Making The Case for an Old-Age Social Pension in Federal Iraq - Call for Consultancy Firms - November 2024 – March 2025

PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES
This activity seeks to facilitate policy dialogue on the establishment of basic, non-contributory pension scheme
provided by the government to ensure a minimum level of income for elderly persons, regardless of their work
history or contributions to any social security system, otherwise referred to as a zero pillar. Such a system could
be universal, pension-tested, affluence tested or other/mixed. The paper will contribute to a broader policy
dialogue on a right-based approach to social protection under the ongoing technical cooperation framework of
the Joint Social Protection Programme.
More specifically, the paper will:
• Make the case for establishing a social pension for older persons in Iraq by formulating policy rationale.
The paper is expected to position such a pension in the context of ongoing right-based social protection
reforms and vis-à-vis other existing social assistance schemes, particularly SSN and PDS, to argue for the
progressive establishment of a social protection floor in line with ILO Convention 102 and
Recommendation 202.
• Explore the initial options to design and implement the zero-pillar social pension for elderly persons in
Federal Iraq. Expand the existing knowledge on possible policy options to design a zero-pillar noncontributory
pension in Iraq, including by exploring different scenarios for coverage, associated cost
implications, financing options, and considerations on administration and governance.
• Identify key stakeholders in Federal Iraq with the potential to support and lead policy debate on
introducing and positioning old-age social pension within the social protection system in Federal Iraq.