The World Bank has approved a soft loan of $100 million for Uzbekistan to implement the Innovative Social Protection System for the Integration of Vulnerable Groups (“Inson”) project. The project aims to improve access and quality of social services for vulnerable populations, including older people, people with disabilities and victims of violence.
“Inson” is also supported by a $2 million grant from the World Bank’s Partnership for Early Learning Trust Fund. These funds will be used to assess the impact of social services on children in vulnerable communities (mahallas) of Uzbekistan.
The program, implemented by the National Social Protection Agency, provides for the creation of more than 50 social service centers throughout the country, improving access to quality services for more than 50 thousand citizens, and developing a regulatory framework for standardizing social services. The plans also include the development of a regulated market for social services with the participation of private providers, individualized social assistance, improvement of professional skills and employment of 1,200 people with disabilities.
The head of the World Bank representative office in Uzbekistan, Marco Mantovanelli, noted the importance of the project for strengthening the national social protection system and providing effective support to vulnerable groups of the population.
The project includes measures to adapt vulnerable groups to climate change, covering 100 thousand citizens in rural areas. They will be provided with climate-resilient seeds and training in climate-smart agriculture techniques.
