SUPPORTED BY Grievance Redress Mechanism of the Takaful and Karama Program in the Arab Republic of Egypt CASE STUDY Acknowledgments This case study was prepared by Saki Kumagai as part of Faltas with Cathie Wissa and Madiha Afifi, Federica Ranghieri, an effort to strengthen the right to remedy in World Bank Tatiana Tassoni, and Yuko Okamura. Valuable guidance and operations and beyond. The initiative aims at building the comments on various drafts were provided by Sanjay Agarwal capacity of World Bank staff, clients, and project-affected people, and Hélène Pfeil of the core team; Nahla Zeitoun, task team especially the vulnerable and marginalized, to implement leader of the Strengthening Social Safety Net Project (SSSNP); effective grievance mechanisms so that they can improve and Nazly Amr Ismail Adbelazim, task team member of the service delivery, risk management, and development outcomes. SSSNP. The author is grateful for the strategic guidance provided The core team is led by Sanjay Agarwal and comprises Harika by Louise Cord, Maninder Gill, Varalakshmi Vemuru, and Pia Masud, Saki Kumagai, and Hélène Pfeil at the World Bank. Peeters. The author would also like to thank Laura Johnson for her excellent editorial and design support. Finally, the author is The author expresses her appreciation for the close collaboration grateful to the Human Rights, Inclusion and Empowerment Trust and support of the Ministry of Social Solidarity in generating this Fund (HRIETF) for supporting the activities under this initiative. case study. In particular, the author appreciates Her Excellency Dr. Nivine El Habbag’s continued enthusiasm and support for The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in the Takaful and Karama program’s grievance redress mechanism. this report are entirely those of the authors and should not be The author also appreciates the technical leadership, inputs, attributed in any manner to the World Bank, to its affiliated and comments received from Raafat Shafeek, program manager organizations, or to members of its Board of Executive Directors of the Takaful and Karama program. The author benefited from or the countries they represent. insightful comments and guidance from peer reviewers: Amal 1 Introduction: The Takaful and Karama Program L aunched in January 2015, the Takaful and Karama (T&K) monthly transfer of LE 325, with additional support1 provided program is among the Arab Republic of Egypt government’s for up to two children per household. cornerstone social protection mitigation measures. It seeks to alleviate the adverse effects of the country’s bold economic 3 Karama, which means dignity in Arabic, is an unconditional reforms aimed at addressing longstanding macroeconomic income support and social inclusion program aimed at issues. Implemented by the Ministry of Social Solidarity (MoSS) the protection and inclusion of people living in poverty, and co-financed by the government and the World Bank, the T&K including those age 65 or older, people with severe program is among Egypt’s largest investments in human capital disabilities, and orphaned children. Elderly and disabled development. It is a national, targeted social safety net program beneficiaries receive a monthly transfer of LE 450, and with two main components: orphaned children receive LE 350. 3 Takaful, which means solidarity in Arabic, is a conditional The Takaful and Karama program follows the implementation cash transfer program targeting poor households with phases of the delivery chain (see figure 1). Since its launch, T&K children under 18. It provides income support aimed at coverage expanded rapidly through four waves of assessment reducing poverty and improving human development. The and enrollment phases in the delivery chain. The T&K program health- and education-related conditions encourage families currently has about 33.4 million individual applicants (9.2 million to keep their children in school and give them access to households) registered in its database, and as of December health care. Under this program, households receive a basic 2021, 11.98 million individuals (3.44 million households), which Box 1.1. Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic The T&K program has played a critical role in alleviating the economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Egypt, expanding its cash transfer program coverage to include an additional 411,000 households. Fifty-eight percent of the new program participants are women (9 percent of which are female-headed households), 68 percent are rural residents, 13 percent are elderly people, and 45 percent are people with disabilities. Given the pandemic’s economic impact on poor and vulnerable households, the scheduled enforcement of conditionality under Takaful was suspended, although efforts at data collection persist. Karama beneficiaries continue to receive stagger payments through the postal service. 1. The amount of additional support varies by the child’s age or the school level: children 0–6 years old receive LE 60, primary stage students receive LE 80, the preparatory stage students receive LE 100, and the secondary stage students receive LE 140. 1 1. INTRODUCTION: THE TAKAFUL AND KARAMA PROGRAM FIGURE 1. SOCIAL PROTECTION DELIVERY CHAIN Source: World Bank 2020. represents about 12 percent of Egypt’s population, were enrolled benefited from a South-South learning exchange with the in the program across the country’s 27 governorates (mudirriyas). Philippines that provided a first-hand look at the grievance redress system of the country’s national conditional cash Seventy-five percent of T&K beneficiaries are women, and transfer program, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program. This over 67 percent of its cash component is directed to the most exchange helped MoSS quickly develop the T&K GRM manual, severely lagging regions of Upper Egypt. Sixty-three percent which serves as the foundation for integrating systematic, rule- (2.1 million direct beneficiaries) benefit from Takaful’s based processes and procedures for grievance collection and conditional program, and 37 percent (1.25 million direct resolution into the program’s core design and implementation beneficiaries) receive unconditional cash transfer through plan, including staff training and capacity building. The T&K Karama. Sixty-eight percent of Karama beneficiaries are people GRM is designed to be a key performance management tool with disabilities, 31 percent are elderly people living in poverty, for improving the program’s targeting, effectiveness, and and less than 1 percent are orphaned children. efficiency at different expansion waves and phases of program implementation by serving as a constructive interface between Due to the great success of the T&K program to date, the MoSS and its beneficiaries, program applicants, and others. country’s social solidarity pension system—called Daman—is being integrated under the T&K umbrella to increase its overall This case study summarizes the practices of the T&K program efficacy. In addition, Forsa—the opportunity program launched GRM to date, including lessons learned. The experiences by MoSS—targets Takaful beneficiaries to prevent their ongoing and achievements of the T&K GRM in Karama’s beneficiary unemployment by focusing on economic empowerment through assessment phase are specifically highlighted. Section 2 diverse economic inclusion interventions such as job placement, explores the GRM as part of a broader social accountability asset transfers, and training and skills development. approach; section 3 summarizes the institutional arrangements for grievance resolution; section 4 discusses key results and The T&K grievance redress mechanism (GRM) has proved trends regarding grievance handling; and section 5 concludes crucial in supporting the program’s rapid expansion and with a snapshot of achievements, lessons learned, areas of implementation. Prior to the program’s first wave launch, MoSS strength and in need of improvement, and the path froward. 