Global Study On Child Poverty And Disparities (PDF) - Social Policy ...

The Ministry of Education finalised the Vanuatu
Education Sector Strategy 2007–2016 in
December 2006, and it was endorsed by the
Council of Ministers. The Strategy identifies policy
reforms and investment for the education system
and emphasizes the need for improvement in
quality, efficiency, equity and relevance in order to
sustain long-term goals and meet national needs.
In July 2007 the draft Medium Term Expenditure
Framework for 2008–2010 identified as priorities
improving access, quality, capacity building, policy
development and preparing a national human
resources plan (ADB 2009a, p. 99).
In 2008 the Ministry of Education, with support
from donor partners, developed the Vanuatu
Education Support Action Plan, which includes
the SWAp to improve human and infrastructure
resources. The ADB report indicates that external
finances will be integrated with funds from the
national budget and the program will be fully
managed by the Ministry of Education; however,
this will require “substantial strengthening of
MoE’s administrative capacity” (ADB 2009a, p.
100).
Social protection
Vanuatu is still seen as a country where strong
social networks and kinship ties will take care of
those unable to care for themselves. In 2007, the
government allocated 78 million vatu to social
protection, which represented only 0.6 per cent of
total government expenditure.
An important institution, however, is the VNPF,
established in 1986, a compulsory saving scheme
with contributions made by both the employer
and employee that covers all civil servants and
employees in the private sector. That is, it covers
those in formal employment, estimated at about
20 per cent of the working-age population.
Those employed in the formal labour market have
additional avenues of social protection. Changes
in the recent Amendments to the Employment Act
2008 included increased benefits for severance,
maternity and sick pay. Severance pay increased
from two to eight weeks for every year of
employment; the qualifying period for severance
pay was reduced from 10 years to one year;
eligibility for maternity pay was reduced from six
months to three months employment; and annual
and sick leave increased from 12 working days
after one year of employment to 21 days for each
type of leave (ADB 2009c).
National laws, policies and
programmes
The Vanuatu Country Programme Action
Plan 2008–2012, a partnership between the
Government and UNDP, addresses four strategic
outcome areas, one of which is poverty reduction
and the MDGs. The priorities of the Programme
are aligned with two of the Pacific Sub-Regional
United Nations Development Assistance
Framework Outcomes: equitable economic growth
and poverty reduction, and equitable social and
protection services. The Plan addresses these
priorities by localising MDGs and strengthening
planning, statistical and aid management systems.
The UNDP supported the development of the
national monitoring system to collect MDG data as
a basis for developing a national poverty line and
ensuring a second national MDG report which was
updated in 2010.
A further recent social protection development
in Vanuatu is the implementation of the National
Disability Policy and Plan of Action, which includes
nine policy directives. Most relevant to children’s
well-being are numbers 6 (poverty alleviation)
and 7 (early detection, early prevention and
education). The National Disability Committee
was formed in 2006 to oversee progress in this
area. In the education sector, there is in principle
agreement that disabled children should not be
excluded from education. However, at this stage
there is little information on disabled children:
where they live, how many of them there are, or
the nature of their disabilities. In some instances,
it would appear that adoption of the principles of
rights (for children, or other disadvantaged groups
such as the mentally ill) progresses far more
quickly than the capacity to implement them.
The Vanuatu Women’s Centre is funded by
AusAID and Fiji’s Women’s Crisis Centre to
help protect women and children from violence.
Funding has been committed for 2007 to 2012.
The Centre also lobbied Parliament on the Family
Protection Bill, and contributed to the survey on
gender-based violence. AusAID and UNIFEM’s
Women in Decision-Making and Leadership
initiative committed $100,000 in 2007 toward
empowering women to participate in public and
community events, and developing leadership
opportunities in Parliament.
There is also a women’s microfinance project.
VANWODS Microfinance is a member-owned
NGO that operates in Efate, Santo and Malekula.
With over 5,000 members, it has become
operationally self-sufficient and is working towards
financial sustainability.
68