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Research Papers in Economics

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The Brazil-Africa Cooperation Programme on Social Development aims at promoting technical assistance from the Brazilian  
Ministry of Social Development and Fight Against Hunger  to African countries in the development of social policies and programmes.  
It is an initiative financed by the British Department for International Development and supported by the International Policy Centre For Inclusive Growth.
In t e r n a t I o n a l Po l I c y  ce n t r e   
f o r  In c l u s I v e Gr o w t h
Br a s i l  & af r i c a  n e w s l e t t e r
Newsletter 5     May, 2009
Social Policies in a Period of Crisis
Patrus Ananias
To those who ask me how much longer social 
policies will be needed, I answer that such 
policies are here to stay. Even in more 
advanced societies, there will always be a 
vulnerable sector in every population. They are 
people, families and even entire communities 
that, by force of random circumstance, have 
seen their living conditions deteriorate and  
are in need of aid from the state. 
In Brazil, we began to structure our social 
promotion and protection network only 
recently, and we still have a long journey  
ahead of us. The absence of a policy that 
sought to protect the poorest and fight 
inequality throughout our history left us with 
a huge social debt, so now we are making 
great efforts to reverse this situation.  Indeed, 
that is why the Ministry of Social Development 
and Fight against Hunger (MDS) was created 
in February 2004, with a structure devoted 
exclusively to reaching the poorest people in 
the country. The positive results are visible and 
have been confirmed by studies and research. 
In order to cope successfully with this debt, 
MDS must be permanent. Our programmes 
may change and our actions can be improved 
to adapt to regional demands or even new 
challenges. But social policies, which now  
have the status of public policy, must continue. 
Social assistance must be consistent with the 
constitutional stipulation that it is at the same 
level as heath and welfare in the three-pillar 
scheme of social security. In the area of food 
security and nutrition, it should be aligned 
with the principle that the right to food is a 
precondition for living and therefore a basic 
right that must be guaranteed by the state. 
However, in order to ensure the creation of 
a permanent ministry in such a way as to 
consolidate an institutionalised system of 
social promotion and protection, it is crucial 
to adapt and adjust the ministry’s structure. 
With operations in all 5,563 municipalities 
and the Federal District, benefiting about 
68 million people (some 37 per cent of the 
population), MDS needs resources to enhance 
social management mechanisms in order to 
guarantee the efficiency and effectiveness 
of our policies. We must have well defined 
target groups and the results of our policies 
must be well monitored by effective channels 
of evaluation and control, thereby producing 
reliable indicators that accurately portray  
our real circumstances. 
In this context, two very important projects 
are being discussed in Congress: draft law 
3428/08 on the administrative restructuring 
of MDS, with the creation of 164 positions in 
the structure of the ministry; and a draft law 
calling for the creation of a public career in 
social policy development, among other career 
changes in public service.
The purpose of both projects is to create 
adequate conditions to ensure the proper 
distribution of public resources in the social 
arena, and to improve control, monitoring 
and evaluation mechanisms. And once we 
recognise the importance of working in 
the interests of the social promotion of the 
poorest, we must have qualified people to do 
that job, people who are ready to assist the 
beneficiaries of our policies.
Investing in the management of these policies 
is a matter of coherence, and it will certainly 
bring greater efficiency to the investments in 
this field. This is precisely investment in the 
social development of our people. The results, 
as we know, return to society as a whole in 
the form of social justice, leading to a more 
sustainable and secure development.
If social policies are vital in 
normal periods, they are even 
more indispensable in times 
like this, as we currently suffer 
the effects of the international 
crisis generated at the heart of 
the capitalist system, a crisis 
that threatens the economies 
of other developing countries, 
such as Brazil. Social policies 
play an important role in 
alleviating the effects of the 
crisis, protecting the most 
vulnerable by boosting the 
purchasing power of the 
poorest and consequently 
heating the domestic 
economy.page   2
Exchange Experiences  
with Partner Countries
On 6 March, Brazil hosted a Nigerian 
delegation and officials presented Brazil’s 
