During 2023, the Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND) worked on an initiative to establish a "Social Protection Monitor" for Arab countries, with the aim of monitoring the adequacy and effectiveness of social protection systems in the concerned countries, from a human rights perspective. According to ANND's vision, the monitor does not cover all social policies, nor all social spending, but rather monitors one of its components, represented by social protection systems that occupy an advanced position on global and regional agendas, especially after the Corona pandemic.

While some organizations and parties working in this field have created monitoring and analysis tools and descriptive and statistical databases on social protection systems and social spending, including spending on social protection, this monitor is concerned with monitoring and evaluating social protection systems specifically, including the spending allocated to them, from the position of civil society committed to a human rights perspective and the concept of sustainable human development. This monitor adopts a methodology adapted to the characteristics of Arab countries, their social policies and social protection systems, as well as to the realistic conditions that determine the overall features of the lives of societies and peoples in the countries of the region, especially the reality of occupation and wars that are ravaging some countries, and the reality of the weakness or absence of democracy under spoils (neo-patrimonial) systems, and the resulting institutional weakness, bias or shortcomings in the work of state agencies, and dependence on global prescriptions. While acknowledging the disparity in the conditions of the countries of the region, their capabilities and their strategic political or economic choices, there are some commonalities stemming from commonalities of history and challenges, or from the shared influence of the mainstream of current globalization in the field of social policies, including the design of social protection systems.

The project devotes a major space to designing a standard guide designed from a developmental/legal perspective that is compatible with the conditions of the region and the characteristics of its individual countries and systems, to constitute an appropriate tool for reaching an assessment of the various dimensions of social protection systems using unified indicators and measurements that allow for regional comparisons and temporal comparisons within a single country. This guide has been called the "Social Protection Guide" which is the main subject of this methodology. What has been achieved is the first version of this guide which inevitably needs to be tested and developed to be suitable for different categories of countries and their varying characteristics.

Objectives of the Monitor

This monitor is dedicated to civil society organizations and aims to:

1. Help civil society organizations evaluate national policies, especially those related to social protection, and monitor gaps in national social protection systems and related policies and procedures and their results.

2. Enabling civil society organizations to possess tools that enable them to participate effectively in relevant national dialogues and influence policies related to social protection.

3. Develop evaluation and measurement tools that allow comparisons to be made at the national and regional levels, and enhance knowledge production in this field.

Expected outputs of this observatory:

- At the national level:

A- A national descriptive-analytical report on the social protection system in the country concerned,

B- A list of indicators related to social protection and social policies dashboard,

C- Fact sheet and/or country brief according to a unified design for the country concerned,

D- Calculation of the "Social Protection Index" in the country.

- At the regional level:

A- A comprehensive comparative analytical report, with proposals and recommendations,

B- Expanded regional tables for selected indicators dashboard,

C- Comparative regional tables for the Social Protection Index,

D- An interactive website for all outputs.

Institutional structure and working mechanisms

In principle, the monitor is supposed to be a relatively simple and uncomplicated mechanism and is formed according to the following formula:

- A network of national observatories that monitor and follow up on social protection exclusively, or social policies including social protection;

- A small working group linked to the executive office of ANND, which includes specialized statistical skills, and its mission is to coordinate and communicate with national observatories, and ensure the availability of the required information, especially with regard to the social protection guide, and ensure adherence to the methodology specified for the guide;

- Issuing a report every two years on the results of calculating the social protection guide for the countries participating in the network, which includes comparing the results of calculating the guide, its indicators, and preparing a regional report on that.