2 2 Approach to Social Accountability T he delivery systems of cash transfer programs are often Grievances are understood broadly to include requests for very complex, and the experience of the Takaful and information, suggestions, feedback, complaints, and appeals Karama (T&K) program is no exception. The Ministry of regarding programs from beneficiaries, stakeholders of social Social Solidarity (MoSS) has sought to proactively mitigate protection programs, and the public (World Bank 2020). MoSS some well-known governance-related concerns with cash defines a grievance as: transfer programs, including the risk of errors, fraud, corruption, and leakage, by introducing a variety of social accountability1 … an application submitted by a citizen, corporation, or an mechanisms in the design and implementation of the T&K institution to complain or protest against any T&K program program, including a grievance redress mechanism (GRM) and services or the behavior of any T&K program officials during all social accountability committees (box 2.1). These mechanisms phases of its implementation in order to request fair remedies allow MoSS to listen to the voices of people living in poverty and and just procedures based on supportive decisions to be taken those who are vulnerable, thereby allowing for the advancement by MoSS work teams who are entrusted with receiving and of the program’s effectiveness and efficiency. tracking grievances. In general, a GRM is an instrument for responding to MoSS considers the T&K program’s GRM to be its core information requests, suggestions, feedback, and concerns social accountability mechanism to advance transparency about a program and for addressing complaints efficiently and and accountability. Two other mechanisms integrated into effectively. It is a unique social accountability tool for two the program—beneficiary groups and social accountability reasons. First, it serves as an interface that allows direct one-on- committees—are complementary approaches to encouraging one interactions between an individual or group and a service and empowering the public and T&K beneficiaries to express provider, i.e., MoSS in the context of the T&K program. Second, a their voices and agency through the mechanism, and each GRM is a unique social accountability tool where each instance play a supportive role in aiding its accessibility and use. These of feedback, whether an information request or a complaint, is mechanisms are accompanied by multiple awareness-raising addressed by following systematic, rule-based processes and and beneficiary-empowerment initiatives. Some of these procedures. It allows individuals to raise their specific queries initiatives have contributed to raising awareness and beneficiary and concerns and receive a response, while many other social empowerment (see box 2.1). accountability tools, such as surveys and consultations, tend to aggregate citizen feedback to improve program effectiveness. 1. Social accountability is the extent and capability of citizens to hold the state accountable and make it responsive to their needs (World Bank. 2012). 3 2. APPROACH TO SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY Box 2.1. Integrated and Complementary Accountability Measures for the Takaful and Karama Program Beneficiary groups empower program beneficiaries and improve their sense of ownership of the Takaful and Karama (T&K) program through peer-to-peer support, information sharing, and participation in public hearings. Their peer-to-peer support area includes the submission of grievances to better support illiterate beneficiaries. Pilot beneficiary groups have been established in two mudirriyas (governorates)—Assuit and Giza—with financial support from the government of the United Kingdom. Social accountability committees provide an interface between the government and citizens/beneficiaries to ensure the program’s transparency and its effective delivery of activities. By decree of the governors, the Ministry of Social Solidarity (MoSS) has so far activated 2,226 social accountability committees in 24 mudirriyas. Mudirriya-level committee members include line ministry representatives of health, education, and social protection sectors; civil society representatives; and community representatives, including woman leaders, to represent the needs and demands of the T&K beneficiaries. Committees hold public hearings where T&K beneficiaries and beneficiary representatives also take part to collectively discuss service-delivery challenges, opportunities, and potential solutions. Committee members are required to encourage and help citizens and beneficiaries submit grievances through the T&K GRM. With financial support from the government of United Kingdom, MoSS established a guide for Social Accountability Committee members and their training materials. These support MoSS in systematically expanding and maintaining the committees across governorates. The Waai (“awareness”) program seeks to inform T&K beneficiaries of important facts related to health, nutrition, family planning, education, and women’s empowerment—including gender-based and domestic violence. The T&K program’s grievance redress mechanism is in the process of developing an integrated grievance-related information-sharing mechanism with MoSS’s Women Department, which is responsible for receiving, addressing, and reporting on complaints of gender- based violence. It is vital that the T&K program capture GBV-related complaints by T&K program beneficiaries as awareness around the issue grows through the Waai program. (continued) T&K Grievance Redress Mechanism The T&K GRM is an important tool for addressing the program’s vulnerability to errors, fraud, and corruption. At the time of The GRM for the T&K cash transfer program serves program the program’s rollout in 2015, the T&K GRM was in a nascent applicants, potential and actual beneficiaries, and the public phase, informally collecting grievances while its design during all delivery chain phases. It allows citizens and potential was being finalized and backend systems, processes, and program applicants to inquire about the program; program procedures—including the GRM module on the program’s applicants to inquire and appeal the assessment outcomes; and management information system (MIS)—were being put in place. program beneficiaries and the public to provide feedback about Mirroring the program’s rapid rollout and expansion, the T&K program implementation, such as inclusion and exclusion errors, GRM has quickly evolved since its formal launch in 2016. The payment- and payment card-related concerns, staff performance, development of the GRM module on the program’s MIS in 2017 and services. was a breakthrough for the frontline GRM Taskforce members 4 2. APPROACH TO SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY Box 2.1. Continued In cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Technical Education the No Illiteracy with Takaful program seeks to eradicate illiteracy among Takaful’s women beneficiaries (figure B.2.1). The program empowers women by mobilizing the daughters of T&K program beneficiaries to provide literacy classes to others. Graduates of this program have the potential of becoming the representative of a beneficiary group—a role that requires literacy—to provide peer-to-peer support. FIGURE B.2.1. COMPLEMENTARY INTERVENTIONS OF THE TAKAFUL & KARAMA PROGRAM who had been overwhelmed by the volume grievances that taskforce members. The T&K GRM plans to become even more needed to be documented manually. Automating the grievance citizen-centered by improving its accessibility and usability over collection, resolution, and documentation processes with the the coming years with a vision to establish an integrated client MIS module and later developing the case management module at the ministry level (see section 5). Milestones for the T&K eased their workload and improved coordination among GRM program and its GRM are presented in figure 2.1. 