programmes in the areas of conditional cash 
transfers and food security. The Nigerians 
were interested in learning more about the 
Bolsa Família and the programme of low-
budget restaurants. 
The mission visited several ministries and, 
apart from the presidency’s Civilian Household, 
representatives of the Ministry of Education 
and Planning also attended to the Nigerian 
delegation. Crispim Moreira, Secretary of Food 
and Nutritional Security, concluded the visit 
by expressing his availability and enthusiasm 
to exchange experiences: “We already have 
cooperation agreements with several countries 
in Latin America, Asia and Africa. We are also 
open to do so with Nigeria.” 
Egypt is also interested in learning more 
about Brazil’s social programmes and in 
encouraging an exchange of knowledge. 
Hence on 10 March the Egyptian government 
arranged an event on technical cooperation 
in Cairo, where the debate centred on funding 
mechanisms for programmes, information 
systems and databases, and monitoring and 
evaluation. The event was sponsored by 
Egypt’s Ministry of Social Solidarity, which is 
responsible for designing a new cash transfer 
scheme in the country.
Cooperation Programmes  
in Progress
Apart from its cooperation with Africa, the 
Ministry of Social Development and Fight 
Against Hunger will also provide assistance 
to Haiti with the implementation of two 
initiatives: the cisterns programme and the 
food acquisition programme.
The Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC-MRE) 
organised a technical mission to Haiti in early 
February. The aim was to support the Haitian 
government in developing a public policy 
targeted at poor rural families, with a view to 
facilitating access to food and potable water. 
The vast majority of Haiti’s population still 
depends on subsistence agriculture.
As regards Latin America, Peru will  organise 
a working group to integrate its social 
programmes into a single system, following the 
example of Brazil’s social protection system. 
This was the result of a two-day official visit to 
Peru by MDS Minister Patrus Ananias earlier 
this year. He joined President Alán García in a 
working meeting with Peruvian authorities, 
and visited programmes in metropolitan Lima 
area and in the countryside. 
Minister Patrus Ananias in San Juan de Miraflores.
Minister Patrus Ananias visits peruvian  
social programmes in San Juan de Miraflores.  
Metropolitan Region of Lima/Roberta  
Caldo /MDS.page   3 
New Partnership between Brazil and the 
International Labour Organisation
On 24 March, the Brazilian government  
and the International Labour Organisation 
(ILO) engaged in a new partnership of  
South-South cooperation. This new 
agreement is based on a horizontal 
cooperation strategy to promote decent  
work and social justice. 
The partnership, a triangular arrangement 
involving the ILO, the Brazilian government 
and other developing countries, seeks to 
foster decent work in Latin America and 
Africa. It also reinforces Brazil’s commitment 
to South-South cooperation.
The Lobby for the Right to  
Food in Brazil
At the top of the agenda for the Ministry of 
Social Development and Fight against Hunger 
is approval of the proposal for a constitutional 
amendment to modify Article 6 of the 
Constitution, so as to include the human right 
to adequate food. “We must include the right to 
food into the scheme of fundamental rights,”  
said Minister Patrus Ananias. “It must be a 
permanent right, not something that depends 
only on people’s goodwill. We need a legal norm.” 
Brazilian Government Conducts   
Survey on Children and Adolescents   
Living in Shelters
The Ministry of Social Development and Fight 
Against Hunger, in partnership with the Oswaldo 
Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), will implement a 
National Survey of Children and Youth Living  
in Shelters. The first step is to identify the 
network of shelters and programmes of host 
families throughout the country. At this stage, 
electronic forms will be available to allow local 
and state authorities to report on the existing 
services for children and adolescents left by their 
families, or for children who have been taken 
from their families as a safety measure and been 
included in these facilities. 
After identifying the hosting services,  
Fiocruz will organise visits to shelters  
and host family programmes, and will use 
questionnaires to gather information about 
children and institutions. The field staff,  
who will receive specific training with the  
support and participation of the Ministry  
of Social Development, will be composed  
of social workers or psychologists,  
as well as students in these fields.
Two amendment proposals on the inclusion 
of the right to food in the constitution are 
currently in Congress. Minister Ananias  
has reaffirmed that the poor cannot pay  
the burden of the global financial crisis 
and has advocated achievement of the 
Millennium Development Goals set  
