Today, UNICEF Uzbekistan handed the Social Protection Single Registry (SPSR) over to the Ministry of Finance implying that the ministry carries sole responsibility to run, maintain and administer the system.
The Single Registry, the management information system that was jointly developed by the Ministry of Finance of Uzbekistan, the World Bank, and the UNICEF in Uzbekistan to enhance the social protection system through reducing barriers in accessing social protection via digitalization of the process. and. SPSR has been fully completed for the independent use by ICT Center of the Ministry of Finance.
The SPSR is aimed to support the effective administration of the social protection programmes from applications, verification, and registration to payments and monitoring. It also provides a comprehensive picture of the national profile of beneficiaries as well as the performance of the national social protection system overall.
“In order to reduce poverty and increase the effectiveness of social support measures for socially vulnerable families, a single criterion for identifying the poor was introduced, and a methodology for determining the cost of minimum consumption expenditures was approved. The criteria for determining the family's low-income status have been simplified for several categories of citizens and families. As a result, the system of automatic assignment of social benefits through Single Registry has been fully established”, said Jamshid Abruev, Deputy Minister of Finance of Uzbekistan. “Currently, the staff members of the ICT Center of MoF are ready to maintain and fully operate”, he added.
UNICEF has committed to continue supporting enhancement of Single Registry via introducing an electronic module on case management in social services, integrating social support programmes under “Iron”, “Women” and “Youth” books and developing an emergency response module for social protection.
“The Social Protection Single Registry is a foundation of a digital technology platform as part of the overall strategy of reforming the social protection system in the country. The SPSR is expected to become a central delivery mechanism for all social protection programmes offering great opportunity to provide social protection in an inclusive and integrated way linking cash assistance effectively with community-based social services, employment services, disability benefits, and other social benefits”, said Geoffrey Ijumba, UNICEF Deputy Representative in Uzbekistan.
Over the past three years, the SPSR provided social allowances to more than 1,600,000 families with children to overcome the challenges caused by low income, especially during the pandemic. The reformed child benefits have been being administered via Single Registry since September 2021.
Ministries and agencies exchange 50 data items with the SPSR in real-time to ensure more comprehensive, effective, and efficient provision of support to children and their families, persons with disabilities, adults seeking social support, or employment support services.