5 2. APPROACH TO SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY FIGURE 2.1. KEY MILESTONES KEY FOR THE TAKAFUL AND KARAMA PROGRAM AND ITS GRM, 2015–21 T&K Milestones T&K GRM Milestones 2015 • April: World Bank project SSSNP • A South-South Knowledge Exchange on GRM to the Philippines (US$400 million) • Appointment of a GRM Officer at MoSS • T&K beneficiary households: 166,336 • Beneficiary group pilot launched 2016 • T&K beneficiary households: 1.2 million • T&K GRM manual finalized • SACs launched with governors’ decree • T&K GRM workflow established • T&K GRM flyers created and distributed 2017 • T&K beneficiary households: 2.25 million • GRM management information system module development complete • GRM Taskforce launched • GRM Taskforce training launched 2018 • T&K beneficiary households: 2.21 million • GRM management information system module updated • GRM Taskforce training start to include “learning by doing” exercise 2019 • T&K beneficiary households: 2.46 million • Preparation for MoSS GRM call center for services related to disability started • Additional financing of US$500 • Recruitment of a GRM call center manager for services related to disability approved • GRM Taskforce WhatsApp group established • GRM MIS how-to videos created 2020 • T&K beneficiary households: 3.41 million • Bylaw established MoSS-Ministry of Health and Population interministerial committee (for Karama-related grievances) • T&K website for grievance collection updated • MoSS launched a call center for the ministry’s services related to disability, including Karama. The call center manages SMS-based communication via UNICEF’s RapidPro 2021 • T&K beneficiary households: 3.44 million • Coordination mechanism with the T&K and the MOSS’s Women’s Administration established to capture and report on GBV-related complaints the ministry receives • Phased roll-out of Meeza card (ATM and digital payment card) • Grievance collection and resolution procedures for FORSA is being drafted as part of the among T&K beneficiaries started T&K GRM architecture 6 3 Institutional Arrangements and Processes T his section outlines the Takaful and Karama (T&K) at the ministry, which is led by the minister advisor for the program’s overall institutional arrangements for grievance Strengthening Social Safety Net Programs and the executive collection and resolution, followed by an exploration of director of Takaful and Karama program, who reports to the the institutional arrangements for Karama’s grievance collection Minister of Social Solidarity. The unit coordinates with the and resolution during its application phase. relevant departments and social units of MoSS to implement the T&K program’s activities at multiple levels, including headquarters/ministry, mudirriya (governorate), idarra (district), Institutional Arrangements and and social units. Processes The T&K grievance resolution mechanism (GRM) is housed at the Ministry of Social Solidarity (MoSS), which operates it T&K Principles of Grievance Resolution in coordination with other line ministries and institutions. To ensure a fair, effective, and efficient grievance resolution For example, E-Finance, which is mandated to support the process, all levels of the T&K program’s GRM are based on the government of Egypt’s digitization efforts, is responsible for following principles (MoSS 2016): receiving and resolving grievances related to the program’s cash transfer cards. The Ministry of Health and Population’s 3 Confidentiality. All grievance-related information is kept Specialized Medical Commission (SMC) is responsible for confidential and can only be accessed by authorized users. scheduling the Karama applicants’ functional disability assessments, which are required during the assessment phase, 3 Transparency. Respecting the privacy and confidentiality and mandated to address information requests and grievances of individual grievances, the program values transparency related to assessment scheduling. The SMC works predominantly regarding its grievance system and performance. The with Karama applicants and their families to resolve grievances. processes of grievance resolution are communicated widely MoSS manages program-related information requests and and the periodic GRM reports are disclosed to the public. grievances by the public, applicants, and beneficiaries; this section focuses on the institutional arrangements and processes 3 Timely resolution. Submitted grievances are resolved within for its GRM. the timeframe stipulated in the GRM manual. MoSS implements the T&K program in coordination with 3 Integrity and impartiality. All services are provided to the Ministry of Education and Technical Education and the citizens, program applicants, and beneficiaries, regardless of Ministry of Health and Population. For the implementation of their political views, race, color, creed, gender, or disability. the program, MoSS hosts a small program management unit 7 3. INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS AND PROCESSES 3 Nondiscrimination. Grievance officers are committed to T&K GRM Processes treating complainants fairly, equitably, and justly, without At each level of the T&K GRM infrastructure, taskforce members discrimination, at all levels. act in three phases to collect, document, and resolve grievances (see figure 3.1). 3 No-fee service. The GRM is a free service: complainants are not asked to provide cash or in-kind compensation. Phase 1: Receipt. Grievances are submitted by complainants through the uptake channel of their choice (see box 3.2). Upon 3 Active listening. The staff of grievance units and grievance receipt, every grievance case is assigned a unique case number, officers at all levels are committed to active listening and referred to as a grievance serial number or GSN. The complete practicing patience and tolerance when serving the public, GSN comprises the governorate/mudirriya code + the district/ applicants, and beneficiaries. idarra code + a unique number automatically generated on the MIS GRM module, which allows the person processing GRM Architecture the case to easily identify the locality of a specific grievance. Like its implementation structure, the T&K GRM’s functions The complete GSN is generated automatically by the MIS are embedded into the relevant units and departments at the GRM module and communicated to the complainant. A social ministry, mudirriya, and idarra levels. Staff of the GRM Taskforce, solidarity director (if grievances are submitted at the mudirriya previously called the T&K Grievance Receipt and Redressal Unit, level) or a social administration director (if grievances are are appointed at all levels (see box 3.1). submitted at the idarra level) verifies the data entry. The time allocated for phase 1 at any level is one working day. FIGURE 3.1. OVERVIEW OF THE T&K GRM’S PROCESSES Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Tracking & Resolution & Ministry Receipt Redressal Closure Escalation Escalation to the ministry level (targeting grievances by applicants) An appeal by a complainant Governorate Tracking & Resolution & Receipt (mudirriya) Redressal Closure Escalation to the governorate level An appeal by a complainant District Tracking & Resolution & Receipt (idarra) Redressal Closure T&K = Takaful and Karama program Source: Based on MoSS. 2016. 8 3. INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS AND PROCESSES Box 3.1. Architecture of the T&K GRM The Takaful and Karama (T&K) program’s GRM Taskforce is led by a GRM officer within the ministry-level program management unit who coordinates with taskforce members at the mudirriya (governorate) and idarra (district) levels. The Ministry of Social Solidarity (MoSS) has 27 mudirriya-level offices (one in each mudirriya) and 320 idarra-level offices. 3 Ministry level. The ministry-level GRM officer is responsible for all aspects of the design and implementation of the T&K GRM, including the manual, the flowcharts, the GRM MIS module, and taskforce and staff training. The ministry-level GRM officer, in coordination with relevant staff, is also responsible for receiving, recording, and resolving grievances received by the ministry or referred to it by a lower level. It is worth noting that grievances related to targeting outcomes can only be addressed at the ministry level because of the limited access to the proxy means test formula and systems. Additionally, the ministry-level GRM officer, who is supported by several assistants, is responsible for monitoring and reporting on the GRM. 3 Mudirriya level. At the mudirriya level, each department’s GRM Taskforce includes the following members: • Social solidarity director. The director reviews and supervises the grievance collection and resolution practice at the mudirriya level. • Two to four mudirriya-level staff from MoSS. Up to two officers are assigned to collect, record, sort, and classify the grievances received, while another two officers are tasked with addressing grievances in coordination with relevant mudirriya-level departments and staff. Grievances may be referred by the idarra-level GRM and can be escalated to the ministry level. Targeting-related grievances are automatically escalated to the ministry level. 