SASPP Quarterly Digest | September 2025

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>Click here to subscribe  >And here to join our LinkedIn	10# Issue | September 2025

Recent Publications

SASPP Annual Report Fiscal Year 2025  Last fiscal year, we continued to foster innovation, strengthen collaboration, and amplify impact in support of Adaptive Social Protection (ASP) in the Sahel. The six countries supported by SASPP — Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal — made significant progress in building robust ASP systems, despite a challenging environment. We harnessed our rich partnerships to strengthen capacity, knowledge exchange, and coordination at the regional and country level. Explore the report for key results, achievements, and future plans to strengthen ASP systems in the Sahel. Download the report | Get a snapshot of SASPP Phase 2 (2021-2025) results

Revisiting five facts about shocks in the Sahel — updated with new data and findings New household survey evidence from the Sahel highlights evolving patterns of vulnerability and exposure to shocks. These findings underscore the urgency of reinforcing adaptive social protection systems to deliver timely support and foster long-term resilience. This analysis provides key policy considerations to inform ongoing efforts to strengthen ASP systems across the region. Read the Policy Note

Two new releases from our “Mapping Impact” Series  The Mapping Impact Series uses evidence and data to show how adaptive social protection transforms lives across the Sahel. Two new editions spotlight impacts in Chad—on consumption, food security, livelihoods, savings, and women’s empowerment—and outline five ways ASP strengthens climate resilience regionally. Read more on Chad | Read more on Climate Resilience

What’s new from our Technical Paper Series? 1. Adaptations for remaining engaged in fragile contexts: a case study from Mali Over a decade, Mali’s Jigiséméjiri Project laid the foundations of a national social safety net program, establishing a unified registry of over one million households. This paper distills lessons on how the project leveraged challenges as a catalyst for innovation and remained engaged amid instability, adapting over time—including through productive inclusion—to expand support for people living in poverty. > Read the paper 2. What are the factors affecting urban food insecurity in Mauritania?  Tackling urban food insecurity in Mauritania requires adapting or even rethinking social systems, starting with a better profiling of affected households. This study identifies key structural and cyclical drivers and offers statistical and programmatic recommendations to improve analysis and response.  > Read the paper in French

In Partnership

SASPP partners continue to align with ASP principles in the Sahel New guidance developed by UNICEF, the World Bank/SASPP, and the World Food Programme (WFP), with support from BMZ, helps humanitarian and development partners coordinate support for stronger, nationally owned social protection systems in the Sahel. The convergence principles — policy, programmatic, and financial — aim to boost impact, reduce duplication, and maximize scarce resources. And in case you missed it, a presentation with more hands-on guidance on common standards for key ASP instruments is also available here. Get the guidance here

Preparing for resilience in Chad: a roadmap for financing timely, predictable shock response at scale How can the disaster risk financing and social protection systems in Chad be strengthened to respond to shocks faster, more predictably, and at scale  — to better protect the most vulnerable and enhance their resilience? Find out in this diagnostic report from the Centre for Disaster Protection (CDP), in close collaboration with SASPP. It outlines priority actions for improving disaster risk financing, to strengthen the shock-responsive and adaptive capabilities of the country's social protection system. Read the diagnostic report

Strengthening social bonds in the Sahel: social protection as a pathway to social cohesion A new Concept Note from the UNICEF-WB/SASPP-WFP Research Project is out now, laying out the next steps of an ambitious agenda to understand how social protection can strengthen social cohesion in the Sahel. Across the region, the confluence of poverty, conflict, climate change, and displacement is eroding social cohesion. This Project aims to fill a critical gap in understanding the relationship between social protection and social cohesion, to maximize the impact of policies and programs. Here the evidence review and presentation. Explore the new concept note

Smart protection for climate risks in the Sahel A new infographic based on a CGAP and SASPP joint report shows how climate funds can leverage ASP systems and programs to expand reach, speed up vital delivery, and achieve more meaningful adaptation outcomes.  Meanwhile, a recent UN Special Rapporteur report calls for global solidarity and financing to strengthen ASP systems as a frontline defense against climate-driven poverty. Together, these resources spotlight ASP not just as shock-responsive, but as a long-term strategy for protecting lives and livelihoods in fragile and climate-exposed regions. Download the infographic | Read the UN Special Rapporteur Report

Amplifying ASP: Latest Updates and Events

Photo: Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) High-level visit highlights FCDO support for Mauritania's ASP  More than a decade of UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development (FCDO) support — channelled through SASPP — has been pivotal in supporting the foundational national systems underpinning effective ASP in Mauritania. During a recent high-level visit, The Right Honourable The Lord Collins of Highbury, then Minister for Africa at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, met with government officials and women beneficiaries to see the transformative results of Mauritania’s ASP system. > Learn more	Photo: Adapted from IMF IMF financing package contributes Chad's ASP scale-up vision A new International Monetary Fund financing arrangement will complement SASPP support for Chad’s ambitions of building a comprehensive, inclusive, and sustainable ASP system. The IMF report highlights ASP’s role in reducing poverty, boosting resilience, and promoting inclusive growth, while supporting scaled-up safety nets and expansion of the Unified Social Registry under the new Adaptive and Productive Social Safety Net Project (PSSNP). > Read more here	Photo: ODI Global Strengthening public finance to build resilient futures | October 7, 8 Our colleague, Aline Coudouel, will participate in a session at the ODI Public Finance Conference 2025, contributing important insights from the Sahel on how, in an increasingly uncertain world, countries can respond to shocks in the short-term, while reducing vulnerabilities and boosting resilience in the longer term. > Explore the schedule and register to attend here

Special Section: Gender-Responsive ASP

The what, why, and how of strengthening the gender-responsiveness of ASP in the Sahel: new guidance for SASPP SASPP has developed new guidance to strengthen gender-responsive ASP in the Sahel—shaped by consultations and supported by the Social Protection Technical Assistance, Advice, and Resources Facility (STAAR) and FCDO. It outlines why gender matters at each stage of delivery, current actions, and future priorities to enhance poverty reduction, jobs, resilience, and women’s empowerment. Read the guidance paper

Strengthening Gender-Responsive and Inclusive Social Protection Through Technical Assistance: Lessons Learnt and Future Practice | September 25 The first in a new webinar series organized by STAAR explored real-life examples of working in challenging political and financial contexts and provided practical tools for how to overcome these challenges to advance improved outcomes for women, girls, and diverse populations through social protection. The webinar was a timely opportunity for SASPP to share lessons on the recent development of its new guidance for supporting the gender-responsiveness of ASP in the Sahel, with technical support from STAAR. Learn more

Promising results from a gender-transformative pilot in Mauritania A gender-transformative pilot in Mauritania, delivered alongside the Tekavoul program, improved school attendance, early childhood development, and mothers’ knowledge of child development, while promoting more equal aspirations for sons’ and daughters’ futures. The Family Dialogue pilot—combining couple’s training and community edutainment—aimed to shift gender norms and boost economic cooperation. Results will inform the scaled-up program and future  interventions. Learn more in this Gender Innovation Lab policy note | Find the related presentation here

Exploring productive safety net in Mali through a gender lens. Productive safety net programs have the potential to drive inclusive and sustainable growth in Mali. This technical paper explores the expansion of gender-targeted transfers in the Koulikoro pilot and examines opportunities for a productive safety net program to enhance the social and economic inclusion of Malian women. Check it out here

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	SASPP is a multi-donor trust fund managed by the World Bank that supports the strengthening of adaptive social protection systems in the Sahel to enhance the resilience of poor and vulnerable populations to the impacts of climate change. The program is supported by Denmark, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

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