Social Assistance

The limited coverage of social insurance in the Arab region implies an important role for social assistance. As mentioned, social assistance is by definition funded from general government revenue and provided freely to selected groups or to everyone rather than provided on the basis of members’ contributions. It may consist of grants in the form of cash – called cash transfers (CTs) – or in-kind support. Other forms of social assistance include public works programmes, subsidies and tax exemptions. It may be provided to persons with disabilities either through mainstream schemes, i.e. social assistance schemes catering to persons with and without disabilities alike, or through disability specific schemes, i.e. social assistance schemes set up specifically for persons with disabilities.

Mainstream social assistance schemes in the Arab region have historically been made up largely of universal energy and food subsidies. Recently, however, governments have taken decisive measures to replace these with other forms of social assistance deemed more effective and efficient.[1] In particular, CT programmes have been introduced, enlarged and/or recalibrated. In Egypt, for example, a CT programme called Takaful and Karama has been established. The State of Palestine has introduced its Palestinian National Cash Transfer Programme (PNCTP), and in Tunisia the Programme National d’Aide aux Familles Nécessiteuses (PNAFN) has been rapidly expanded since 2011. Sudan, similarly, has launched a CT scheme within the framework of its Social Initiatives Program (SIP),[2] and Mauritania has begun implementing a programme called Tekavoul.[3]

Some of the CT schemes are conditional, meaning that beneficiaries in order to receive the transfers must fulfil certain conditions. These usually include ensuring that the household’s children attend school.[4] For example, this is the case with regard to the Tayssir scheme in Morocco. The Takaful component of the Takaful and Karama scheme in Egypt is conditional, whereas the Karama component is not. In a number of countries where CT schemes have been implemented, including Mauritania and Sudan, policymakers intend to add conditions at a later stage.[5]

Disability specific CT schemes, i.e. schemes exclusively targeting persons with disabilities, exist in a number of countries. For example, Algeria’s La Pension Handicapée à 100% grants persons with a full disability a monthly CT of 4,000 dinars (approximately $36).[6] There are also some social assistance schemes catering to those who care for persons with disabilities. In Jordan, for instance, under the Handicapped Care Cash Assistance scheme, “[a] regular payment may be made to families that consistently care for a disabled family member suffering from a chronic mental illness”.[7] A similar scheme exists in Iraq.[8] Mauritania has a CT programme for families of children with multiple disabilities.[9]
A few social assistance initiatives channelling in-kind support specifically to persons with disabilities can also be found. In Morocco, for example, food aid is provided to persons with disabilities,[10] and in Mauritania there exists a scheme through which persons with disabilities are given land lots for housing.[11]

Another type of social assistance takes the form of so-called public works programmes, sometimes referred to as “cash for work” or “workfare”. The idea of these is that paid work opportunities, usually on a short-term basis, are created for the poor. In Yemen, such a scheme was implemented in 2008,[12] and Sudan plans to initiate one within the framework of its SIP.[13] Mauritania, meanwhile, runs a form of public works scheme specifically targeting persons with disabilities, for whom “income generating activities”, consisting primarily of selling telephone cards or foodstuffs, are created.[14]

Most countries also have in place a number of subsidies and tax exemptions for persons with disabilities. In Algeria and Egypt, for example, persons with disabilities are entitled to use various types of public transport at a cheaper rate or for free.[15] Tax reductions or exemptions applying to the manufacturing, importation and/or purchase of equipment specially fitted for persons with disabilities, notably vehicles, are also very common in the region.[16]