3 Idarra (district) level. Like the mudirriya level, the idarra-level GRM is consists of: • Social administration director. The director reviews and supervises the grievance collection and resolution practice at the idarra level. • Social Unit staff from MoSS. Two officers are responsible for collecting, recording, sorting, and classifying received grievances. Another two officers are tasked with addressing grievances in coordination with relevant idarra-level departments and staff. Grievances can be escalated to the mudirriya level. At the launch of the Grievance Receipt and Redressal Unit (later renamed the GRM Taskforce) in 2017, the nationwide T&K GRM Taskforce included 682 members at all three levels; today, there are over 1,000 taskforce appointed members. MoSS continues to provide training for the taskforce members every six months on the latest issues surrounding grievance collection and resolution. Since 2018, all taskforce members have participated in a three-day capacity-building workshop that includes “learning-by-doing” exercises that utilize examples of actual grievances. All taskforce locations have access to the GRM MIS module, which was developed in 2017. Source: MoSS. 2016. 9 3. INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS AND PROCESSES Box 3.2 GRM Uptake Channels In the design of the Takaful and Karama (T&K) program’s GRM manual, the Ministry of Social Solidarity (MoSS) initially envisioned the use of two uptake channels for submitting grievances: in person or using a grievance submission form, with plans for adding more uptake channels as the mechanism matured. As the first wave of assessment and enrollment was launched in 2015, MoSS added a ministry-level telephone and fax line. By 2016, MoSS had added a few more grievance uptake channels, including email (tk.grievance@moss.gov.eg) and the program’s Facebook page. But face-to-face submission remained the most frequently used channel for grievance submission. MoSS has also started receiving grievances through the Cabinet Portal, which is the Government of Egypt’s flagship grievance collection and resolution program governed and managed centrally by the president’s office. As the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in April 2020, MoSS created the new T&K Inquiry and Complaints Portal (https://tk.moSS. gov.eg) in response to the restrictions to face-to-face interactions. This grievance-uptake portal is linked to the newly established GRM MIS module at the ministry. During the first five-weeks its operation, MoSS received 109,174 grievances through this portal. The GRM Taskforce members at the ministry, mudirriya, and idarra levels can access the portal to resolve grievances. In 2020, MoSS, in partnership with E-Finance, established its own call center dedicated to the ministry’s disability services, including the Karama program. The hotline number (15044) for the recently established call center utilizes RapidPro—an SMS-based communication system developed by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for grievance collection and resolution.a Thirty call center operators, one supervisor, and one manager are stationed at the call center. In future, complainant reception booths are expected to have the capacity for hosting 100 complainants at two building entrances, with 15 operators, six senior GRM officers, and one manager. a. RapidPro enables providers to build workflow logic virtually to run mobile-based services. Features supported by this software include: (1) user contact man- agement; (2) graphic data analysis of service users; (3) information push-out in multiple languages; (4) two-way communication with service users through SMS, voice, unstructured supplementary service data, and social media; and (5) interoperability with external systems. A memorandum of understanding between UNICEF and MoSS enabled this partnership. For details on UNICEF’s RapidPro, see UNICEF’s Office of Innovation at https://www.unicef.org/innovation/stories/ what-exactly-rapidpro. Phase 2: Tracking and Redressal. During this phase, a case is Phase 3: Resolution and Closure. The last phase of the classified, assigned for investigation, and referred to relevant resolution process involves closing the feedback loop with the staff. An assigned officer of the GRM Taskforce may be required complainant. During this phase, a complainant is informed of to contact field researchers to verify data and may arrange for the outcome of the investigation and the resolution in a closure an additional field visit to investigate or collect data needed for report. A taskforce member also informs the complainant of a reassessment. When a case is referred to relevant mudirriya- the option and methods available for appealing the decision. or idarra-level staff, a taskforce member is assigned to track The time allocated to this process is three working days. and follow up with them. By the end of this phase, a method Upon receipt of the response from the taskforce member, a of redressal is agreed upon and implemented by relevant complainant has one month to appeal the decision to a higher MoSS staff. This phase can take up to 22 days, including field level. Ministry-level resolutions are final. verification. 10 3. INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS AND PROCESSES Institutional Arrangements and entities involved in the Karama application process (see Processes for Karama’s Application figure 3.2). Karama applicants are required to make an Phase appointment with the SMC for an assessment, which can be done through its call center hotline (02-264-1700) or its A key beneficiary group of the Karama program is persons with assessment appointment website (https://www.smcegy.com). severe disabilities. In fact, 66 percent of Karama beneficiaries Applicant grievances regarding any aspect of the appointment belong to this category. Because the T&K program is targeted, and scheduling process are collected and addressed by the the program’s application phase for applicants with disabilities SMC’s call center, whose staff has been trained by MoSS to requires a physician’s assessment. Under the Karama program, handle such matters. Based on the protocol signed between the Egyptian government introduced a functional disability MoSS and the Ministry of Health and Population in July 2017, the assessment methodology—a first in the Middle East and North SMC is required to allocate a hotline for Karama applicants and Africa region—moving away from highly subjective disability set an appointment for them within 21 working days. Applicants assessments without clear criteria or systematic methodology. are directed to the T&K GRM when they have grievances Because disability assessments must be administered by concerning other aspects of the application processes. MoSS medical doctors, this application process is carried out in close closely coordinates with the Ministry of Health and Population coordination with the Ministry of Health and Population and and the SMC to address grievances on the Karama application the SMC. processes. At the national level, MoSS formed an interministerial committee with the Ministry of Health and Population in 2020 Mandates regarding grievance collection and resolution aimed at improving coordination for grievance resolution and correspond with the roles and responsibilities of the various management. FIGURE 3.2. THE KARAMA PROGRAM’S APPLICATION PROCESS AND GRIEVANCE-RELATED RESPONSIBILITIES Karama Application Process Grievance Collection & Resolution Responsibilities SMC hotline • An applicant schedules an appointment with the SMC • Address grievances relating to assessment scheduling Appointment • An applicant undergoes an assessment at SMC • A physician at the SMC conducts an assessment using the automated application T&K GRM on a tablet and provide an applicant with an individual identifier of the assessment • MoSS’s T&K GRM to collect and address grievances from an Examination applicant result (a serial code) • Closes collaboration and coordination between MoSS and the Ministry of Health and Population through an interministerial committee to expedite the resolution process • An applicant files the Karama application at a social unit by using the individual • Targeting complaints from applicants who are found not eligible: identifier (a serial code given at the SMC) T&K GRM refers them to their nearest governorate-level SMC Application for reassessment • MoSS receives examination results of applicants and matches the examination results with their Karama application data Targeting • MoSS runs the PMT formula to determine an applicant’s eligibility exercise Communicating • An applicant is informed of the application eligibility result the results 11 4 Key Achievements To Date T he key achievements of the Takaful and Karama (T&K) are about the freezing of transfers (47 percent). Card- and program’s GRM are summarized below. This section password-related issues represent 28 percent of grievances; thereby sheds light on the experience of Karama’s concerns regarding disqualification or rejected applications assessment phase in which the applicants’ feedback collected represent 18 percent. Mudirriyas with relatively higher rates of through GRM led to the modification of the program’s complaints under review are: Minia at 48 percent, Gharbeya at procedures. 