Amman: The first national workshop for the social innovation lab Hiya-MENA has concluded in Amman as part of the Social Protection for Women in the Middle East and North Africa project, implemented by the German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ) and funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The project includes participation from Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco.
According to Jordan News Agency, Director-General of the Social Security Corporation (SSC), Mohammad Tarawneh, highlighted the persistently low female labor force participation rates. He stressed the need to expand gender-responsive social protection, particularly for women working in the informal economy.
The one-year social innovation lab brings together leading social protection experts from Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco. Its primary goal is to develop gender-sensitive social protection mechanisms for women employed in the informal sector.
Tarawneh emphasized that the lab is expected to generate innovative solutions, recommendations, and ideas aimed at closing the gender gap and ensuring social security benefits for women working in informal economic sectors. He pointed out that the number of insured individuals under the SSC has reached approximately 1.6 million, with 70% being men and 30% women. This disparity reflects a significant gender gap in access to social security protections.
Additionally, he noted that 270,000 individuals are currently receiving social security pensions, with men constituting 77% and women only 23%. This discrepancy underscores an inequality in access to retirement benefits, with female labor force participation rates remaining low at around 14-15%.
Tarawneh also highlighted the evolving nature of work relationships, with flexible, part-time, and remote work becoming increasingly prevalent. He stressed the importance of finding innovative ways to ensure that workers in these new employment models remain covered by social security protections without direct employer oversight.
For his part, GIZ Country Director Lorenz Petersen expressed gratitude to the SSC and other participating institutions. He emphasized the importance of strategic cooperation with partners and donors to develop solutions that achieve the project's objectives.
Petersen stated that the workshop aims to develop and test interactive and sustainable solutions to enhance social security coverage for women in the informal sector. He also highlighted the importance of cooperative measures to integrate these women into formal social security systems.
Regional Project Director Sabine Cerceau noted that only 40% of the population in the region has access to at least one social protection benefit, with women being the least covered due to traditional gender roles and informal, often insecure working conditions.
Meanwhile, social innovation expert Rachel Jones from Reos Partners presented the lab's methodology, emphasizing the need for creative approaches to address complex challenges. She stressed the importance of sustainable solutions that address the root causes of gender disparities in social protection, ultimately improving the livelihoods of women in the informal economy.