7th PRC-ADB Knowledge Sharing Platform Developing Social Assistance Systems: Experiences and Lessons

Over the past decade many countries across Asia and the Pacific have established social assistance programs to help ensure income security and access to basic services for poor and vulnerable populations. As the programs have expanded, so have the demands for improving institutional organization, establishing mechanisms for targeting, ensuring adequate human resources to implement the programs, and effective systems to monitor performance. The conference brought together 110 international experts, policy makers, the academe and practitioners engaged in this field from 22 ADB developing member countries to take stock of the diversity of experience to date in the region and globally. Participants looked forward to identify key challenges and a new agenda for ensuring sustainability of social assistance systems, particularly in light of the focus on social protection and social assistance programs in the newly endorsed sustainable development goals.