Extending Social Protection in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province through building a Social Protection Floor within the framework of a Social Protection Policy The main objective of the project is to assist the Government of the Province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to establish a comprehensive province-wide social protection scheme based on the ILO’s two-dimensional strategy for the extension of social protection, and a national Social Protection floor concept providing a set of basic social guarantees that would provide income security for all in need of such protection and basic medical care. The project strategy follows a multi-pronged approach. The following results are foreseen under the project: 1) Institutional capacity - establishing/organizing a provincial steering committee- At the provincial (KPK) level an inter-agency task force will be set up to work as a steering committee. 2) Raising awareness/advocacy at the national level – inserting the Social Protection Floor concept and its elements into the national policy debate - Building a consensus of support for the proposed provincially determined Social Protection floor will require extensive public dialogue. In this effort, direct testimonials from social security administrators who successfully launched a national Social Protection Floor or elements thereof in Asia and the Pacific and elsewhere are especially valuable. The optimal forum for such dialogue is tripartite seminars in major regions of the province, at which project findings are presented and debated by government and the social partners. This component of the project will be carried out throughout the project duration. 3) Mapping, profiling, documentation, analysis – the project will undertake a mapping exercise and/or a rapid assessment study in order to take stock of the social protection situation and needs at the provincial level. This will include developing an inventory of existing institutions and benefit programmes, current social protection strategies, indicators of access to social protection and essential services, macro-economic data, household income and expenditure, and poverty levels. The first objective of this mapping exercise is to provide a comprehensive profile, as well as documentation and analysis of the situation on social security/social protection both in the formal and informal economies in the province, with a special emphasis on informal economy workers and their families who represent a larger segment of the workforce. 4) Through dialogue at the provincial level, elaborating a specific set of measures constituting a provincial Social Protection Floor that builds on existing social protection activities - To remain sustainable, Social Protection Floor (SPF) entitlements should: build on existing social protection measures/schemes/systems and national and provincial development strategies; avoid creating long-term dependencies and moral hazards; encourage and facilitate market and social inclusion (be demand-driven and user-oriented); be based on a clear definition of rights and duties, that govern the relationship between the citizens and the state, and ensure continued and predictable (preferably domestic) funding. 5) Identifying viable alternatives/policy options/concrete proposals to close protection gaps - Through dialogue at the provincial level, coordinated by the Social Protection Floor Task Force, viable options should be sought as to how to close the identified gaps in protection by appropriate and effectively coordinated contributory or non-contributory schemes, including through the extension of existing contributory schemes to all concerned persons with contributory capacity. 6) Development of a policy framework for the extension of social protection to all – In order for any meaningful initiative to succeed on a sustainable basis, it requires the support of a policy framework. Although all the components of the project are distinct in nature however they all have an interlinking factor of a common denominator which is the Social Protection Floor. Having a policy framework established facilitates the seamless implement