WFP's Work in Enhancing Sustainable Social Protection in Sri Lanka

This document details the World Food Programme’s (WFP) contributions to strengthening sustainable social protection systems in Sri Lanka. It outlines WFP’s strategic approach, key areas of engagement, and specific activities aimed at enhancing shock responsiveness, improving nutritional outcomes, building resilience, and advancing digitalization within the national system. Readers will gain insight into WFP’s role as an enabler and technical partner supporting Sri Lanka’s efforts to build a more integrated, equitable, and effective social protection framework, particularly in the context of recent economic challenges and the adoption of the National Social Protection Policy (NSPP).

Core Arguments & Findings

WFP Sri Lanka’s work aligns with its global strategy, focusing on social protection that meets essential needs and helps manage risks/shocks (p. 3, 12). This is operationalized through four key engagement areas:

1. Enhancing Shock-Responsive Social Protection (SRSP):

   • Given Sri Lanka’s vulnerability to climate and economic shocks, WFP supports the government in adapting social protection systems to better anticipate and respond to crises (p. 17).
   • This involves integrating social protection with disaster risk management (DRM) and climate information systems (p. 17, Box 2 p. 21).
   • WFP provided technical inputs for the National Social Protection Policy (NSPP) and supports the development of the accompanying strategy (NSPS) to embed SRSP principles (p. 19).
   • Practical support included channeling cash top-ups via the national Samurdhi system during the 2022 economic crisis (p. 19, Case Study 1 p. 20).
   • WFP conducts assessments linking social registry data with climate vulnerability and co-chairs the Anticipatory Action Technical Working Group to foster linkages (p. 19, 43).
   • A scoping study assesses the system’s current SRSP capacity and identifies gaps (p. 19).

2. Improving the Food Security and Nutritional Impact:

   • WFP aims to embed nutrition goals within social protection policies and programmes to tackle malnutrition (p. 23).
   • Support includes strengthening the National School Meals Programme (NSMP) through procurement of fortified foods and implementing the Home-Grown School Feeding (HGSF) model, linking local smallholders (especially women) to schools (p. 24-25, Case Study 2 p. 26-27).
   • WFP supports the Thriposha supplementary feeding programme by strengthening the local maize value chain and promoting fortification (p. 25, 43).
   • Tools like the Cost of Diet analysis help identify nutritional needs and inform programme design (p. 25).
   • Social Behavioural Change (SBC) initiatives complement programmes to enhance nutritional awareness (p. 24).

3. Building the Resilience of People and Systems:

   • WFP integrates social protection with interventions that build household assets and capabilities to cope with shocks and escape poverty (p. 29, 31).
   • Examples include complementary activities alongside cash transfers (nutrition/gender awareness, financial literacy) and livelihood support like the micro-retailer empowerment programme (p. 31, Case Study 3 p. 32-33).
   • System resilience is enhanced by integrating social protection with early warning systems, anticipatory action, and climate services (p. 31).
   • Strengthening local food systems through initiatives like HGSF also contributes to community and system resilience (p. 31).

4. Advancing Digital Social Protection:

   • Leveraging digital technology is key to improving the efficiency, effectiveness, inclusion, and accountability of social protection (p. 35).
   • WFP provides technical assistance to strengthen government platforms and infrastructure, including support for data protection and privacy standards (p. 36).
   • WFP utilizes its SCOPE platform for beneficiary management and has supported digital pre-registration in flood-prone areas and e-voucher systems for micro-retailers (p. 36, Case Study 4 p. 38, Case Study 5 p. 39).
   • Support extends to improving data management (e.g., business registry for DSD) and establishing digital Community Feedback Mechanisms (CFM) (p. 37, Box 4 p. 39).
   • WFP applies assurance frameworks to ensure accountability, particularly when using government delivery systems (p. 37, Annex p. 44-45).

Key Statistics & Data

• Food Security (Late 2024): 16% of the population experienced moderate acute food insecurity (improved from 28% in 2022) (p. 4).
• Undernutrition (2024): Among children under 5, wasting was 9.3% and stunting was 10.3% (p. 4).
• Anemia (2024): Prevalence was 10.2% (children 5-9 yrs), 18.3% (children 10-17 yrs), and 16% (pregnant women) (p. 4).
• Poverty: The poverty rate nearly doubled to 25.6% in 2022 and was projected to remain above 25% in the subsequent few years (p. 4).
• Climate Vulnerability: Sri Lanka ranks among the top 10 countries for extreme weather risk. 750,000 people are affected by disasters annually on average (2011-2020). 81.2% of the population lack adaptive capacity (p. 5).
• Social Protection Coverage: 41.3% of the population is covered by at least one social protection benefit (excluding healthcare), below the regional average of 53.6%. Government spending is 4.7% of GDP (including healthcare) (p. 8).
• Programme Reach:
  • Aswesuma (Cash Transfer): Covers 2.4 million families (p. 10).
  • National School Meals Programme (NSMP): Reaches approx. 1.5 million children (p. 10, 24).
  • Thriposha (Supplementary Food): Reaches 1 million children (U5) and pregnant/breastfeeding women (p. 43).
• WFP Crisis Response (2022): Provided cash assistance to 167,000 beneficiaries via the Samurdhi programme (p. 20).
• Micro-Retailer Pilot: Supported 9,200 individuals through 25 retailers; 96% of participating retailers reported increased income (p. 32).