44 percent, and Alexandria at 41 percent. The T&K program’s GRM data truly reflect the program’s updates. Overall Achievements of the In 2021, the Egyptian government started a phased rollout T&K GRM To Date of Meeza cards to T&K beneficiaries. Meeza cards are part The management information system (MIS) of the T&K GRM of a government-wide effort to enhance financial inclusion. captured 1,674,446 grievances from 2015 to December 2021, They allow T&K beneficiaries to withdraw their cash transfer including 740,997 on cash transfer and cash cards received payments from ATMs rather than receiving cash at a post by E-Finance’s call center. The Cabinet Portal received office and to make electronic and digital payments. In 2021, 139,460 grievances on T&K program, with the remaining MoSS distributed 1.3 million such cards to T&K beneficiaries in 793,989 submitted through uptake channels managed directly 16 mudirriyas. E-Finance analyzes the data on Meeza card usage by the Ministry of Social Solidarity (MoSS). A total of about every month. While post office transactions continue to make 1.63 million total grievances have been addressed to date, up the largest share (57 percent) of T&K beneficiaries, ATM use with a resolution rate of 97.3 percent. had grown to 39 percent of transactions by October 2021. The introduction of Meeza cards and the change in rates of card The three mudirriyas (governorates) with the highest number usage among beneficiaries resulted in a higher-than-normal of complaints are: Minia at 13 percent, Beni Suef at 10 percent, volume increase (5 percent) of card-related grievances received and Sohag at 10 percent. This trend corresponds with the larger by E-Finance’s call center between June and December 2021. The number of program beneficiaries in these Upper Egyptian remaining 2.1 million cards are being distributed in 11 mudirriyas mudirriyas. At the onset of the program rollout in 2015 and 2016, from January to June 2022. While the transition to Meeza most grievances were related to application disqualifications cards takes place, the T&K GRM is expects a continued short- and rejection. As the program expanded and matured, the term spike in card-related grievances. Over the long run, this type of grievances received has gradually shifted. Today, most transition from cash cards to Meeza cards is expected to reduce complaints received through the hotline and the T&K platform the number of card-related grievances. 12 4. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS TO DATE Karama Grievance Results and Trends 273,493 grievances from program applicants on Karama during the Application Phase assessment outcomes. When an applicant submits a grievance about an assessment outcome, MoSS, in collaboration with The Ministry of Health and Population’s Specialized Medical Ministry of Health and Population, schedules an appointment Commission (SMC) continues to manage complaints related with the SMC at the mudirriya level so the complainant can to assessment scheduling. During previous waves and the be reassessed by a different physician at a different facility. integration of Daman1 recipients into T&K, the SMC was In 273,493 of such grievance cases, 99,951 (37 percent) of the overwhelmed with appointment requests. In some mudirriyas, complainants were reassessed as disabled, making them eligible applicants had to wait 12–18 months to schedule an to receive Karama support. appointment, rather than the stipulated 21 working days, due to the high volume of appointment requests. The situation led MoSS, in partnership with Ministry of Health and Population, the program to increase assessment capacity. In 2019, the SMC sought to examine the causes behind these discrepancies added new branches and physicians to advance the disability in assessment results. Various systematic, program-level assessment capacity, partly to address scheduling-related changes have been made to prevent such discrepancies and the grievances. accompanying uptake of grievances. For example, MoSS hired eight staff persons to provide continuous training opportunities Most Karama-related grievances concern assessment outcomes for frontline physicians. SMC branches in 26 mudirriyas have for rejected applicants. The SMC can receive such grievances, benefited from such trainings. MoSS also periodically conducts but they are referred to the T&K GRM. The SMC website a systematic program analysis to assess the performance contains information about the T&K GRM so applicants can of frontline physicians and to proactively detect common also locate the T&K GRM to submit grievances unrelated to assessment mistakes made by physicians as well as incidents the scheduling of an assessment. When the SMC increased of fraud. At the national level, an interministerial committee its assessment capacity in 2019, it experienced a surge in the comprising MoSS and the Ministry of Health and Population number of grievances received and referred to the T&K GRM. was established to expedite grievance resolution for Karama Between February 2018 and June 2020, the GRM received applicants regarding scheduling and assessment outcomes. 1. Daman is Egypt’s social solidarity pension system. 13 5 Key Takeaways T he Ministry of Social Solidarity (MoSS) remains strongly the number of complaints to grow during the enrollment committed to strengthening the Takaful and Karama phase, MoSS quickly finalized the T&K GRM manual, drafted (T&K) grievance redress mechanism (GRM) to empower grievance flowcharts according to anticipated grievance beneficiaries and improve the program’s effectiveness and categories, appointed a GRM officer at the ministry, and began efficiency. This commitment is reflected in continuous updates appointing or building the GRM Taskforce in social departments and modifications to backend systems and procedures based on and directorates. Even so, all mechanisms were not in place experiences with grievance resolution. Below is a summary of quickly enough at the onset of Wave 1 program enrollment. By key lessons learned to date, areas of strength, areas in need of October 2015, MoSS had received 79,946 grievances, about 38 improvement, future steps, and concluding remarks. percent of which had come from citizens wanting to enroll in the program but who had not yet applied to do so. By May 2016, MoSS had received over 100,000 grievance submissions. By then, Lessons Learned complaints from rejected applicants also began to increase. A South-South learning exchange with the Philippines At that time, many complainants, including many rejected provided MoSS an opportunity to learn about the country’s applicants, preferred to submit their grievances face-to-face at grievance redress system for its national conditional cash the ministry, and they arrived in droves. MoSS made significant transfer program, which proved effective at equipping efforts to accommodate the rejected applicants by accepting MoSS to prepare for the design and implement of the T&K the individual grievances and recording them so appropriate GRM. The experience allowed ministry staff and the project measures could be taken. While commendable efforts were management unit (PMU) director to familiarize themselves made to follow the systematic processes and procedures set by with the concept and practice of grievance redress in a mature, the T&K GRM manual, the capacity of ministry-level GRM officers nationwide conditional cash transfer program. As a result, was soon overstretched. Grievances were manually recorded MoSS was able to quickly generate a plan for generating a on paper and in a spreadsheet-based database until the GRM sophisticated GRM. module on the program’s management information system (MIS) was made available in 2017. While MoSS made significant progress in operationalizing the T&K GRM during the first wave, the initial