On 13 November, Tunisia’s Minister of Social Affairs Issam Al Ahmar, ESCWA Executive Secretary Rola Dashti, and the Director of the ministry’s Center for Research and Social Studies (CRES) Sondes Elmoncer Semlali, officially launched in a high-level event in Tunis the “Comprehensive National Social Protection Systems and Reforms Country Profile of Tunisia”.
The diagnostic report reflects an extensive year-long national self-assessment of Tunisia’s social protection landscape vis-à-vis international standards and good practices and highlights both achievements and areas of improvement.
Prepared by CRES in collaboration with Development Pathways and under the supervision of ESCWA, the report provides a thorough analysis of the current social protection system in Tunisia and proposes actionable recommendations for reform, with a focus on: (1) Addressing disincentives for social assistance beneficiaries to join life-cycle risk protection provided by the national social insurance system; (2) Ensuring the long-term financial sustainability of the national pension system amid demographic shifts; and (3) Introducing a national unemployment insurance scheme and thereby filling a key gap in the country’s social protection system.
As the first diagnostic report of its kind in the region, it doesn’t only set a benchmark for similar studies but also serves as a reference document for Tunisia’s social protection system for years to come. The report is expected to be updated in five years to assess and document progress achieved since its launch.
