C.29 Elements of national safety net systems and programmes supported by WFP during the reporting period

C.29 Elements of national safety net systems and programmes supported by WFP during the reporting period

VERSION

V1.0 - 2026.04 - NEW

N.B: This indicator is an update to a previous indicator (formerly known in CRF 2022-2025 as C.21 Social protection system building blocks supported).

INDICATOR CODE

C.29

TECHNICAL OWNER

PRG-S (Social Protection)

INDICATOR TYPE

Country Level Output Indicator

INDICATOR CLASSIFICATION

Mandatory

INDICATOR SCOPE

Programme specific

APPLICABILITY

The selection of this indicator is mandatory against the following sub-activities in CSPs logframe. Selection of the below sub-activities will trigger in COMET the mandatory selection of this indicator:

1. Social protection technical support (SP_CCS)

UNIT OF MEASUREMENT & ANALYSIS

Yes/No (by element)

DEFINITION

This indicator measures WFP’s support to the different elements of national safety net systems and programmes during the reporting period. It captures which system components WFP has contributed to through technical support.

Below are some key terminologies for this indicator:

National safety net systems and programmes: Defined as the ‘policies and programmes aimed at preventing, and protecting people against, poverty, vulnerability, and social exclusion throughout their life with a particular emphasis on vulnerable groups’ (SPIAC-B, 2019, p.1). Safety net contributes to essential needs in emergency and non-emergency contexts, one example might be cash transfer programmes that support general household consumption, which can be used for food as well as non-food items and basic services. For risk management, social protection can build resilience of households and communities that may reduce the scale of humanitarian needs when a shock hits, making efficient use of our resources for emergencies by not having to save the same lives over and over again’.

Elements: WFP conceives elements as the components of any national social protection system and constitute systems architecture or the enabling environment that steers the sector as a whole—the policies, institutional arrangements, financing and coordination, as well cross-cutting processes of knowledge and learning. Elements also cover technical support to social protection programmes (government-led) that deliver transfers to recipients. Support can be conceived as both technical advice as well as implementation support (excluding direct delivery of transfers) to national social protection systems.

Support can be conceived as both technical advice as well as implementation support to national social protection systems.

A social protection system is broken down into roughly seven elements 1) Policies, laws and normative guidance, 2) Coordination, governance and institutional arrangements, 3) Management information systems (MIS), digitalization, and data platforms, 4) Financing 5) Evidence for advocacy and decision making, 6) Programme support to manage risks and shocks 7) Programme support for food security and nutrition. This means that COs are flexible to choose one or more of the seven elements. The seven detailed output indicators and their definitions are as follows:

1. Policies, laws and normative guidance

This element covers WFP’s support to governments in developing or updating national, regional or local social protection policies, strategies and laws and regulations. This includes helping integrate food security and nutrition objectives, advising on how to deliver social protection effectively in fragile or crisis‑affected settings, and ensuring that policy frameworks are inclusive and risk‑informed, such as through the development of standard operating procedure for the use of social protection in emergency

2. Coordination, governance and institutional arrangements

This refers to WFP’s support in strengthening how social protection actors work together and/or with actors from other sectors working towards joint goals. It involves helping governments improve coordination internally and with their international partners, for example, linking social protection with disaster risk management, emergency response, food security and nutrition systems. WFP may also support the improvement of governance structures and decision‑making processes, including social protection sector working group or build the capacity of the social protection workforce.

3. Digital transformation, management information systems (MIS) and data management

Under this element, WFP assists governments in improving digital tools that support social protection delivery, and enhancing data quality. This can include technical assistance for mobile applications, digital beneficiary registries, social registries, payment systems, or broader management information systems. The focus is on helping governments collect, manage and use data more efficiently, transparently and securely.

4. Financing

This includes WFP’s contributions to ensuring that social protection systems are financially prepared and resilient, particularly in emergencies. For example, WFP may support the integration of social protection into shock‑responsive financing plans, disaster risk financing mechanisms or contingency budgeting — so that programmes can scale up when crises occur.

5. Evidence and advocacy for decision‑making

Here WFP provides governments with analytical tools, assessments and evidence to inform better policy and programme decisions. This may include food security and nutrition analyses, cost‑effectiveness assessments, vulnerability studies, or specialized tools such as Fill the Nutrient Gap or the Shock‑Responsive Social Protection Capacity Assessment. WFP also supports governments in using evidence to advocate for stronger, more inclusive social protection systems.

6. Programme support to manage risks and shocks

This element focuses on strengthening the ability of national programmes to enhance people’s resilience, anticipate, prepare for and respond to shocks such as droughts, floods, conflicts or economic crises. WFP may help governments design shock‑responsive approaches, to better reach people affected by shocks, such as displaced populations, or adapt delivery systems so that assistance can be scaled up rapidly and effectively when needed.

7. Programme support for food security, nutrition and essential needs

Here WFP helps governments design, adapt or implement social assistance programmes that directly or indirectly improve food security and nutrition, including by tackling chronic poverty and promoting economic inclusion. This includes technical support on transfer values, targeting, nutrition‑sensitive design features, complementary services and monitoring mechanisms.

RATIONALE

This indicator tracks the specific elements of national safety net and social protection systems that WFP has supported during the reporting period, providing a structured way to document WFP’s contributions to system strengthening. It is needed to show how WFP’s technical assistance and implementation support translate into concrete outputs that enhance the design, coordination, delivery and resilience of national programmes. The indicator reflects WFP’s corporate commitment to strengthening national capacities, advancing system sustainability, and promoting transitions to government‑led social protection that improve food security, nutrition and shock‑responsiveness. By identifying which system components WFP has helped to develop – such as policies, digital platforms, financing mechanisms, or programme delivery arrangements – the indicator offers essential visibility on how WFP’s work supports national priorities across both emergency response and long‑term development pathways.