GRM heavily It is important that a GRM module on a program’s MIS be relied on manual procedures, quickly overwhelming available at the start of program rollout. Recordkeeping and frontline staff with a large volume of grievances. In 2015, tracking systems for grievance collection, resolution, and data when the T&K program was new and the implementation analysis—whether manual or automated, comprise the backbone system and procedures were still being refined, the program of an effective GRM. At the design of the T&K program, the GRM collected grievances in an informal, ad-hoc manner. Expecting module on the program’s MIS was scheduled for development 14 5. KEY TAKEAWAYS by 2017. In hindsight, while this timeline allowed for the The establishment in 2020 of the intergovernmental development of a solid GRM module centrally hosted on MoSS’s coordination committee, comprising MoSS and the Ministry private network, the absence of an automated MIS when the of Health and Population, illustrates the importance of program was first rolled out was a missed opportunity. Frontline high-level coordination and collaboration in making changes ministry-level GRM officers were overwhelmed for two years to program implementation based on grievance data. by the number of grievances that required timely collection, Such intergovernmental coordination, especially as multiple recording, addressing, and reporting. The development of the ministries are involved as in the T&K program, is not a simple GRM module allowed the 350 nationwide program locations to matter. While MoSS and the T&K program management unit collect grievance data digitally, allowing for prompt resolution managed to build a relationship with their counterparts, doing and reporting. MoSS also integrated grievance data that had so required continuous engagement at all levels. The culture been captured on spreadsheets into the newly developed MIS of systematic grievance resolution was new to many of T&K’s during the summer of 2017, a process that allowed the program partners, who needed to be convinced and to change their to archive a complete record of received grievances from the mindsets. Top-down messaging and support for the GRM by first wave of T&K implementation. relevant ministers is a powerful tool for harnessing coordination and collaboration. The Karama GRM data analysis that led to the program- level course correction was a major achievement for Areas of Strength MoSS in terms of utilizing the T&K GRM as the program’s performance management tool. A GRM is a tool for direct Support from MoSS leadership is key to establishing engagement with citizens to address their questions and and continuously improving the T&K GRM for scale, concerns. It is therefore important that all citizen feedback sustainability, and citizen-centeredness. Although the T&K be addressed. At the same time, a GRM is a performance GRM experienced some challenges at the onset of the program management tool meant to improve program effectiveness rollout, MoSS leadership has been strongly committed to an and efficiency by considered citizen voices and input. GRM enhanced GRM since the onset of the program. This enabling data analysis is a critical aspect of a GRM being used as environment allows the program to continuously improve the a performance management tool. The course correction system and procedures for citizen-centered service delivery. By concerning the physician training for the Karama’s functional design, the T&K GRM is envisioned to become the ministry’s disability assessment was made possible due to efforts by client interface system after World Bank support ends. MoSS small, dedicated Karama team at MoSS, which analyzed the plans to develop its own ministry-wide system for all services GRM data of rejected applicants to understand any trends. provided by the ministry over the long term. The commitment This team also visited SMC locations in mudirriyas with higher of the ministry and program management to build and develop rates of grievances to observe the situation on the ground. staff capacity by targeting the GRM Taskforce at all levels has It was then able to identify bottlenecks in the assessment supported the GRM in achieving scale and maintaining the process, including the capacity of physicians to conduct a new day-to-day operations of grievance mechanisms even during the type of assessment, and suggest potential solutions, including pandemic. additional training for doctors. The ministry leadership and PMU management created an enabling environment that allowed the The support of MoSS leadership for the T&K GRM and technical team to suggest areas in need of course correction its commitment to listening to the voices of program based on grievance data and to seriously consider the voices of beneficiaries is evident by the program’s decision to applicants. integrate questions related to the T&K GRM in its annual performance audit survey questionnaire. Through this 15 5. KEY TAKEAWAYS audit, with a sample of 1,000 randomly identified beneficiary spread, MoSS launched an online training course to periodically households, MoSS can collect feedback on various aspects update members on enhancements to the GRM module on the of the T&K program, including the GRM. This program-level program’s MIS. For example, the ministry created seven narrated survey will be conducted by a firm trained in door-to-door data videos illustrating the step-by-step process of capturing and collection and phone interviews. A better understanding of the resolving grievances on the MIS, and distributed them via a beneficiaries’ perceptions and use of the GRM will supplement WhatsApp group comprising all mudirriya- and idarra-level the GRM data reporting currently undertaken by MoSS, and will offices. In addition, the GRM training module is integrated into inform how the ministry can improve the GRM and the GRM the ministry’s refresher and onboarding training courses, which Taskforce trainings to make the current system, processes, and take place every six months. These systematic and continuous procedures more citizen centered. trainings on T&K GRM have enabled MOSS to implement a sophisticated GRM with multiple uptake channels and levels in a The first round of performance audit results and analyses is consistent manner. emerging. Preliminary data indicate that the beneficiaries continue to prefer submitting their grievances face-to-face, Connectivity and automation of social units advanced and their awareness and usage of the newly established T&K the effectiveness and efficiency of grievance collection, Inquiry and Complaints Portal is limited. This is explained resolution, and documentation at all levels. MoSS conducted by low Internet access (10 percent), access to a smart phone a nationwide assessment of social units, which included an with a data package (17 percent among Takaful beneficiaries evaluation of the connectivity and accessibility of offices by and 8.6 percent among Karama beneficiaries), and literacy T&K beneficiaries, including people with disabilities. Results (50 percent) among survey respondents. This initial data is were geo-mapped and informed MoSS management’s decision starting to inform MoSS on future actions and approaches to to automatize these social units. This gives taskforce members make the GRM more accessible and inclusive to its beneficiaries and other staff involved in T&K implementation access to the while ensuring a safe environment during the COVID-19 GRM module on the program’s MIS to record grievances digitally. pandemic. MoSS is also considering reformulating additional This reduced the amount of manual paperwork required of the GRM-related questions in the performance audit survey to frontline staff and enhanced grievance documentation and collect more information from its beneficiaries on awareness, coordination for resolution. access, and experience with the program’s GRM. MoSS conducted a rigorous communications campaign The program makes significant investments in staff training about the GRM that included user-focused information on the GRM and has developed innovative ways to provide materials. MoSS created flyers and posters about the simple continuous on-the-job training. MoSS appointed three GRM eight-step process for submitting a grievance with the T&K Taskforce members at each of the 27 mudirriya and 320 idarra GRM from a complainant’s perspective (see figure 5.1). The offices for grievance data entry and supervision. By the end of ministry also included information about GRM uptake channels 2017, a total of 682 taskforce members were appointed, including in T&K communication materials. Additionally, MoSS produced one ministry-level GRM officer and five public service assistants. communications materials with easily understood infographics These taskforce members are trained at a three-day capacity- describing the process for submitting a grievance for GRM building workshop that involves a “learning-by-doing” exercise. Taskforce members and ministry staff to have on hand. These By 2019, there were over 1,000 taskforce members across the tools were intended to supplement information about grievance country. Because of the taskforce’s large size and geographic resolution in the GRM manual. 