The key objectives of the 1st ABND were to identify policy gaps in the country’s social protection system and make recommendations for its improvement.

Artiom Sici, ILO Social Protection Officer in the Republic of Tajikistan, opened the meeting by providing an overview of Tajikistan’s social protection system and an update on the 1st ABND held since 9 February 2017, when Dushanbe hosted a high-level round table as part of the Assessment Based National Dialogue on social protection.

The ILO organized and facilitated a half-day workshop ‘Basics of social protection and insurance’ as part of the broader event. The workshop led by Grigorii Degtiarev, ILO consultant, Senior Researcher of the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Economics, was designed to build the ABND working group’s capacity in addressing SPF-related issues.

The meeting participants, including some 45 key government stakeholders, workers’ and employers’ representatives, UN officials, NGOs, and members of the academia, worked in groups to address in-depth a range of issues such as ‘Healthcare for all’, ‘Social protection for children’, Social protection for working age persons’and‘Social protection for older persons’.

At the conclusion of this active and productive meeting, the working group agreed on a first draft of the assessment matrix, which will be presented at the 2nd ABND for further elaboration and approval.