This note outlines and analyses a “twin-track approach” to deliver shock-responsive social protection in the Sahel in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. The approach was developed with the Governments of Mali, Mauritania, and Niger with WFP and UNICEF providing technical advice and delivery support under a COVID-19 social protection response programme funded by the German development cooperation (BMZ-KFW). This note highlights the details and relevance of the approach in the Sahel context, lessons learned from the first two phases (2020-2022) of implementation of the programme in three countries (Mali, Mauritania, and Niger) and identifies a resulting set of principles to outline a coherent way forward to apprehend shock-responsive social protection delivery more holistically in fragile contexts. The principles are proposed for further discussion with government partners and development stakeholders.
