This training course is designed to address the challenges of a rapidly evolving social security landscape in the Arab States of the Middle East. Many countries in the region are undertaking significant reforms to improve the sustainability of social security systems, expand coverage to previously excluded groups, and promote equity.

The course focuses on tackling critical governance and management issues in social security at this crucial time. It provides social security practitioners and policymakers with the skills and knowledge needed to advance integrated social protection systems.

Grounded in an understanding of emerging socio-economic, political, and demographic trends, the curriculum equips participants with innovative strategies to enhance governance, sustainability, and integration. Participants will gain insights into addressing complex challenges such as labor market informality, and low female workforce participation, through meeting the increasing demand for comprehensive and inclusive social security systems.

The curriculum will cover the following components:

Governance and Administration of Social Protection Systems

• Overview of governance frameworks and institutional arrangements.
• Challenges and bottlenecks in the Arab context.
• Stakeholder coordination mechanisms.

Contributory Social Protection and Pension Reform

• Key trends and challenges in pension systems.
• Addressing gaps for informal and vulnerable workers.
• Case study analysis of regional pension reforms.

Non-Contributory Social Protection and Assistance Reform

• Social assistance systems and their role in poverty reduction.
• Innovations in targeting, digitalization, and delivery mechanisms.
• Comparative analysis of conditional and unconditional transfers.

Specialized Themes

• Extending social protection to informal and migrant workers.
• Strengthening the shock-responsiveness of social security systems.
• Integrating humanitarian and social protection frameworks.

Financing Social Protection Systems

• Revenue sources and financial sustainability.
• Expanding fiscal space and addressing inefficiencies.
• Developing stakeholder partnerships for effective financing.

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Assess governance and administrative frameworks in social protection systems.
• Propose actionable solutions to improve stakeholder coordination and system integration.
• Design inclusive policies and schemes for informal and migrant workers, leveraging social security systems.
• Develop frameworks for adaptive social protection systems to address shocks and crises.
• Evaluate financing strategies to ensure the sustainability and efficiency of social security programmes in a continuously evolving landscape.

The course will be delivered face to face in Arabic at the ITCILO Campus in Turin (Italy) from 9 to 13 June 2025. Participants will benefit from a combination of residential training and a highly interactive digital learning environment hosted on the ITCILO’s eCampus,. They will have the opportunity to engage with regional social security experts and share their knowledge and experiences with fellow practitioners from other Arab States. Successful participants will receive an ITCILO Certificate of Achievement, eligible for the Diploma for Social Protection Managers.

The course is designed for experienced social security professionals and executives from social security institutions, Ministries, international organizations, social partners and civil society from the Arab States. Participants should hold positions directly related to the design and implementation of contributory (social insurance) and non-contributory (social assistance) social security policies and schemes. The ability to access and use a computer with an internet connection is also essential.

Connect with policymakers, practitioners, and international experts