Author: Jaafar Fakih
The latest escalation in hostilities along Lebanon’s southern border is giving rise to emerging needs that can only be met through a universal and inclusive social protection system. The ongoing armed conflict is yet another crisis in a plethora of crises that people in Lebanon are left to withstand with minimal government support. This article demonstrates that a rights-based and inclusive universal social protection system is necessary in providing protection against risks and life shocks, whether these are linked to illness, changes in employment, natural or man-made disasters as well as armed conflicts. A universal social protection system is particularly important in meeting the unique challenges that groups living in vulnerability, women and children in particular, face during armed conflict. In February 2024, Lebanon launched its first-ever National Social Protection Strategy. This development is a milestone in achieving social justice in the country and in establishing a new social contract, with social rights being its main pillars. While the strategy is an important development, more remains to be done to secure a universal, inclusive, and rights-based social protection system that caters to the existing and emerging needs of all people in Lebanon.
To read the full article: click here
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.