by the United Nations.page   4
IPC-IG’s Work on South-South Learning
The International Policy Centre for Inclusive 
Growth (IPC-IG) has created a new area of South-
South learning. The proposal is to develop new 
tools for the design, monitoring and evaluation 
of South-South cooperation programmes and 
to facilitate the exchange of successful policies 
in the area of social protection. This new area 
also surveys the capacity of countries to deliver 
cooperation, and highlights successful social 
protection policies in low-income countries. 
The idea is to facilitate South-South exchange 
in the Centre’s different research agendas, with 
a particular focus on social protection and 
conditional cash transfer programmes.
Brazil Participates in the Conditional Cash 
Transfer Seminar in Morocco
Professional training for the beneficiaries of 
the Bolsa Família Programme, which is being 
promoted by the Federal Government, was 
one of the topics presented at a workshop 
on “Social Security and Conditional Cash 
Transfers”, organised by the World Bank in 
Rabat, Morocco, in February. Besides the 
Sector Training Plan for beneficiaries of  
Bolsa Família (Bolsa Família Planseq), 
attention was paid to the cross-sectoral  
work of the Brazilian social protection system 
and the experience of shared management 
linking the local, state and federal levels.
The Brazilian representative, Claudia Baddini, 
coordinator in the National Secretariat on 
Citizenship Income in the Ministry of Social 
Development and Fight Against Hunger 
(MDS), presented the initiative to promote the 
integration of programme beneficiaries into 
the labour market. The aim of the meeting 
was to stimulate regional discussion on cash 
transfers and to contribute to the debate on 
the alternatives developed by the Mexico, 
Colombia and Brazil. 
Through the National Secretariat of Social 
Assistance, MDS runs the Programme for 
the Eradication of Child Labour (PETI), the 
Programme for Integral Attention to the Family 
(PAIF) and PROJOVEM Adolescente. In addition, 
MDS provides funds for the maintenance 
and implementation of the Social Assistance 
Reference Centres (CRAS) and Specialised 
Social Assistance Reference Centres (CREAS). 
The CREAS initiative offers services related 
to children and adolescents who are subject 
to violence, abuse and sexual exploitation; 
guidance and specialised support to individuals 
and families that are victims of violence; and 
monitoring of adolescents who are under 
supervised freedom and engaged in community 
service. Another relevant programme is the 
Continuous Cash Benefit for the elderly.
The National Secretariat for Food Security 
and Nutrition is responsible for programmes 
such as the Food Acquisition Programme 
(PAA), low-budget restaurants, and cisterns 
that benefit the low-income rural population 
affected by uninterrupted droughts in the 
country’s semi-arid region.
Inauguration of Low-budget Restaurant in Irajá - Rio de Janeiro - March 13th, Bruno Spada/MDS.The International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth is jointly supported by the Poverty Practice,  
Bureau for Development Policy, UNDP and the Government of Brazil.
International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth (IPC - IG) 
Poverty Practice, Bureau for Development Policy, UNDP 
Esplanada dos Ministérios, Bloco O, 7º andar
70052-900    Brasilia, DF -  Brazil
africa-brazil@ipc-undp.org
www.ipc-undp.org/africa-brazil
Relevant Events:
Technical Seminar on Extension of Social Security 
International Social Security Association (ISSA), 
12–13 May 2009 
Lusaka, Zambia  
Organised by the ISSA Liaison Office for Southern Africa
More: <http://www.issa.int/aiss/News-Events/Events/ 
Technical-Seminar-on-Extension-of-Social-Security>
Related Publications:
Griffith-Jones, S. and J. A. Ocampo (2009). ‘The Financial Crisis and Its Impact on 
Developing Countries,’ UNDP Working Paper. Available at:  
http://content.undp.org/go/cms-service/download/asset/?asset_id=1722333
Documents related to the Multi-Year Expert Meeting on International Cooperation:  
South-South Cooperation and Regional Integration, organised by the  
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD),  
Geneva, 4–5 February 2009, are available at:  
http://www.unctad.org/Templates/meeting.asp?intItemID=2068&lang=1&m=15860
UNCTAD (2009). Report of the Multi-Year Expert Meeting on International Cooperation: 
South-South Cooperation and Regional Integration on Its First Session.  
Geneva, UNCTAD. Available at:  
http://www.unctad.org/en/docs/ciimem2d3_en.pdf
Brazilian Approach to South-South Cooperation at the Meeting:  
http://www.unctad.org/sections/wcmu/docs/Brazil.pdf
Social Protection and South-South  
Cooperation Resources

Social Policies in a Period of Crisis

http://www.ipc-undp.org/pub/IPCNewsletter5.pdf

Social Policies in a Period of Crisis

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Research Papers in Economics