e-Newsletter # 61 - November 2021

e-GCSPF # 61 - November 2021

Policy Brief “A Global Fund for Social Protection to promote policy and fiscal space to make the right to social protection a reality for all”       The Policy Brief aims to contribute to the discussion around the Global Fund for Social Protection. The Policy Brief was written by the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors’ working group on a global financing mechanism for social protection. Read more           The Future is Public: Global Manifesto for Public Services       The Future is Public: Global Manifesto for Public Services was developed collectively by dozens of organisations and actors to serve as a rallying cry for public services for civil society, providing a concrete alternative to the dominant neoliberal narrative that has failed to ensure a dignified life for all. The manifesto positions public services as the foundation of a fair and just society and of the social pact that implements the core values of solidarity, equality and human dignity. It advances a series of ten principles for universal quality public services in the 21st century, and outlines how funding universal quality public services is possible. Read more           Homes Double as Workplaces for Many Urban Poor, Especially Women       By Marty Alter Chen Globally, pre-COVID-19, 260 million women and men produced goods or provided services from in or around their homes: 86 per cent (224 million) were in developing and emerging countries and 14 per cent (35 million) in developed countries. During the COVID-19 pandemic, countless other workers – mainly white-collar workers – began working remotely from home using the internet. The key difference is that many “old” home-based workers lost their work and income during the COVID-19 pandemic recession as the demand for their goods and services declined, while the “new” home-based workers could continue to work and collect paychecks. Read more           Letter to Biden Administration: Use G20 to Advance Social Protection       In a public letter drafted in advance of the G20 Summit in Rome, Human Rights Watch, the AFL-CIO, the American Apparel & Footwear Association, and Fontheim International, called on the Biden Administration to use the opportunity to advance efforts for an international Global Social Protection Fund. If the Biden Administration is serious about leading the charge towards an equitable and comprehensive economic recovery and mitigate the extreme impacts of future crises, it should: ensure adequate social spending domestically; increase its ODA internationally; and endorse the proposal for a Global Social Protection Fund. Read more           Project on the non-take-up of rights       The mandate of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Olivier De Schutter, is conducting a worldwide study on non-take-up in the context of social protection. This study covers over 50 countries across all world regions. It seeks to identify the perceived reasons why non-take-up occurs, the impact of non-take-up, and possible ways of reducing this phenomenon. Survey 1 targets CSOs, NGOs, ministries, administrations and experts who have a good overview of social protection and non-take-up in their country. It is accessible here. The deadline for filling in Survey 1 is November 14th. Survey 2 seeks to collect information from individuals in or at risk of poverty and/or social exclusion who may have experience with non-take-up. Please fill Survey 2 here. The deadline for filling in Survey 2 is November 28th. If you have questions please contact Agathe Osinski, at agathe.osinski@srpoverty.org           Bachelet: right to social security, matter of ‘the utmost urgency’       The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Monday that the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, and the changing world of work, makes the right to social security for all, “a matter of the utmost urgency.” Michelle Bachelet was participating in the first ever intersessional panel discussion on the right to social security hosted by the Human Rights Council. For Mrs. Bachelet, there could not be a better time to discuss social security and social protection. Due to the pandemic, 255 million jobs have been lost in 2020 alone. Read more.           ILO: Employment impact of the pandemic worse than expected       Ahead of the G20 Leaders’ Summit, ILO warns on stalled global labour market recovery and significant disparities between advanced and developing economies. The eighth edition of the ILO Monitor: COVID-19 and the world of work, warns that without concrete financial and technical support, a “great divergence” in employment recovery trends between developed and developing countries will persist. Read more.

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Beyond the health crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected economies and people’s livelihoods around the world. Experts forecast an additional 250 million people in extreme poverty by 20301, while the consequences of the pandemic are resulting in a 10^th of the global population suffering from hunger, amounting to 720 to 811 million people worldwide.2

As clearly put by a 67-year-old man, estate agent, living with his children in an urban area in Pakistan, the pandemic has had a devastating effect on people’s livelihood: “There’s no business. My source of income has been affected. I’m feeling stressed and irritated by the uncertain situation”, while a 68-year-old woman, retired farmer from Rwanda, living with her children in a rural area testifies: “The fall in the economy has made the people who were helping us lose their jobs.”3

What is social protection? Social protection is a human right, defined as a set of policies and programs (contributory and non-contributory) aimed at reducing and preventing poverty throughout the life course. While social protection includes regular cash benefits for basic income security, it also encompasses the right to affordable and appropriate health and essential services including the right to water. Social protection also covers social insurance, i.e. contributions to enable the provision of a service by the State, and labour regulations.

