Background

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MAST) of Haiti has been committed to social protection for more than two decades. In 2013, it created the Information System of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (SIMAST), whose primary function was initially to develop a list of the most vulnerable households eligible for the Kore Lavi program (a social safety net program co-financed by international agencies).

The most recent advancements in social protection, particularly since 2020 with the establishment of the National Social Protection and Promotion Policy (PNPPS), along with various ongoing interventions and programs, require giving SIMAST a central role. This involves expanding its coverage to include the various programs anchored in the PNPPS and strengthening its institutional and technical capacities. In this context, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the World Food Program (WFP) have been committed in recent years to supporting MAST in institutionalizing the PNPPS and SIMAST.

The PNPPS defines the strategic framework for interventions necessary to sustainably address national structural issues such as poverty eradication, inequality reduction, and the promotion of autonomy and rights for Haitian citizens. In this sense, SIMAST plays a crucial role in implementing the PNPPS and overall social protection interventions, as it provides essential information to identify and target households and individuals based on their characteristics and needs, as well as eligibility criteria for social programs. To consolidate this information system in the service of the National Policy and ensure the efficient and effective fulfillment of its functions, a Strategic Institutional Plan (PSI) for SIMAST was developed in 2023. The PSI's strategic pillars include institutional anchoring, expanded coverage, data reliability and relevance, and data transparency, accessibility, and protection.

Seminar Objectives

Within the framework of cooperation activities between Haiti's MAST, WFP, ECLAC, the World Bank, and the IDB, focused on the implementation and institutionalization of the PNPPS and its components, a key aspect to develop is strengthening the technical capacities of SIMAST. This will be based on the strategic pillars of the PSI, particularly institutional anchoring, and the capacities of MAST staff involved in designing and implementing social programs through information and management systems.

The seminar aims to contribute to this capacity-building by offering a space for exchange, learning, and technical capacity enhancement for MAST officials, its autonomous bodies, and state institutions involved in implementing the PNPPS. This will be done within a framework of South-South cooperation by sharing tools, knowledge, and best practices with Latin American and Caribbean countries, considering their diverse experiences with social registries, social information systems, and the various payment methods adopted in their social protection programs.

Agenda 

DAY 1, Tuesday, April 22

08:00 – 08:30 Welcome of participants

09:00 – 09:30 Opening Ceremony Country Director, WFP (to be confirmed)

• Alberto Arenas de Mesa, Director, Social Development Division, ECLAC (to be confirmed).
• Myriam Fetière, Cabinet Director, Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor.

09:30 – 10:00 Panel I: The challenges of institutional frameworks for social protection and the importance of information systems and social registries.

Moderator: Thomas Debrouwer, WFP

• The Haitian experience: the institutional framework for social protection in Haiti: state of the art and priorities, Garry Tias, MAST
• Regional experience: Dimensions of the institutional framework of social protection in Latin America and the Caribbean, Carlos Maldonado, ECLAC

10:00 – 10:15 break

10:15 – 13:30 Panel II: Exchange of experiences and capacity building with invited countries on social registries and the role of information and management systems.

Moderator: Randolph Gilbert, economist invited by ECLAC

• Chile’s experience: Verónica Achá Alvarez, Head of Department, Social Information Division, Undersecretariat for Social Evaluation, Ministry of Social Development, Chile.
• Mexico’s experience: José Primitivo Solís, Director of Supervision and Geostrategic Information, Benito Juárez National Scholarship Coordination, Mexico.
• Panama’s experience: Alexis García, Coordinator of the Beneficiary Register of the Directorate of Inclusion and Social Development: “RENAB as a central tool for targeting Conditional Cash Transfer programs”, Ministry of Inclusion and Social Development.
• Peru’s experience: Javier Paulini, Director of the Directorate of Social Relations and Communication, Social Information and Targeting Agency, Peru.
• Questions and discussion.

13:30– 14:30 break

14:30 – 17:00 Panel III: Systems and forms of payment of social protection programs: transfers and pensions.

Moderator: WFP

• Haitian experience: Shirley Germain, Director of Operations, Project Management Unit and Rony François, National Coordinator, Project Management Unit, Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, Haiti.
• Chile’s experience: Verónica Achá Alvarez, Head of the Information Systems Department, Ministry of Social Development and Family, Chile.
• Jamaica’s experience: Sophia Pearson Gayle, Senior Project Manager Accounts (Assigned); Ms. Suzette Morris, Director, Social Security; Ms. Portia Magnus, Director, National Insurance; Mrs. Thressa Mahon, Director, Fund Accounts, Ministry of Labor and Social Security, Jamaica.
• Mexico’s experience: José Primitivo Solís, Director of Supervision and Geostrategic Information, Benito Juárez National Scholarship Coordination, Mexico.
• Panama’s experience: Magalis Araúz de Duncan, Director of the Inclusion and Social Development Directorate, Ministry of Inclusion and Social Development, Panama.
• Peru’s experience: Julio Mendigure, Vice-Minister of Social Benefits, Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion (MIDIS), Peru. 
• Questions and discussion. 

DAY 2: Wednesday, April 23

09:00 – 11:00 Panel IV: Strengthening implementation systems in Haiti.

Moderation: Aïlo Klara Maniga, World Bank

• Integrity and reliability of the social registry: General perspectives for the interoperability of national systems and opportunities for SIMAST based on the diagnosis of identification systems, study by Alexandre Amard, Digital Development Specialist, World Bank.
• Institutionalization of the registry: Presentation of the key aspects of the key aspects of the diagnosis on the institutionalization of SIMAST, focusing on the institutional framework and potential users of the registry, study by Sergot Jacob, Economist, WFP. 
• Integrated payment platforms: presentation of the experience of the Fonds d'Assistance Economique et Sociale (FAES), Louis Verret, and SIG Commcare, Pelicier Lorgensky. 

11:00-11:15 Break

11:15-12:15 Panel V: Strengthening implementation systems in Haiti: focus on budgetary institutionalization.

Moderator: Randolph Gilbert, economist invited by ECLAC

• PNPPS budgetary institutionalization, Lordis Bernard, Senior Economist, External Consultant, ECLAC.
• Commentary by Jean Michel Silin, Director General of the Directorate General of the Budget (DGB) and Emmanuel Charles, Deputy Director of the Directorate of Budgetary Studies and Programming (DEPB).
• Questions and discussion.

12:15 – 12:45 Roundtable discussion focusing on the challenges, opportunities and possibilities for technical cooperation in relation to the two days, with the formulation of a priority roadmap for MAST and SIMAST.

Moderation: Carlos Maldonado Valera, ECLAC Social Affairs Officer

• Formulation of recommendations and next steps: roadmap for Haiti.
• Presentation of the workshop conclusions to the ministries directly involved (MAST, MEF, MJSP).

12:45 –13:00 Restitution and closing session

Moderation: Natacha Leroy, ECLAC consultant

• End of the two days: closing speech and sharing of reflections by representatives of MAST, ECLAC and other partners.