Methodology

WFP Sri Lanka utilizes a combination of approaches (as described throughout the document, synthesized):

• Technical Assistance & Capacity Building: Providing expertise and training to government bodies (DSD, WBB, MoE, MoH, DMC) on policy design, programme implementation, digital systems (SCOPE), data protection, monitoring, and SRSP concepts (p. 19, 36, 40-43).
• Evidence Generation: Conducting assessments (e.g., Crop and Food Security Assessment Missions - CFSAM, Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis - CFSAV, Cost of Diet analysis) and scoping studies to inform programming and policy (p. 19, 25, 44).
• Direct Implementation & Pilot Projects: Delivering assistance directly or through partners during emergencies (e.g., 2022 crisis cash top-ups) and piloting innovative models (e.g., Home-Grown School Feeding, micro-retailer e-vouchers, digital pre-registration) to test scalability (p. 20, 26, 32, 38, 39).
• Partnership & Coordination: Working closely with government agencies, IFIs (World Bank, ADB), donors, UN agencies (ILO, UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA), and NGOs, including co-chairing coordination platforms like the Anticipatory Action Technical Working Group (p. 19, 40-43).
• Policy Advice: Contributing technical inputs and guidance to the development of national policies and strategies like the NSPP and NSPS (p. 19).
• Digital Solutions: Employing digital tools like SCOPE for beneficiary and transfer management and supporting the development of government digital systems (p. 36, 38, 39).
• Assurance Frameworks: Applying systematic controls and monitoring (including CFM and post-distribution monitoring) to ensure accountability, especially when using government payment systems (G2P) (p. 37, 44-45).

Key Conclusions & Recommendations

• Conclusions:
  • Sustainable social protection requires integrated approaches linking cash/food assistance with nutrition, resilience-building (livelihoods, assets), DRM, and climate adaptation (p. 17, 23, 29).
  • The adoption of the NSPP presents a significant opportunity to build a more coherent, equitable, and shock-responsive system in Sri Lanka (p. 3, 8).
  • Digitalization is crucial for modernizing social protection but needs careful management regarding inclusion, data privacy, and accountability (p. 35, 37).
  • Strengthening national systems and capacities is key, leveraging existing structures like Aswesuma and Samurdhi where possible (p. 20, 40).
  • Strong partnerships across government, UN agencies, IFIs, and donors are vital for effective support (p. 40-43).
• Recommendations (Stated or Implied):
  • Continue providing technical support for the operationalization of the NSPP and the finalization and implementation of the National Social Protection Strategy (NSPS) (p. 19).
  • Deepen the integration of SRSP elements into the national system, including linkages with DRM, early warning systems, and anticipatory action (p. 19, 21, 31).
  • Enhance the nutrition sensitivity of social protection programmes through targeted design, fortification, HGSF models, and SBC (p. 24-25).
  • Scale up successful resilience-building initiatives that combine social protection with livelihood support and asset creation (p. 31).
  • Support further digitalization efforts, focusing on interoperable platforms, robust data management, digital literacy, and accessible feedback mechanisms (p. 36-37).
  • Advocate for increased investment and coverage in social protection, particularly social insurance, to address lifecycle risks and the needs of an ageing population (p. 11).

Stated or Implied Applications

• Using the Aswesuma social registry and WBB systems for more effective and shock-responsive targeting and delivery of social assistance (p. 19, 40).
• Adapting existing programmes (like Samurdhi or Aswesuma) to deliver timely assistance during climate or economic shocks (p. 17, 20).
• Scaling up the Home-Grown School Feeding model nationally to improve child nutrition, support local economies, and empower women farmers/caterers (p. 26-27).
• Implementing digital solutions (like SCOPE or similar systems) for beneficiary registration, payment reconciliation, and monitoring across different social protection programmes (p. 36, 38, 39).
• Developing and implementing anticipatory action protocols linked to social protection financing to mitigate disaster impacts (p. 19, 43).
• Integrating climate vulnerability data into social protection targeting mechanisms (p. 19, 31).
• Establishing robust, potentially digital, community feedback mechanisms for major social protection programmes like Aswesuma (p. 37, 39).

Key Questions Addressed or Raised

• Addressed:
  • What is WFP’s strategic approach to supporting social protection in Sri Lanka? (p. 3, 12-13)
  • How is WFP helping make Sri Lanka’s social protection system more responsive to shocks like economic crises and climate disasters? (p. 16-21)
  • How can social protection interventions be designed to improve food security and nutrition outcomes? (p. 22-27)
  • What role does social protection play in building the resilience of vulnerable households and food systems? (p. 28-33)
  • How can digital technologies be leveraged to enhance the delivery and accountability of social protection? (p. 34-39)
• Raised:
  • How can social protection and disaster risk management frameworks be practically and effectively integrated? (Box 2, p. 21)
  • How can the national social registry (IWMS/Aswesuma) be best utilized for targeting during large-scale crises while ensuring inclusion? (p. 19)
  • Which specific early warning triggers and mechanisms can be most effectively linked to scalable social protection responses? (p. 17, 31)
  • How can Sri Lanka expand social insurance coverage and adequacy to better protect against lifecycle risks and population ageing? (p. 11)
  • How can accountability and assurance be fully ensured when channeling funds through government systems (G2P)? (p. 44-45)