Facing these observations, many political leaders and decision makers realized that well-designed social protection systems have a transformative effect on people living in poverty. While these systems do not tackle the root causes of poverty, for which systemic changes in people’s income level are needed, they nonetheless are a key tool to building transformatively forward. Indeed, the importance of regular income support and essential services to uphold basic human rights, especially healthcare, was made obvious for all to see. Indeed, 93% of countries took social protection measures to respond to the crisis. 75% of them were non-contributory measures and 52% were new measures4. It is also estimated that almost 17% of the world’s population has been covered with at least one Covid-related cash transfer payment between 2020 and 2021; and the average scale up rate between pre and post-Covid coverage, for cash transfers alone, is 249%.5 Yet, the crisis also demonstrated the uneven capacity of governments to enact and finance emergency measures to deliver income and health support to their population. Indeed, even if global spending on social protection increased, it only represents about 3% of global GDP in 2021.6 Additionally, the measures taken were uneven, often insufficient in value and coverage and merely temporary.7 For instance, only 4.5% of the population in low-income countries benefited from cash transfers; increasing to 19.3% for middle-income and 26.7% for high-income countries, which were able to build on already existing schemes.8

While the proposal for a Global Fund for Social Protection has existed for nearly a decade9, the disparities laid bare by Covid have renewed international interest in a global financing mechanism to complement and support at least temporarily domestic efforts. Indeed, following the 2020 G20 summit, high-level international discussions were held on the topic.10 In June 2021, the International Labour Conference’s (ILC) committee on social security called on the ILO to “engage in discussions on a new international financing mechanism, such as a Global Social Protection Fund”11, to which several governments and organizations, including the United-States and the European Union, expressed their support.12 In parallel, in June 2021, the United Nations’ (UN) Special rapporteur for Extreme Poverty and Human Rights presented a report to the UN Human Rights Council on the value, options for governance and potential funding modalities of such a Fund.13 Finally, in September 2021, the UN Secretary General mentioned in his report the Global Fund for Social Protection as a potential means to support countries in increasing levels of funding devoted to social protection.14

However, even if a Global Fund for Social Protection were to be an agreed policy measure, which would therefore be a positive step towards the effective realization of the human right of all to social protection, structural changes will be needed. Indeed, lack of fiscal space, lack of political will to make policy that is compliant with human rights and a deeply unfair macro-economic system will still be obstacles to overcome.

The lack of fiscal space for social protection: a lack of political will

While putting in place and financing social protection is the obligation of governments through domestic resource mobilization, and will be established according to different national capacities and contexts, development partners, and more specifically international finance institutions and G20 States, play an influential role for its development in low and middle-income countries.

Instead, for the past decade macro-economic policies have been pushing for a decrease in governments’ spending - often referred to as “fiscal consolidation” or “austerity cuts” – as a means to reduce budget deficit and reach fiscal stability. Simultaneously, development partners have been promoting the participation of the private sector in development projects in order to leverage the money needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals; and bridge the funding gap governments are unable or unwilling to fill.

The narratives around these practices often argue that governments have no other choice but to reduce public spending, and need to call on the private sector for investment. Yet there are various means of increasing fiscal space for public expenditure, which have been named and referenced by civil society15 and international organizations,16 to bridge the funding gap for social protection. These include progressive and higher rates of taxation, public expenditure reprioritization, restructuring and in extreme cases cancellation of sovereign debt, tolerating moderate rates of inflation instead of seeking to eliminate them through fiscal austerity, and additional foreign aid or new allocations of Special Drawing Rights by the International Monetary Fund.

Additionally, as research shows17, social protection can trigger a virtuous economic cycle that increases employment, productivity, tax revenue and overall economic growth, especially in low and middle-income countries. That is, cash transfer policies, particularly, generate an increase in income and consumption that, in turn, have positive effects on the macro-economy and governments’ fiscal space.

Moreover, the establishment of social protection policies can lead to increased tax payments. By benefiting from social protection policies, people’s trust in governments increases, hence reinforcing the social contract and fostering the willingness and ability of people to pay taxes.18

It appears then that the gap in coverage by social protection around the globe is not due to a lack of available resources but to a lack of political will and financial policies to ensure redistribution.

A Global Fund for Social Protection to support policies and fiscal space for universal social protection

The International Labour Organization (ILO) has estimated that, in 2020, the annual resources needed to close the financing gap to reach a universal coverage of a basic set of cash benefits19 for low-income countries20 was 7.4% of their GDP, with an additional 8.5% for universal access to healthcare. In other words, based on pre-COVID-19 estimates, the fiscal revenue needed to fill the social protection floors financing gap (excluding health care) represented 13.5% of total tax revenue at national level for low and middle-income countries, but as much as 45% for low-income countries. That is more than the latter countries can be expected to mobilize through reprioritization of expenditures or additional taxation measures in the short to medium term.

