkages between social protection, health insurance, and nutrition. At the same time, it strengthens the integration of nutrition approaches into the social protection system—for example, through nutrition education for adolescent girls, the distribution of iron tablets to combat malnutrition via social programs, the fortification of flour with nutrients, and the strengthening of government capacity.