Aleksandar Lazovski
social policy consultant
social protection | public finance | HCTs
About
I am an independent social policy consultant based in Vienna, Austria, with
over 15 years of experience working with the United Nations, governments and
development partners.My core expertise is in social protection system reform, public finance for
children, and shock-responsive social protection — helping countries strengthen
the systems that protect people before, during and after crises. I have
particular depth in the Western Balkans and Türkiye, with additional experience
in Eastern Europe, the Caribbean and Sub-Saharan Africa.Most of my career has been spent inside UNICEF — as Chief of Social Policy in
North Macedonia, on emergency deployments in Ukraine, Zimbabwe and the Eastern
Caribbean, and on short-term assignments at headquarters. Since 2021 I work
independently, advising governments and UN agencies on policy design,
institutional reform, public finance analysis and programme support.I hold an MSc in International Development from the University of Portsmouth
and professional certifications from the IMF (Public Financial Management),
Oxford Policy Management (Public Finance for Children) and the World Bank
(Social Safety Nets).
Policy and Strategy
I design and support national and regional strategies in social protection,
humanitarian cash assistance and public finance for children. My approach
combines evidence and international practice with close attention to what is
politically and operationally feasible in each country context.Shock-Responsive Social Protection
I conduct readiness assessments, develop operational guidelines and support
governments in preparing their social protection systems to respond to crises.
This includes vertical and horizontal expansion of national schemes,
humanitarian cash transfer design, and coordination with humanitarian actors.Public Finance Analysis
I carry out fiscal space and public expenditure analyses focused on children
and social sectors, support parliamentary engagement on child-responsive
budgeting, and develop PFM training tools for government and oversight bodies.Research, Evaluation and M&E
I design monitoring and evaluation frameworks, conduct programme assessments,
and prepare operational manuals, SOPs and guidance notes. Recent work includes
outcome-level evaluations of multi-country programmes funded by ECHO and other
donors.Capacity Building
I develop and deliver training for government officials, UN staff and civil
society on social protection, public finance and emergency response — from
one-day workshops to multi-module programmes.
Selected WorkKosovo (2023–ongoing)
Supporting the Ministry of Finance, Labour and Transfers to develop the
country's first Shock-Responsive Social Protection Guideline, with capacity
building for government and civil society on SRSP principles and humanitarian
cash transfers.Serbia (ongoing)
Leading a Public Finance assessment of municipal capacities to finance
climate-related public works and child-focused investments. Developing a Public
Finance for Children training manual for Parliament in partnership with the
Ministry of Finance.Türkiye (2025)
Led a readiness assessment of the national social protection system for
delivering humanitarian cash transfers during crises, producing an analytical
report and UNICEF internal cash preparedness action plan.Ukraine (2022)
Emergency deployment to support design and implementation of humanitarian cash
assistance reaching approximately 50,000 households, including a hybrid
delivery model linking national systems with UNICEF operational capacity.Caribbean (2021–2025)
Developed M&E frameworks, operational manuals and SOPs for social protection
programmes across five Caribbean SIDS. Served as programme assessor for an
ECHO-funded regional initiative on shock-responsive systems.North Macedonia (2014–2021)
As UNICEF Chief of Social Policy, led social protection reform including new
legislation, expansion of the child benefit programme, a novel disability
assessment model for children, and fiscal space advocacy.
Writing & PublicationsI write about social policy, social protection and public finance — exploring
how systems can work better for vulnerable populations, especially during
crises. Below is a selection of published work and analytical writing.
*
Triggers and financing - the missing middle of shock-responsive social protection in Europe and Central Asia: Lessons from Kosovo
socialprotection.org | December 2025
This blog argues that many shock-responsive social protection systems in Europe and Central Asia have delivery capacity but fail to scale in crises without clearly defined triggers and pre-arranged financing designed in tandem.
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Shock-Responsive Social Protection in Kosovo: Guidelines
UNICEF Kosovo | October 2025
Operational guideline developed for the Ministry of Finance, Labour and Transfers.
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Fading Footprint: The UN's Risk of Irrelevance in the Western Balkans
Substack | December 2025
The article argues that unless the UN fundamentally adapts its strategy, funding approach, and operational focus, it risks gradually losing relevance and being seen as a marginal actor in addressing persistent social challenges in the Western Balkans.
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Potential Impact of Serbia's New Economic Measures on Poverty and Children
UNICEF Serbia | September 2025
The paper argues that Serbia’s new price caps, energy subsidies, and concessional loan measures can deliver meaningful but temporary relief to poor families and children, and will only reduce child poverty sustainably if followed by stronger, targeted social protection reforms.
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Türkiye Shock-Responsive Social Protection System Readiness Assessment
UNICEF Türkiye | June 2025
Assessing Türkiye's readiness to deliver cash support during crisis.
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Kosovo Shock-Responsive Social Protection System Readiness Assessment
UNICEF Kosovo | June 2024
Assessing Kosovo's readiness to deliver cash support during crisis.
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DocumentsDownload my CV or capability statement below.
Contact
📧 [email protected]
🔗 linkedin.com/in/alazovski
📍 Based in Vienna, Austria