What are social protection floors? Social protection floors are a set of universal non-contributory guarantees including access to essential health care and basic income security for children (providing access to nutrition, education, care and any other necessary goods and services), persons in active age (in particular in cases of sickness, unemployment, maternity and disability) and older persons. Social protection floors, as defined by the ILO, are universal by nature, as they provide protection based on contingencies. Indeed, universality refers to social protection’s coverage, ensuring that each person, in one of the aforementioned categories is protected regardless of his or her socioeconomic situation, ethnicity, origin or legal status.

Many countries do have the potential to fill their social protection gaps from domestic resources mobilization and that should be a policy priority, social protection being first and foremost a government’s responsibility. However, as the ILO states, “the challenge is much greater for low-income countries, (…) in terms of the relative cost and their relative fiscal, administrative and institutional capacity. That distinction must be considered as a critical factor in the formulation of a specific development assistance policy. Massive financial assistance for starting up and temporarily financing benefits could be a feasible option for addressing the social protection financing gap in low-income countries.”21 And while it is obvious that a Global Fund for Social Protection would not and should not have the same lending capacity as the international finance institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund, it will nonetheless provide to low-income countries the desperately needed push to make a significant step forward towards the realization of the right to social protection for all.

As clearly put by the UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights : “The proposal for a global fund for social protection is not that taxpayers from rich countries pay for social protection in poor countries. It is, rather, to kick-start a virtuous cycle in which international support matches domestic efforts and contributes to capacity-building in low-income countries.”22

The global financing gap in social protection, including health care, in low-income countries is estimated at US$77.9 billion per year. Though it may seem as a sizeable amount, when considered as a percentage of the GNI of rich countries, the amount becomes negligible. It is clear that donors are not investing as they could in promoting social protection in developing countries, despite its obvious benefits; ODA for social protection represented 0.0047% of the GNI of the DAC countries in 2017, and in 2019 1.17% of total ODA23.

What should the Global Fund for Social Protection look like?

The design and guiding principles of the Global Fund for Social Protection should be that of support for work towards the development of universal social protection, starting with the development of social protection floor guarantees for all.

The Global Fund for Social Protection should be developed within the principles of democratic country ownership, representation and inclusivity, and accountability and transparency. Its governing body should bring together representatives from governments, relevant UN organisations, employers, workers and civil society organizations, including women's rights organizations.

The Global Fund for Social Protection will promote a global vision of solidarity, between Global North and Global South, but also through South-South solidarity by exchanging practices and providing technical support as well as offering financing. The proposal for a Global Fund for Social Protection aims to initiate a virtuous cycle in which international support complements domestic efforts and contributes to capacity-building in developing countries.

International discussions on creating a Global Fund for Social Protection should be guided by the principles of the ILO. The ILO encourages countries to adopt rights-based systems of social protection, implemented in accordance with ILO Recommendation 202 on social protection floors24, and 204 on transition from the informal to the formal economy25, as well as Convention 102 on social security26. The ILO is the leader in establishing internationally agreed principles and is a leading agency in giving practical support to social protection development in countries. The organization works on a tri-partite basis, that of governments, workers and employers, and, as such encourages that social dialogue will be at the heart of the Global Fund for Social Protection’s program of financial and technical support.

The Global Fund for Social Protection will support a coherent approach to social protection from the various international development actors. As well as being extremely low in amount, international ODA for social protection is highly fragmented in terms of financing and approaches. It is argued that, amongst those funding social protection development projects in low-income countries, the World Bank has been implementing a limited, targeted approach to social protection27; which is incompatible with the universal right to social protection specified by international agreements.28 Additionally, such coordination would allow governments a more harmonized dialogue with development actors. The Global Fund for Social Protection can therefore be a space not only for financing, but as one of technical support, system building and coordination over time to deliver universal social protection in line with the ILO standards and their guiding principles.

Functions of the Global Fund

The Global Fund for Social Protection can coordinate and finance technical assistance to countries, especially to support the capacities of local administrations, in particular with labour inspectorates, ministries for social affairs and social protection, and solidarity based financing mechanisms for social insurance, in order to put in place accountable, transparent and participative public finance management modalities, which are a key to a sustainably financed social protection policies.

The Global Fund for Social Protection can promote domestic resource mobilization for social protection, through co-financing of social protection systems, i.e. a joint financial contribution of governments and the Global Fund for Social Protection, and a commitment from governments to increase their investments in social protection. The Global Fund for Social Protection would therefore complement and support domestic efforts to mobilize resources, which would rise gradually. The Global Fund for Social Protection could provide a powerful incentive for governments to invest more in universal social protection; giving a premium to countries placing the establishment of social protection floors at the top of their political priorities.

The Global Fund for Social Protection can provide technical and financial resources to unions and civil society organizations to foster their participation in the planning, implementation and monitoring of the establishment of universal social protection floors in their country29.

