• PROSPECTS built on the approach developed through the ILO-UNHCR Memorandum of Understanding and Joint Action Plan rolled out over the decade preceding PROSPECTS. Initially, it focused on refugee inclusion in social health protection schemes, around which political will regarding inclusion was generally higher (for public health reasons, as well as perceived need), but then also turned its attention to additional types of benefits throughout PROSPECTS. The case of the National Disability Allowance (NDA) in Lebanon is a good example of how a universal approach can provide an entry point for the extension of the NDA to refugee people with disabilities (PWDs).
• In the case of Kenya, the Kenyan National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) approached the ILO to develop and cost a universal maternity benefit for the country. PROSPECTS joined forces with an EU-financed social protection and public financial management project to design and cost a maternity income benefit for women in the informal economy, which would mean female refugees enrolled in the NHIF would also receive a new maternity cash benefit. Several workshops were conducted with key stakeholders to agree on the design.
• In Jordan, a two-way chatbot was developed and piloted with Jordan’s Social Security Corporation (SSC), and the analysis of the data revealed higher attrition rates among women and self-employed workers. This highlighted structural barriers that these particular groups faced, such as short-term contracts in the female-dominated education sector and irregular monthly incomes of self-employed individuals. This prompted a refinement of the subsidy design and introduction of a child benefit. By November 2024, 92 per cent of those who had registered for social security through the Estidama++ programme had transitioned into regular social security and continued to make contributions independently of the programme’s subsidy.

Find out more about the PROSPECTS programme’s wider learning on gender & disability inclusion.