The ESCWA Annual Digest of Social Protection Reforms in the Arab Region, 2022 (Vol. 1) is the first regional effort to systematically document government-announced social protection reforms across all 22 Arab countries. Covering January to November 2022, it examines changes in social insurance, social assistance, subsidies, labour-market policies, programme design, financing and responses to economic, health and conflict-related shocks.
Key insights:
The digest recorded 156 policy developments. Social insurance represented 46% and social assistance 36%, while targeted and general subsidies, labour-market measures and other reforms accounted for the remaining 18% (Figure 3, report page 14).
Poverty and social exclusion was the most common function, accounting for 22% of reforms, followed by old-age protection and social health protection at 17% each, and food assistance at 12%. Social assistance was more prominent in low-income countries, while higher-income countries focused more heavily on contributory insurance (Figures 4 and 5, page 15).
Most developments changed programme design, including coverage, eligibility and benefit levels. Half of all reforms affected coverage, while 42% addressed financing. Eight countries announced 20 measures to strengthen financial sustainability; Jordan recorded five, while Lebanon, Qatar and Tunisia recorded three each.
Shock-responsive measures represented 38% of developments and were more common in lower-income countries. Most were temporary: 79% of shock responses did not introduce permanent structural changes. Overall, 84% of reforms aimed to improve programme effectiveness, while only 18.6% focused on efficiency through digitalization, institutional restructuring or integrated registries.
Country examples illustrate significant expansions. Egypt increased Takaful and Karama coverage by 20%, from about 3.44 million to 4.13 million beneficiaries. Mauritania expanded Tekavoul to 98,245 households and raised quarterly transfers from 1,500 to 2,200 ouguiyas. Saudi Arabia increased the average Citizen Account benefit from 1,045 riyals in June to 1,919 riyals in July.
Lebanon launched the AMAN emergency cash programme through the DAEM platform, but by June only 61,461 households were receiving payments out of a target of 150,000. Fuel subsidies were fully removed in September, while the broader Financing Card programme was not implemented because funding could not be secured. Morocco, meanwhile, continued reforms intended to integrate 22 million additional people into compulsory health insurance by 2025.