The Global Fund for Social Protection can promote a horizontal approach to the design and setting up of social protection policies that are deeply rooted in the local policy process. Other global funds have been criticized for having a “vertical” focus of intervention, operating in silos focused on their particular mandate rather than the major needs of the countries being assisted, as identified in national systems. In the case of the Global Fund for Social Protection, this risk can be tackled by ensuring it covers the horizontal set of policies necessary to end poverty through making a reality of the commitment to the agreed set of human rights necessary for this. Implementation of social protection floors according to the ILO 202 Recommendation will be horizontal as floors encompass basic income security for all people in childhood, parenthood, times of unemployment, when disabled and in old age, as well as access to essential health care. Additionally, the Global Fund for Social Protection will promote coherence across the various national institutions in charge of, or linked to, social protection as well as coherence between social protection and other national policies (employment, skills, etc.).

The Global Fund for Social Protection will actively promote and illustrate impacts of social protection measures that have a transformative approach to gender inequalities, in line with recommendations of women’s grassroot organizations and local feminist activists.

The Global Fund for Social Protection will help countries respond to shocks, by increasing its support to countries affected by severe shocks, to which the national social protection system would be unable to adequately respond.

To conclude, while the financing gap for social protection will not be immediately filled — building social protection floors takes time, and coverage of all left behind populations can only be achieved gradually — the combination of political will, international solidarity, capacity-building and domestic resources mobilization will ensure that it does over time. Establishing a Global Fund for Social Protection is an important step in the right direction to ensure coherence and coordination so that social protection becomes a top political priority in the context of fulfillment of human rights and the current global health and socio-economic crisis generated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

This is why, as countries are implementing recovery plans, and vaccination campaigns are being rolled out, the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors:

• Calls upon the UN system, the ILO, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank Group, and all governments, workers and employers organizations to support the establishment of a Global Fund for Social Protection, to bridge the current financing gap and enable the establishment of universal social protection floors.
• Calls upon the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank Group and G20 States, to promote fairer and more redistributive macro-economic, tax and trade policies, enabling low- and middle-income States to make fiscal space for universal social protection.

Prepared by the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors’ working group on a global financing mechanism for social protection, whose members represent Act Church of Sweden; Action Against Hunger – France; the Africa Platform for Social Protection; Bread for the World – Germany; Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Geneva Office; HelpAge International; the International Trade Union Confederation; Oxfam International; Save the Children; Social Justice in Global Development; We Social Movements; Markus Kaltenborn, Professor of Public Law and director of the Institute of Development Research and Development Politics at Ruhr University Bochum and Michael Cichon, former director of the ILO’s Social Security Department and honorary professor of social protection at the Graduate School of Governance of Maastricht University/United Nations University in the Netherlands, September 2021.

Notes:

