The ISPA Core Diagnostic Assessment (CODI) of Social Protection Programs in Punjab was an internationally standardised diagnostic engagement commissioned by GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit) — Germany’s international development agency — to systematically evaluate Punjab’s social protection system against global benchmarks. Dr. Ghulam Mohey-ud-din served as Team Lead on this PKR 12 million, four-month engagement, directing the full diagnostic process using the Inter-Agency Social Protection Assessment (ISPA) CODI framework.
Background and Significance
Punjab province operates one of Pakistan’s most extensive portfolios of social protection programmes — including the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), Punjab Food Support Scheme, Zakat and Usher funds, Social Welfare Department programmes, and various health financing and disability support initiatives. Yet despite the scale of this system, Punjab lacked a comprehensive, internationally comparable diagnostic assessment of its social protection landscape. Programme coverage was fragmented, targeting mechanisms were inconsistent, data systems were weak, and the overall system’s capacity to protect the most vulnerable remained uncertain. GIZ commissioned the ISPA CODI assessment to provide this analytical foundation — informing both provincial government reform priorities and GIZ’s own social protection sector programming in Punjab.
ISPA CODI Methodology
The ISPA Core Diagnostic Assessment (CODI) is an internationally standardised diagnostic tool developed by the Inter-Agency Social Protection Assessment framework — a collaboration between the World Bank, ILO, ADB, UNICEF, and other development agencies. It assesses social protection systems across multiple dimensions: coverage and inclusiveness, adequacy of benefits, governance and coordination, financing and sustainability, and monitoring and evaluation capacity. The team applied the ISPA CODI toolkit in full, combining quantitative analysis of programme coverage and targeting accuracy using available administrative and household survey data, with qualitative institutional assessment of governance arrangements, coordination mechanisms, and financing sustainability. Benchmarking against regional and global social protection systems provided the international context for findings and recommendations.
Key Deliverables
- ISPA CODI Diagnostic Report for Punjab Social Protection System — full internationally benchmarked assessment
- Programme Coverage and Targeting Analysis — assessing reach and accuracy across all major schemes
- Institutional Mapping and Governance Assessment — coordination, accountability, and oversight review
- Financing and Sustainability Analysis — fiscal adequacy and long-term viability assessment
- Prioritised Reform Recommendations — actionable priorities for provincial government and GIZ programming
Outcomes and Policy Impact
The ISPA CODI assessment produced Punjab’s first internationally benchmarked diagnostic of its social protection system. Findings informed GIZ’s programme design in the social protection sector and provided the provincial government with a structured, evidence-based foundation for prioritising institutional reform, expanding programme coverage, and improving targeting accuracy. The assessment positioned Punjab’s social protection reform agenda within an internationally comparable framework — enabling evidence-based dialogue between government and development partners on investment priorities and system strengthening pathways.