On March 14, 2023, ESCAP conducted a half-day event on the ESCAP SPOT Social Protection Simulator in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in collaboration with Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation (MoSVY).
The event helped strengthen the capacity of 54 policymakers in relevant line ministries in identifying the impact of non-contributory social protection benefits on key development outcomes, such as poverty, consumption inequality, and cost. Participants also provided feedback on the functionality of the SPOT Social Protection Simulator and highlighted its usefulness to strengthen the evidence base on social protection in Cambodia.
1. Introduction
ESCAP held a half-day event on strengthening the evidence base on social protection systems in Cambodia on Tuesday, 14 March 2023.
To support member States in the implementation of the first-ever regional Action Plan to Strengthen Regional Cooperation on Social Protection (Action Plan), which serves as a shared vision, strategy and platform for promoting partnership and peer learning and identifying needs for capacity development, ESCAP has developed a microsimulation model, the SPOT Simulator, that enables users to examine the impact of different design features of non-contributory schemes on poverty, consumption, inequality and cost. Presented in a user-friendly manner, it aims to make data around social protection policy options more accessible for policy makers at the touch of a button.
An Expert Group Meeting was conducted in Cambodia to share the SPOT Simulator and obtain feedback on their functions and relevance to supporting policy-making on social protection.
2. Objectives
The objectives of the Expert Group Meeting were for participants to:
- Understand the SPOT Simulator design parameters of social protection schemes and tailor parameter settings
- Identify impact of universal social protection benefits have on poverty, consumption, and inequality, consumption and coverage
- Estimate costs of social protection schemes as proportion of GDP and government revenue
- Provide input on how the Simulator could be improved to best serve individual country requirements
- Provide feedback on the ways to enhance its visibility and use by Governments
3. Participants
The event gathered 54 key stakeholders in relevant line ministries and development partners from UN agencies.
4. Format
Participants accessed the SPOT Social Protection Simulator online during the session and were guided through the tool and performed group exercises. In the final session, participants were invited to provide inputs and feedback on the tool’s functionality through a moderated dialogue.