e-GCSPF # 60 - October 2021

Video: Virtual Side Event “Decade of Action to achieve Universal Social Protection by 2030”       The video of the virtual side event “Decade of Action to achieve Universal Social Protection by 2030” is now online. The side event on the Theme Austerity & Social Protection was co-hosted by the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF) and the Africa Platform for Social Protection (APSP) and it was held during the Global People's Assembly on 22 September, 2021. Read more           Invitation to join the ad hoc working group on IDA20 of the GCSPF       Members of the Global Coalition have created an ad hoc working group to work on two processes of the World Bank (the IDA20 Replenishment and the Social Protection and Jobs Compass) and they would more than welcome more people and organisations in this effort. The International Development Association (IDA), which is the “soft window” of the World Bank is normally replenished every three years, but this process is now taking place one year earlier than planned, because of the Covid crisis. The so called Social Protection and Jobs Compass is a policy document which will replace the Social Protection and Labour Strategy 2012-2021. The working group aims to influence the wording of these process to push forward universality of social protection and the gender transformative role of social protection. Members of the coalition are currently participating in consultation and lobby processes. Members of the Global Coalition are invited to join the ad hoc working group on IDA20 of the GCSPF. If you want to know more or join the WG please contact Gunnel Axelsson Nycander (Act Church of Sweden) and/or Johanna Wagman (Action Contre La Faim France | ACF-France). Read more           IDA20 and social protection: Comments on proposed policy commitments       The ad hoc group on IDA20 of the GCSPF has prepared a position paper on the draft policy commitments in the IDA20 replenishment document. The document is available here (pdf format) and here (word format). The World Bank launched an early twentieth replenishment process of the International Development Association (IDA), its fund for the world’s poorest countries, aiming to support countries in their recovery from the COVID-19 crisis and transition to green, resilient, and inclusive development. The IDA20 replenishment will conclude in December 2021 with a policy and financial package to support 74 countries between July 2022 and June 2025. Read more           Invitation for the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2021       This year, the theme of IDEP is “Building Forward Together: Ending Persistent Poverty, Respecting all People and our Planet”. The Day will offer an opportunity to hear from those who are at the forefront of fighting poverty while also facing the Covid-19 pandemic and the effects of climate change. The virtual session co-organized by of the International Movement ATD Fourth World, UNDP, UN DESA, the Permanent Missions of France and Burkina Faso to the United Nations, the International Committee for Oct17 and the NGO Committee for Social Development will take place on Zoom, on Friday October 15th, 2021 from 10am to 11:30am EST. Please register here and join us for a time of togetherness and dialogue bringing the expertise and experience of people living in persistent poverty, civil society organizations, UN agencies and government representatives - for the design and implementation of solutions require the mobilization of all sectors of society. Register here           UN Secretary-General's Report “Our Common Agenda”       The UN Secretary-General released his report “Our Common Agenda” that builds on 12 commitment areas identified by Member States in the UN75 Declaration in 2020. Four tracks fed into Our Common Agenda: the Next Generation Fellows youth track, thought leaders, UN Member States, and civil society. Paragraph 28 of the Report refers to social protection and the establishment of a Global Fund for Social Protection. Read more           UNGA76: ITUC supports the Secretary-General's “Global Accelerator for Jobs and Social Protection”           The ITUC has welcomed the Global Accelerator announced by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres and its target for jobs and social protection. The policy brief sets out a target to create at least 400 million jobs by 2030, primarily in the green and care economies, and extend social protection floors by 2025 to about four billion people currently not covered by any measures. The Accelerator was presented during the UN's 76th General Assembly as part of the Financing for Development in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond Initiative (FfDI), a process in which the ITUC has been involved presenting recommendations on Financing Recovery and Building the Economy of the Future. “Our demands have been heard,” said ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow, who participated in the launch event. “The targets of the Accelerator will help to rebuild trust and hope with working people, as it can provide concrete answers to the shocks we face today and will face in the future.” Read more           Invitation Virtual Event: "Between Hunger and the Virus" on the need to strengthen Africa’s social safety net       Human Rights Watch (HRW) is pleased to invite you to a High-Level Panel Between Hunger and the Virus: Why the Covid-19 Pandemic Shows the Need to Fix Africa’s Social Safety Net. HRW and its partner organizations have reported on the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on access to food and livelihoods in Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda. Our research has shown that while African governments have tried to fill gaps in social protection during the pandemic, the vast majority of households have not received any government support. Meanwhile, governments in higher income countries have spent trillions of dollars on financial and in-kind assistance for their populations during the Covid-19 crisis, widening global inequality. This high-level panel, held in advance of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, brings together Human Rights Watch researchers, representatives of impacted communities, and government officials with African and international experts to discuss how to build stronger social protection systems in the wake of the pandemic. When: Thursday, October 14, 2021, at: 9-10.30 am US EDT/1-2.30pm GMT/2-3.30pm WAT/4-5.30pm EAT. Register online via Zoom here: https://hrworg.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__xJiU5-bRSOLnu1BsPZ9vQ           Invitation: ILO Flagship Programme on Building Social Protection Floors for All - Development partners meeting       The ILO will launch the second phase of the SPF Flagship Programme on Building Social Protection Floors for All at the Development Partners Meeting on 7 October 13h – 16h (CEST). The Partners meeting is the opportunity to enhance its partnerships to respond to the needs of constituents, to implement the mandate given by the International Labour Conference to promote universal social protection at country level and globally, and to contribute to the realisation of the SDGs on social protection. Read more.           Welcome to new member: Human Rights Watch       Human Rights Watch (HRW) investigates and reports on abuses happening in all corners of the world. We are roughly 450 people of 70-plus nationalities who are country experts, lawyers, journalists, and others who work to protect the most at risk, from vulnerable minorities and civilians in wartime, to refugees and children in need. We direct our advocacy towards governments, armed groups and businesses, pushing them to change or enforce their laws, policies and practices. To ensure our independence, we refuse government funding and carefully review all donations to ensure that they are consistent with our policies, mission, and values. We partner with organizations large and small across the globe to protect embattled activists and to help hold abusers to account and bring justice to victims. Respect for human rights is closely intertwined with addressing poverty and extreme inequality. HRW research exposes how people experiencing poverty are often more vulnerable to having their rights violated and abuses can further entrench barriers to people meeting their basic needs. We also document how extreme economic inequality contributes to corruption and mismanagement of public resources. We push governments to end abusive policies that contribute to poverty, and advocate respect for human rights that can help achieve the building blocks for a dignified life – such as affordable healthcare, quality education, adequate housing, a living wage, social protection and safe drinking water, as well as the rights to unionize, protest, and participate in political decision-making. Further information can be found here and here. Contact information: Lena Simet, Senior Researcher on Poverty and Inequality

JOIN US TO ACHIEVE SOCIAL PROTECTION FOR ALL GLOBAL COALITION FOR SOCIAL PROTECTION FLOORS - GCSPF For comments, suggestions, collaborations contact us at: info@socialprotectionfloorscoalition.org To stop receiving this newsletter send a message with the subject "unsubscribe" to: info@socialprotectionfloorscoalition.org

The video of the virtual side event “Decade of Action to achieve Universal Social Protection by 2030” is now online. The side event on the Theme Austerity & Social Protection was co-hosted by the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF) and the Africa Platform for Social Protection (APSP) and it was held during the Global People's Assembly on 22 September, 2021.

