The North Africa Post (04.08.2020) Morocco will expand social welfare protection to all its citizens within five years through a gradual approach, said Finance Minister Mohammed Benchaaboun, after King Mohammed VI urged in the State of the Nation speech on July 29 speeding up such a national project. Benchaaboun said the plan will proceed gradually with the first phase (2021-2023) focusing on the generalization of mandatory health insurance and family allowances followed by a second phase (2024-2025) to enlist citizens in pension funds and launch unemployment benefits.

paginasiete.bo (02.08.2020) Para evitar que las personas adultas se contagien en las filas, el beneficiario podrá autorizar a un familiar para el cobro en su representación, mediante nota impresa o escrita a mano, firmada o autorizada con su huella dactilar.

blogs.worldbank.org (14.07.2020) While the world is still in the midst of dealing with the health and socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) shock, one key lesson is already emerging: Social protection is proving its potential as an emergency instrument to protect affected households.

Time (23.07.2020) Temporary basic income payments could stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic by allowing the world’s poorest people to stay at home, according to a new report from the United Nations Development Programme.

blogs.worldbank.org (07.07.2020) The COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating the long-anticipated surge in telemedicine services worldwide. Consulting a health care provider over phone, video or text has become the new normal for many non-urgent medical needs, while the crisis has sparked renewed interest in digital tools that can test and monitor at-risk patients safely in their homes.

unicef.org (01.07.2020) The Government of Spain recently launched a national ‘Basic Income scheme’ (‘Ingreso Minimo Vital’), for extremely poor households and vulnerable groups. The means-tested programme is expected to reach approximately 2.5 million people, who will receive between €462 and €1,015 per month per household depending on the number of household members. Total household income and wealth determines whether a household receives the benefit, and applicants should be between 23 and 65 years of age and have legal residence in Spain of at least one year.

IMF Blog (22.07.2020) The practical challenge of quickly getting financial support in the hands of people who lost jobs amid the COVID-19 economic crisis has baffled advanced and developing economies alike. Economic lockdowns, physical distancing measures, patchy social protection systems and, especially for low-income countries, the high level of informality, complicate the task. Many governments are leveraging mobile technology to help their citizens.

Bloomberg (16.06.2020) France will consider proposals to protect gig workers after pandemic lockdowns pushed the status of people who rely on tech platforms for their income to the forefront. French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has appointed a group of nine experts to suggest increased protection for platform workers, such as Uber Technologies Inc. and Deliveroo drivers, and others by October, according to a copy of the request made public by one of the members.

World Economic Forum (25.06.2020) Money transfers are effective ways to protect those in financial difficulties due to COVID-19. In sub-Saharan Africa, over 80% of measures announced since the beginning of the pandemic are in the form of transfers. The pandemic has led many countries to strengthen their mobile money ecosystems and address specific constraints. But the risks of accelerating mobile money include cyber-risks and digital fraud.

Globalnews.ca (25.06.2020) Nearly 1.1 million coronavirus relief payments totaling some US$1.4 billion went to dead people, a government watchdog reported Thursday. Legal and political issues hang over the misdirected taxpayer funds, the latest example of errors in massive aid being dispensed at crisis speed.