16 5. KEY TAKEAWAYS FIGURE 5.1. FLYER EXPLAINING PROCESS FOR SUBMITTING A COMPLAINT THROUGH THE T&K GRM 17 5. KEY TAKEAWAYS T&K applicants and beneficiaries are empowered to utilize The GBV-related data are digitalized, which would allow for the T&K GRM. Beyond simply generating the grievance some analysis. However, the use of data analytics has so far collection and redressal mechanisms and making the system been limited by the large number of grievances that need to accessible, MoSS invested significant resources into outreach be collected, resolved, and recorded, and more importantly, the to inform applicants and empower program beneficiaries to use functional limitation of the current GRM module on program MIS the GRM to voice their feedback and concerns. For example, the in terms of automated analysis. For example, the program has pilot beneficiary group members in Assuit and Giza support each done an excellent job in keeping track of accumulative grievance other in submitting grievances, especially to encourage and help data and the resolution rate per mudirriya, grievance category, those who are not literate. In addition, social accountability and uptake channel. It would be more useful if the ministry can committees are mandated to facilitate and support program periodically generate grievance data snapshots to illustrate how beneficiaries who wish to use the GRM. the number and nature of grievances, uptake channel usage, and resolution timeframes have shifted over time. Still, the Areas to Improve current MIS architecture does not allow for periodic analysis or for tracking changes over time. Integrated, periodic, program-level GRM reporting with streamlined indicators should be considered. Program- It is envisioned that the next generation of the program’s level reporting on the GRM has proved challenging due to the MIS will be developed in partnership with the Ministry of number of stakeholders involved in grievance collection and Communications and Information Technologies. The updated resolution. The T&K GRM has three key stakeholders in terms MIS is expected to include the capacity for automated analysis of the program’s administrative procedures: (1) MoSS and of GRM-related data, a functionality that should lighten the the GRM Taskforce in the mudirriya- and idarra-level offices; workload of frontline GRM officers in terms of data analysis and (2) E-Finance, which is mandated to collect and address cash- reporting. It will also allow MoSS management to retrieve better card-related grievances; and (3) the Ministry of Health and real-time data analyses to improve decision making. In addition, Population and the SMC for Karama-related complaints. MoSS’s periodic in-depth analyses would help the program identify Women’s Administration has jurisdiction over T&K beneficiary complaints regarding gender-based violence (GBV). Because the GRM’s strengths and areas for improvements to enhance of this complexity, the program has to date been reporting on its grievance collection, resolution, and reporting practices. the grievance resolution practices of the Takaful and Karama These grievance-related data analytics are critical to informing components separately, and the program-level GRM monitoring program-level decisions to improve performance, effectiveness, indicators have not been created to allow systematic reporting. and efficiency. An assessment of Karama-related grievance data was possible because a small, mobile ministry-level group MoSS considers the utilization of the GRM data analytics was dispatched on field visits to first understand procedural and the establishment of an advanced GRM module on bottlenecks in order to accurately administer a functional the program’s MIS, which automates this function, as disability assessment. This small team was also able to priority areas for enhancing the program’s citizen-centered oversee the implementation of program-level course correction service delivery. While MoSS has access to comprehensive activities, e.g., physician trainings and other aspects of on-the- data on grievances, the data has not been analyzed to inform ground interministerial coordination. program effectiveness and efficiency. With the introduction of the GRM module on the program’s MIS in 2017, all grievance- An analysis of resolution timelines should be considered. related data was captured under the T&K umbrella, thereby The T&K GRM manual sets a single ambitious timeline—30 days excluding Karama-related grievance data from the SMC and maximum—for the resolution of all types of grievances. In fact, GBV-related grievance data from the Women’s Administration. some issues, such as information requests, can be resolved in 18 5. KEY TAKEAWAYS much less time, while others, such as inclusion or exclusion informs the program management’s evidence-based decision errors, may require much more time. The program’s annual making. Reassessing adequate levels of staffing for grievance performance audit also reported varying grievance resolution resolution is an important step toward ensuring that the times depending on the type of grievance. It would be helpful program has the necessary resources to embark on the analysis to first examine current practices to determine if different types and reporting of grievances. of grievances are being resolved within the 30-day stipulated timeframe and then consider tailoring timelines for different Future Steps grievance categories. MoSS is currently taking several concrete steps to strengthen the T&K GRM, as outlined below. Monitoring and quality assurance mechanisms should be included as part of the ministry’s grievance collection The ministry is on track to design and integrate backend and resolution ecosystem. They are crucial to a GRM’s systems for collecting and addressing potential Forsa- effectiveness, efficiency, and citizen-centeredness. The T&K GRM related grievances under the T&K program umbrella prior has so far focused on generating the systems and capacity of to its launch. Based on lessons learned since the launch of the GRM Taskforce members for collecting and resolving grievances. T&K GRM, MoSS is developing and updating the existing GRM Developing monitoring and quality assurance procedures for module on the program’s MIS to accommodate Forsa’s grievance a complex, nationwide program as it continues to expand can collection and resolution process. A Forsa GRM manual was be challenging. MoSS’s development of the GRM manual and a generated to support this MIS-integration process and to embed GRM module on the MIS has helped to ensure the quality of the needed information and capacity-building activities for MoSS grievance resolution process. Spot checks and integrating an frontline staff and Forsa implementing agencies. Forsa GRM on-the-spot complainant satisfaction survey into the grievance processes and procedures mirror those of the T&K GRM, and collection and resolution process should be considered. The the T&K cash transfer and Forsa teams are coordinating and survey, which could be administered via text or interactive collaborating as an integrated team at MoSS. In addition, the voice response (IVR), for example, could collect feedback on T&K’s MIS is scheduled for updating based on the results of the the complainant’s experience, including the behavior of GRM recent MIS gap analysis, providing an opportunity to strengthen Taskforce members, their timeliness, user-friendliness, and the GRM module on the program’s MIS as a whole, including other aspects. Such an on-the-spot survey could complement adding automated analysis features. the ministry’s efforts to collect more in-depth data on the perceptions of beneficiaries regarding the T&K GRM in its annual MoSS