Panel participants

• Valerie Schmitt: Deputy Director, Social Protection Department, International Labour Organization (ILO) (Download her presentation here)
• Dolline Bussolo: Social Protection and health activist, Kenya (Download here presentation here)
• Aura Sevilla: Focal Person in Southeast Asia and Older Workers, WIEGO (Download her presentation here)
• Omar Faruk Osman: General Secretary of the Federation of Somali Trade Unions (FESTU) (Download his presentation here)
• Sylvia Beales Gelber: Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF)

Read more: the concept note, the speakers bios, the invitation, Global People's Assembly.

Declaration

The Declaration of the Global People's Assembly 2021 “The COVID-19 Wake Up Call: We The People Resist Being Left Behind” is available here.

The chapter on Social Protection is below.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the decrepit state of existing social protection systems. Decades of broken promises, policies that prioritise profits over people and planet, and austerity programmes have gutted social protection, emergency safety nets and essential public services.

While emergency programmes provide relief in times of crisis, they are stopgap measures. The international community and national governments must create a comprehensive, social protection system if the Sustainable Development Goals are to be achieved and bring the ideas of “Leave No One Behind” and “A Life of Dignity for All” to life.

Social protection systems are a proven, direct and fast-acting mechanism to end poverty and reduce inequalities. They unleash individual creativity and capacities, provide resilience in the face of ‘natural’ calamities, pandemics and economic crises, and are an investment in the long-term economic and social growth of countries and communities. Social protection is a universal public good and a human right!

Our Demands

Create and ensure a Universal Social Protection Floor for all, which ensures:

• Access to quality, essential health care, including maternity care
• Income security for children, including access to quality education and nutrition
• Cash transfers for people who are unable to earn sufficient income, including the unemployed, people with disabilities and individuals on parental leave.
• Pension payments for older persons

To realise a Universal Social Protection Floor, the international community must:

• Recommit to achieving SDG 1.3. Countries must “implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable”. Indicators to measure the achievement of SDG 1.3 include disaggregated data showing the proportion of various sectors of the population, including women, children, older persons and vulnerable, covered by social protection systems.
• Establish a Global Fund for Social Protection to provide the technical, advisory and financial resources that low-income countries need to establish and maintain Social Protection Floors. The fund will also support capacity building within and between nations so that countries can learn from each other and put in place sustainable systems that are resilient against external shocks. More details in this Civil Society Call for a Global Fund for Social Protection.

While international funding and technical support is important, it does not replace the responsibility of national and local governments to establish and finance rights-based, national social protection floors.

Governments must:

• Recognise that social protection is a right and public good that must not be politicised.
• Put cash into the hands of people who need it the most, including excluded and marginalised communities, migrants and refugees, older persons, parents on parental leave, people with disabilities, those living in rural areas, indigenous populations, those unable to work and individuals who face gender, ethnical, racial or other forms of discrimination.
• Allocate the resources needed to strengthen existing entitlement programmes and establish a sustainable social protection floor with sustainable financing.
• Remove bureaucratic hurdles to access social protection and prioritise accountability from the bottom up.
• Ensure Decent Work and living wages for workers to reduce inequalities; recognise and deliver social protection to informal workers; establish a benchmark for unpaid care labour.
• Ensure access to education by providing internet connectivity for low-income families and marginalised communities and scholarships for individuals who face discrimination based on work and descent.

The Gender Dimension: The pandemic has made it clearer than ever that developing and resourcing gender-responsive social protection systems is central to combating poverty among women and girls. Social protection systems must cover informal sector workers, including those in unpaid care work. Social protection health schemes must include and cover services specific to the needs of women and girls, in all their diversity, including sexual and reproductive health (SRH), maternal and infant health services, sexual and gender- based violence services and safe abortion care.

Age: Social protection is essential to reduce vulnerabilities in old age. In many countries, older women are more likely to be impoverished than men, a result of lower wages, unpaid care work and longer life expectancy . . . Youth must be provided opportunities to be partners, as well as beneficiaries, in the development of policies and processes that affect their lives.