DATA SOURCE

Data for this indicator is generated through a two-step process: first, the Country Office identifies and classifies the technical assistance provided during the reporting period; second, government counterparts review, validate, and formally confirm this information during routine joint review or validation sessions.

INDICATOR CALCULATION FOR REPORTING

The indicator does not require calculation. The output indicator is broken down into seven detailed output indicators. COs can select at least one detailed output indicator, up to seven simultaneously. During planning, COs indicate “yes” for each detailed output indicator they intend to work on. During reporting, once a detailed output indicator has been achieved or completed, COs record its status as “yes,” indicating that support to the government counterpart on that specific element of the national safety net system has been successfully provided. If a detailed indicator was not achieved during the reporting year, COs record “no.”

DATA ENTRY AND DISAGGREGATION IN CORPORATE SYSTEMS

Each reporting year, data is entered into the COMET Other output plan (Planned) and Completion Reports (Actuals).

This indicator is disaggregated by seven detailed indicators in COMET, each representing a system element:

• C.29.1 Policies, laws and normative guidance

• C.29.2 Coordination, governance and institutional arrangements

• C.29.3 Digital transformation, management information systems and data management

• C.29.4 Financing

• C.29.5 Evidence and advocacy for decision‑making

• C.29.6 Programme support to manage risks and shocks

• C.29.7 Programme support for food security, nutrition and essential needs

In addition to this, values for the detailed indicator can be collected in COMET by:

• Geographical location

• Sub-activity

PLANNED FIGURES

Planned figures should be provided for each relevant detailed indicators and reported in COMET Other Output Plan (OOP).

When planning please set the annual planned figure as ‘Yes” when it is planned to be achieved.

Setting a planned figure require coordination with government counterparts on:

• What is needed for the next CSP cycle,

• By when, and in line with government development and emergency plans;

• WFP or WFP with other UN agencies and actors’ comparative advantage and added value; and

• Expected level of contribution from WFP

Planned figures should be set in the first quarter of the first year of CSP/ICSP implementation.

For each reporting year and subsequent years they should be revisited in the first quarter of the current reporting year.

FREQUENCY OF DATA COLLECTION

Data is collected and reported annually in COMET completion reports.

INTERPRETATION

This indicator shows which components of national safety net and social protection systems WFP has supported during the reporting period, helping to interpret the scope, focus and strategic direction of WFP’s system‑strengthening efforts. A broader set of elements supported over time may indicate expanding engagement, diversification of technical assistance, or progress toward more comprehensive system strengthening. Conversely, fewer elements supported may reflect a strategic narrowing to priority areas, reduced demand from government, or shifts in operational context. Because the indicator captures outputs rather than outcomes, it should be interpreted as evidence of where WFP contributed and not a measure of system performance or coverage. Analysing results across years or alongside related indicators (e.g., government satisfaction or population coverage) helps clarify whether changes reflect deliberate prioritization, resource constraints, evolving government requests, or adjustments in WFP’s technical role.

REPORTING EXAMPLE(S)

Example 1: Support to Registration, Benefit Delivery, and Accountability Systems (Emergency Context)

In 2024, severe floods affected Lunda Province, prompting the government to request WFP support to deliver temporary emergency cash assistance through the national “Kandala” social safety net programme. WFP and the Ministry of Social Development signed an MoU covering: (1) household registration for emergency inclusion, (2) delivery of two cycles of cash transfers, and (3) handling of complaints and grievances during the response. The MoU also included advisory support to improve registration tools[CO1] and update the transfer and case‑management procedures. By the end of 2024, WFP registered 80,000 households and delivered two cash transfers to 75,500 households, while also managing and resolving 420 grievances. WFP also supported government counterparts to update the registration manual and transfer guidance.

—> (Detailed) indicator(s) selection and reporting:

• Element of national safety nets systems and programmes supported – Programme support to manage risks and shocks

• Element of national safety nets systems and programmes supported – Management information systems (MIS), digitalization and data platforms

Example 2: Support to Targeting Mechanisms and Digital Platforms (System‑Strengthening Context)

In 2025, WFP and the Ministry of Social Affairs agreed that WFP would support a comprehensive review of the targeting system for the national social assistance programme, including updates to data‑collection tools and the design of an appeals and redress module. The government also requested support to improve the programme’s digital platform used for beneficiary management.

—> (Detailed) indicator(s) selection and reporting

• Element of national safety nets systems and programmes supported – Management information systems (MIS), digitalization and data platforms

• Element of national safety nets systems and programmes supported –Evidence and advocacy for decision‑making

INDICATORS COLLECTED & ANALYSED AT THE SAME TIME

The following indicators may be reported along with this indicator:

• 106. Number of people benefitting from improved national policies, systems or programmes for which WFP provided technical (and financial) support (Tier 3 beneficiaries)

• 107. Average satisfaction of national safety net systems and programme counterparts with the technical assistance received from WFP

VISUALIZATION

Country Offices are encouraged to use bar charts to show which elements of the national social protection system WFP supported during the reporting period. For multi‑year analysis, a timeline can help illustrate how WFP’s system‑strengthening engagement has evolved over time, ensuring results are easy to interpret for both technical and non‑technical audiences.

LIMITATIONS

This indicator does not capture the type or scope of support (i.e., the number of output indicators chosen), and should be paired with qualitative analysis and narrative in the Annual Country Report (ACR). Relies on stable working relationships with governments for annual review and reporting. Legitimacy and validity of the indicator relies on governments recognition that WFP delivered or contributed directly or indirectly but significantly to an output – e.g., building block.

FURTHER INFORMATION

N/A