National Social Protection Strategy and Plan of Action.

The National Social Protection Strategy and Plan of Action was prepared by the Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis to establish the main priorities for social protection policy making and reform over the period 2013-2017; and to guide the establishment of a sustainable, comprehensive and integrated social protection system for Saint Kitts and Nevis. This encompasses the strengthening and integration of a wide range of policies and programmes across the social sector including social safety nets, social welfare services, social insurance and labour market policies. The first phase of the Strategy and Plan will focus on consolidating and strengthening the social safety net, in order to ensure that resources targeted to reach the poorest and most vulnerable have the intended impact.
The Strategy and Plan aim to protect the population against poverty and hunger through programmes designed to ensure equitable human capital development and enhanced capacity of the population to better manage their livelihoods and welfare. The instrument adopts a gender-sensitive perspective (see special vulnerable groups, Chapter 3 on poverty).
Special attention is given to rural poverty. The objective is to enhance the rural population´s access to basic health and education assistance services. It is stipulated that social protection objectives and efforts should be synchronized with education and health policies, employment policies and agricultural and rural development frameworks, and disaster prevention and response strategies.
Moreover the Strategy and Plan aim to protect the basic livelihood of the entire population and to promote safeguards against shocks and disasters that may occur; and to strengthen coordination and harmonization between social assistance and other components of social protection programming, including disaster management.
The Inter-Ministerial Committee for Social Safety Net Reform will be responsible for managing and monitoring the implementation of the first phase of the Strategy and Plan, led by the Department of Social Services and Community Development.