Advancing Decent Work and Just Transitions in Pakistan through Health Sector Skills Development and Social Protection

Background

Pakistan is a Pathfinder Country under the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions, a global initiative that supports countries in accelerating progress towards decent work, universal social protection and inclusive economic transformation particularly in the context of changing climate and technological advancement. The Global Accelerator promotes integrated policy reforms, strengthened institutions and sustainable financing to expand decent employment and social protection while mobilising investment and fostering partnerships across government, employers' and workers' organizations, development partners and international financial institutions.

In Pakistan, the health and care economy has been identified as a strategic sector through which these objectives can be advanced. Despite its significant potential to create quality employment, particularly for women, the sector faces persistent challenges including workforce shortages, informality, fragmented skills development, limited social protection coverage, weak regulatory systems and inadequate investment.

This joint project with WHO, in collaboration with the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office, therefore, combines two mutually reinforcing areas of work: supporting Pakistan's implementation of the Global Accelerator through national policy development, institutional strengthening and financing strategies, while demonstrating these reforms through targeted interventions in the health sector.

Objective

To support Pakistan in advancing a more inclusive, equitable, and future-ready health workforce that can effectively service all segments of Pakistan’s population by implementing the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions and by strengthening employment and social protection systems while promoting decent work, skills development and sustainable investment in the health and care economy. The programme seeks to:

• strengthen governance, policy coherence and financing for jobs and social protection;
• improve skills, employability and working conditions of health workers;
• expand social protection and pathways to formal employment;
• promote gender-responsive, climate-resilient and digitally enabled workforce development.

Project outcomes

The project is expected to produce following outcomes:

Outcome 1: National and provincial stakeholders adopt employment policies and implement programmes to create decent employment for women, youth and persons with disabilities.

Outcome 2: Just transitions for health workforce to be more adaptive and resilient to provide effective social protection.

Outcome 3: Women and girls benefit from a gender-responsive enabling environment ensuring active participation in the economy.

Partners

This is a joint project implemented by ILO and the World Health Organization (WHO), in close collaboration with the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office (UNRCO). Other partners are: Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (MoPHRD), Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (MoNHSR&C), Ministry of Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety, Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council (PNMC), Allied Health Professionals Council (AHPC), Provincial Health Departments, Provincial Employees Social Security Institutions, Employers’ and Workers’ Organizations, Asian Development Bank.

Target beneficiaries

20,000 health and care workers, particularly nurses, allied health professionals, community-based health workers, health training institutions, health sector employers, communities benefiting from improved quality health services.

Geographical focus

Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) and Punjab

For further information please contact

Lisanne Achterberg
Programme/Project Technical Officer
Email: [email protected]