Marginalisation: Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent face intergenerational discrimination, exclusion from public resources and entitlements, and are routinely segregated despite constitutional and legal protective measures. Individuals from these communities are disproportionately affected by hunger, food insecurity and poverty. Cultural practices, child slavery and trafficking deny millions their right to quality education. Marginalised communities, including persons with disabilities, must be represented in local governments to ensure that their voices are heard and right to social protection realised.

Global People's Assembly, 21 - 23 September 2021
Co-hosted by the following partners:
Action for Sustainable Development (A4SD), Africa Platform for Social Protection (APSD), Asia Civil Society Partnership on Sustainable Development (APSD), Asia Dalits Rights Forum, Asia Development Alliance (ADA), Bread for the World, Germany, Bridging Ventures, CBM, CIVICUS, Coalition for the UN We Need (C4UNWN), CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness (CPDE), Democracy Without Borders, EURODAD, No Profit on Pandemic, FORUS, Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF), GESTOS, Global Forum of Communities of DWD (GFoD), Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP), Global Policy Forum, Gray Panthers, Latindadd, My World Mexico, Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), SDG Watch Europe, Women Engaged for a Common Future (WECF), Women’s Major Group , TAP Network, Trust Africa.

The virtual side event “Decade of Action to achieve Universal Social Protection by 2030” (Theme: Austerity & Social Protection) co-hosted by the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF) and the Africa Platform for Social Protection (APSP) will be held during the Global People's Assembly.

The virtual Global People's Assembly is part of the Global Week of Action for the SDGs and is organised in parallel to the UN General Assembly (UNGA).

Decade of Action to achieve Universal Social Protection by 2030

Cohosted by the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF) and Africa Platform for Social Protection (APSP)

Theme: Austerity & Social Protection

Date and time: Wednesday 22nd September 12- 13.15 GMT / Virtual event

Link to Register: Registration for Global People's Assembly https://forms.gle/FS8SgXoJCmq2QY8w9

The virtual side event will be at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81154826226

French and Spanish translation will be offered.

Panel format

The event will take the form of a moderated dialogue between experts and activists, with conclusions and recommendations feeding into the GCAPs Peoples Assembly Declaration and to be used to support social protection advocacy with governments and civil society.

Moderation: Gabriel Fernandez: Africa Platform for Social Protection (APSP)

Panel participants

• Olivier De Schutter: UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights
• Valerie Schmitt: Deputy Director, Social Protection Department, International Labour Organization (ILO)
• Dolline Bussolo: Social Protection and health activist, Kenya
• Aura Sevilla: Focal Person in Southeast Asia and Older Workers, WIEGO
• Omar Faruk Osman, General Secretary of the Federation of Somali Trade Unions (FESTU)

Read more: the concept note, the speakers bios, Global People's Assembly.

Background context

Social protection is essential to achieve the 2030 Agenda. Social protection is not only a universal human right, investing in social protection also brings high social and economic returns.

There is global commitment to SDG 1 target 1.3 ‘To implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable’. But half the world’s population currently does not have access to any social protection, with coverage remaining particularly limited in most low-income countries. Those who lack access to social protection guarantees - which include essential services and basic income across the life course - include workers in the informal economy, marginalized children, people with disabilities, older women and men, refugees and migrants, and homeless persons.

We are entering the decade of action to achieve Agenda 2030 under extremely difficult circumstances. The impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the depth and breadth of social and economic inequalities and is set to push up to 150 million people into extreme poverty , and 150 million children into multidimensional poverty . Governments have responded to Covid-19 by introducing or scaling up social protection measures to ameliorate the impact of job losses, impoverishment and the increase of inequalities in their countries.

Countries with established social protection systems have shown themselves to be in a much better position to cope with the social and economic fallout of Covid-19, to respond faster, more effectively and more efficiently than countries who have had to introduce new schemes on an ad hoc emergency basis. Covid-19 has focussed minds on the importance of social protection guarantees to health and income, enabling access to education, food and housing. The positive impact of social protection on long-term poverty and inequality has been demonstrated. Many countries are realizing the need for and the long-term benefits of universal, comprehensive and adequate social protection, based on sustainable and equitable financing, tripartite administration and anchored in law.

The Ministerial Declaration of the High Level Political Forum singles out social protection as a core policy to respond to Covid and to achieve Goal 1. The ILO has been tasked to recommend an action plan to achieve this for presentation to the International Labour Conference of November 2021.

However there is evidence that austerity plans are coming back into focus even though it is clear that their impact is heaviest on the poorest and their benefits are mainly for the already affluent, increasing already unacceptable levels of inequality.

Objectives of the panel

This panel will promote action on social protection guarantees by presenting evidence from experts and grassroots activists on why universal social protection is critical to the success of the 2030 Agenda, how social protection can prevent long-term poverty traps as a result of the ongoing crisis, how it will underpin resilient recovery and contribute to future crisis preparedness, how it will reduce inequalities and why efforts to introduce austerity programmes must be resisted.

