Social protection to tackle child poverty in Senegal - Briefing note

The UNICEF West and Central African regional office has undertaken a major study on social protection and children in the region, to get a better understanding of the status of social protection systems and the opportunities and challenges to strengthen social protection for the poorest and most vulnerable children. The study, carried out together with ODI and African researchers, has resulted in a series of thematic reports published in March 2009 and five country reports. This paper provides an overview of poverty, vulnerability and risk in Senegal and discusses the extent to which social protection systems and instruments are addressing child-specifc experiences of poverty and vulnerability. Some of the key points raised include:

• Senegal has made progress on poverty reduction as a result of economic growth and investment in social services.
• There is political commitment for social protection, with a new focus on children.
• The challenges of cross-sectoral coordination and information sharing must be overcome to create a social protection system to tackle children's poverty and vulnerability.

 UNICEF, ODI - September 2009