envisions generating an integrated, more accessible performance audit. T&K GRM infrastructure. As previously noted, T&K has multiple stakeholders involved in grievance collection and resolution Staffing requirements should be reassessed. The T&K GRM due to the nature of the program and assigned mandates. has evolved significantly over time, and it now has wide reach With the integration of additional stakeholders as Forsa is to program beneficiaries and the public through the large absorbed under the T&K umbrella, operational complexities number of mudirriya- and idarra-level taskforce members. At the are expected to increase. To date, for example, the mandate to ministry level, the number of dedicated staff for the program’s collect and resolve cash-card-related grievances, including that GRM has been limited, although their roles and responsibilities of Meeza, remains with E-Finance. As the country moves away have evolved and expanded, resulting in some staff turnover from the program-by-program cash card system and moves among ministry-level GRM officers. Quality and timely grievance toward an integrated system for all safety net programs, MoSS collection, resolution, analysis, and reporting are critical if the plans to establish a MoSS-wide client interface with grievance T&K GRM is to function as a performance management tool that resolution functions, including a call center, to provide an easier 19 5. KEY TAKEAWAYS experience for users. MoSS’s call center for disability programs, committees to ensure the delivery of services in coordination including Karama, is one example of the ministry moving toward with line-ministry representatives. ministry-level systems while maintaining a strong partnership with E-Finance in terms of operations. With respect to different MoSS is in the process of generating intragovernmental entities’ jurisdictions and mandates, the ministry will need coordination mechanisms for recording GBV-related to maintain a certain level of inter- and intragovernmental grievances from T&K beneficiaries. Because MoSS’s Women’s coordination for grievance collection and resolution even when Administration is mandated to collect, resolve, record, and an integrated ministry client interface is generated. That said, report on GBV-related complaints, T&K established an informal the ministry’s decision to establish its own call center for all coordination mechanism to monitor and report on GBV-related ministry programs related to supporting people with disabilities grievances in collaboration with the Women’s Administration. is a step toward a more integrated GRM. The call center is also This effort is aimed at enhancing understanding of the expected to allow systematic and streamlined program-level prevalence of GBV and the reporting of same among T&K grievance collection, resolution, analysis, and reporting. beneficiaries as well as exploring potential preventative actions and other appropriate measures. The efforts toward generating an integrated GRM infrastructure for the T&K program is, in part, MoSS’s way Conclusion of preparing to enforce Takaful’s health- and education- related conditions. As this enforcement gets underway, MoSS The T&K program, like many cash transfer programs, is a highly anticipates two trends to emerge. First, a spike is expected complex program, with a significant number of beneficiaries in the number of information requests and complaints from across the country and multiple partner ministries and agencies program beneficiaries who receive warning or notice of involved in its implementation. The sheer operational scale and disqualification. MoSS carried out an aggressive information rapid expansion of the program presented multiple challenges campaign that included television and social media spots to the rollout of its grievance redress mechanism (GRM). Similar to inform program beneficiaries and the public about the contexts may be observed in other countries that aim to design Takaful conditionalities and the enforcement timeline, which and roll out similar types of social safety net programs. The has already generated information requests, questions, speed of program implementation and expansion escalates and concerns from beneficiaries and others. Second, MoSS when social safety net programs are being deployed as a anticipates increasing its collection of citizen and beneficiary response measure to shocks, as observed during the COVID-19 feedback regarding health and education services once the pandemic. enforcement of the conditionalities begins. The health and education conditionalities are tied to beneficiaries’ access to This case study is intended to serve as a tool to inform similar services in health and education, not on the availability or operations. As a recap, the key takeaways from the T&K’s GRM quality of services in these sectors. That said, it is critical that journey to date are summarized below. program beneficiaries seeking access receive quality services in these sectors. MoSS intends to share beneficiary feedback 3 It is critical to operationalize the GRM, including the about these services with the Ministry of Health and Population allocation of human resources, at the very outset of program and the Ministry of Education and Technical Education through design. an intergovernmental coordination body that can foster the collective improvement of service delivery. GRM data will 3 The mechanism continues to evolve as the program expands complement the role of mudirriya-level social accountability and matures. 20 5. KEY TAKEAWAYS 3 The leadership of the ministry and the PMU has enabled the highlights MoSS’s strong commitment to listening to the continued evolution and systematic application of the GRM, voices of T&K beneficiaries, especially the vulnerable, and to backed by strong capacity-building efforts and utilization of making the program’s systems, processes, and procedures the GRM as a performance-management tool. increasingly citizen-centric. Furthermore, integration of GRM questions in the program’s performance audit signifies the 3 Internet connectivity of all GRM Taskforce members ministry’s commitment to improving GRM access, usage, through the GRM module of the program MIS has allowed and user experience, especially of beneficiaries with limited for systematic and coordinated grievance collection and digital access, connectivity, and literacy. resolution. Additionally, the inclusion of automated GRM data analytics and reporting in the MIS helps management with 3 Intra- and intergovernmental coordination is a must for real-time decision making. effective grievance collection and resolution, especially for complex social safety net operations involving multiple 3 The design and rollout of the T&K GRM, along with other entities. social accountability and citizen engagement mechanisms, 21 References Ministry of Social Solidarity (MoSS). 2016. A Guide to the Grievance Redress ———. 2020. Sourcebook on the Foundations of Social Protection Delivery Systems. Mechanism of the Takaful (Solidarity) and Karama (Dignity) Program. MoSS, Arab Washington, DC: World Bank. Republic of Egypt. World Bank. 2012. Strengthening Governance, Tackling Corruption: The World Bank’s Updated Strategy and Implementation Plan. Washington, DC: World Bank. http://siteresources.worldbank.org /PUBLICSECTORANDGOVERNANCE/ Resources/285741-1326816182754 /GACStrategyImplementationPlan.pdf. 22 SUPPORTED BY © 2022 International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433 202-473-1000 | www.worldbank.org Some rights reserved. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views of The World Bank, its Board of Executive Directors, or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. Nothing herein shall constitute or be considered to be a limitation upon or waiver of the privileges and immunities of The World Bank, all of which are specifically reserved. Rights and Permissions The material in this work is subject to copyright. Because the World Bank encourages dissemination of its knowledge, this work may be reproduced, in whole or in part, for noncommercial purposes as long as full attribution to this work is given. Any queries on rights and licenses, including subsidiary rights, should be addressed to World Bank Publications, World Bank Group, 1818 H Street, Washington, DC 20433, USA; fax 202-522-2625; email: pubrights@worldbank.org. Photo credits: Local Administrative Entities Development Agency and Rwanda Transport Development Agency.