The 2nd Workshop on 'Social Protection in East Asia - Current Stage and Challenges' was held at ERIA Annex Office from 26 to 27 February, 2010 with around 22 participants from 13 countries in the region.

This Working Group, under the leadership of Professor Mukul Asher from National University of Singapore, will contribute to a region-wide research project on social protection focusing on the current status and challenges for each participating country.
The objective of the research is to look at Coverage, Adequacy of benefits, Governance and Management issues surrounding the current social protection system in the region and reform initiatives.

ERIA Chief Economist, Professor Fukunari Kimura, delivered the opening remarks, stressing that "this research is an initial step taken by ERIA to provide better understanding on the current social protection in the region and expect high quality research findings that can be used as inputs for policy makers in the region".

The objective of the workshop is not only to advance understanding on the research questions but also providing an interchange, research networking building, and peer reviewing process for experts in the region. The final report of this Working Group will be submitted by the end of March 2010.