Session recordings available here.The COVID-19 crisis has demonstrated the importance of consistent, sufficient and inclusive public investment in social protection systems. The emerging pattern of COVID-19 responses in the past month has shown that government-initiated responses mainly target citizens and the formal economy, with minimal or no indication of policy responses targeting migrants and the informal sector.
Resultantly, migrants have had to rely on their informal resources in the face of vulnerabilities brought about by COVID-19 lockdown measures. Furthermore, the pandemic is not selective of who gets infected. Therefore, policy responses should be inclusive of migrants such as cross-border traders, labour migrants, refugees, undocumented migrant workers, etc., who face the same health threats as host populations.
While the specific type of support to migrants depends on location, legal status, and type of migration, most migrants do need access to safety nets in the form of cash or in-kind assistance. Ensuring that migrants are included in policy responses means reducing the risk of transmission for the entire population while sustaining a source of labour that will be critical for economic recovery from the effects of COVID-19.
The Southern African Social Protection Experts Network (SASPEN) brought together a roundtable of experts from the IOM, UNICEF and WFP, as well as experts associated with SASPEN, to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on migrants and social protection responses and consider lessons moving forward in Southern Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, as well as the Latin American and Caribbean regions.
