The need to support and empower humanitarian workers and local and international humanitarian organizations, as well as providing them with the necessary skills and tools on the concepts of social protection, has positive implications and indicators that are mainly reflected in societies and their growth.
Out of this need, and in order to strengthen the relationship between the localization of humanitarian work and development, as well as acquiring a greater understanding of social protection issues and how social protection contributes to overcoming humanitarian crises, the Al-Nahda Thought Center at the Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD) held the first edition of the specialized training entitled: “Bridging Humanitarian-Development Nexus: An Introduction to Social Protection for Humanitarian Actors”, on Monday and Tuesday, 13-14 November 2023, within the framework of the Social Protection and Economic Development Program.
The training, which comes in partnership with the Danish Refugee Council as part of the efforts of the Inclusive Social Security Policy Forum, was attended by humanitarian actors and workers in Jordan, international non-governmental organizations (such as Action Against Hunger, the Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED), and the Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations, in addition to local organizations such as the Jordan River Foundation, the Arab Women Organization, and the Family Health Institute.
The training focused on the intersection of the humanitarian and development sectors, and the need to bridge the gap between these two approaches, by focusing on the principles of social protection as an integral part of development and societal peace, and its link to the development and improvement of societies and providing effective response to underprivileged individuals.
The training comes within the work and efforts of ARDD and its continuous extensive experience in the field of social protection and humanitarian work since 2010, by providing legal aid and consultation services to refugees and citizens alike through its offices in Amman and the Jordanian governorates, as well as strengthening the skills of humanitarian workers and enhancing their expertise and knowledge of many skills related to social protection systems, which is reflected in the quality of their work on the ground and contributes to raising the level of services provided to the beneficiaries, as well as increasing awareness among them and those working in this field.
The training tackled several topics, including: “inequality, social protection and its role in achieving development and societal peace, social cohesion, principles of social protection from a human rights perspective, labor market policies, social insurance with an overview of social protection systems in Jordan and the challenges they face, as well as possible solutions.
The training, which combined theoretical and practical lessons, included dialogue sessions and panel discussions between participants working in many local and international organizations, and the exchange of views and experiences aimed at developing the work field in the field of social protection at all levels.
The participants stressed the need to integrate humanitarian work with development processes in general, while working in parallel with all relevant parties to provide assistance to those in need through the concerted efforts of the concerned parties from civil society, the government sector, and the private sector, in order to establish social protection systems with comprehensive social security plans as one of its main pillars, fight poverty, expand safety nets, make legislative reforms that are compatible with crisis response plans, and improve existing social systems to keep pace with economic, social, and political changes witnessed by the region and the countries of the world.
Moreover, the participants pointed out that the “principle of inclusive social protection” applied by many countries around the world aims to ensure that individuals receive the support and material support they need when they are exposed to problems, whether economic or financial, and to look at all individuals and groups through the lens of inclusiveness and equality, stressing that “this is the most important point when applying the principle of inclusive social protection for individuals and groups.”