The event will explore the role of national social dialogue and the global partnership for universal social protection. It will present the case for a global mechanism to support countries to create comprehensive systems, to collect necessary data and to mobilize finance to ensure universal coverage of social protection which is properly integrated into national development agendas, with funds used to transition social protection financing from being donor dependent to that of sustainable budgets within national budgets.

In the words of the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights: ‘The proposal for a global fund for social protection is not that taxpayers from rich countries pay for social protection in poor countries. It is, rather, to kick-start a virtuous cycle in which international support matches domestic efforts and contributes to capacity-building in low-income countries.’

The virtual Global People's Assembly is part of the Global Week of Action for the SDGs and is organised in parallel to the UN General Assembly (UNGA).

We are in the middle of a global inequality crisis. COVID-19 has made this worse - the vaccine inequality divides even more. We need a strong people's voice for global justice. Civl society including representatives from organisations of women, youth, older persons and marginalised people from all over the world will come together in the Global People's Assembly. They bring the perspectives from communities - including from People's Assemblies organised in 30 countries. The participants will prepare a declaration, which will be presented to the governments at the UNGA and the UN leadership.

Global People's Assembly, 21 - 23 September 2021
Co-hosted by the following partners:
Action for Sustainable Development (A4SD), Africa Platform for Social Protection (APSD), Asia Civil Society Partnership on Sustainable Development (APSD), Asia Dalits Rights Forum, Asia Development Alliance (ADA), Bread for the World, Germany, Bridging Ventures, CBM, CIVICUS, Coalition for the UN We Need (C4UNWN), CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness (CPDE), Democracy Without Borders, EURODAD, No Profit on Pandemic, FORUS, Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF), GESTOS, Global Forum of Communities of DWD (GFoD), Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP), Global Policy Forum, Gray Panthers, Latindadd, My World Mexico, Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), SDG Watch Europe, Women Engaged for a Common Future (WECF), Women’s Major Group , TAP Network, Trust Africa.

The ad hoc group on IDA20 of the GCSPF has prepared a position paper on the draft policy commitments in the IDA20 replenishment document. The document is available here (pdf format) and here (word format).

The World Bank launched an early twentieth replenishment process of the International Development Association (IDA), its fund for the world’s poorest countries, aiming to support countries in their recovery from the COVID-19 crisis and transition to green, resilient, and inclusive development. The IDA20 replenishment will conclude in December 2021 with a policy and financial package to support 74 countries between July 2022 and June 2025.

e-GCSPF # 59 - September 2021

World Social Protection Report 2020-2022 Social protection at the crossroads: in pursuit of a better future       The ILO World Social Protection Report 2020-2022, Social protection at the crossroads: in pursuit of a better future (pdf version) provides a global overview of recent developments in social protection systems, including social protection floors, and covers the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on new data, it offers a broad range of global, regional and country data on social protection coverage, benefits and public expenditures. Following a life-cycle approach, the report analyses progress with regard to universal social protection coverage, with a particular focus on achieving the globally agreed 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The report includes access to comprehensive statistical tables containing the latest social protection data, including detailed country data on SDG indicator 1.3.1. Read more           Welcome letter the new Secretary General of OECD       On August 2021 the GCSPF sent a welcome letter to Mathias Cormann, new Secretary General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). As a key actor in international economic and social policy and a major representative of a group of the highest income countries, the OECD has, as part of its mandate, a critical role in the definition and implementation of development cooperation, a task of overarching and fundamental importance. Read more           ‘African Dialogue on COVID-19 and the Future of Social Protection’       These blog posts summarise the reflections presented at the webinars “ACTIONS of African governments to expand social protection during COVID-19”, “Africa’s VISION to expand social protection and build forward better from COVID-19” and “VOICES of Africans affected by the COVID-19 crisis: Experiences on the impacts of COVID-19 on the incomes, livelihoods and wellbeing” held on June 2021. These sessions are part of a series of discussions jointly organised by the African Union, the Africa Social Protection Platform, HelpAge International, WIEGO, Save the Children, the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) – Zambia, and the ILO Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa. The recordings and presentations are available and can be accessed online. Read more           Phenix Center: Impact of COVID-19 on Youth in the Labor Market       The study “Social and Economic Impact of the Coronavirus on the Employment of Young People in Jordan”, prepared by the Phenix Center for Economic and Informatics Studies, explored opportunities for young people in different sectors and economic activities, the skills needed for young people to be able to enter the labor market in light of the pandemic, and highlighted the impact of the pandemic on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Jordan. The study noted that the employment of young men and women in Jordan is more concentrated in some specific sectors and economic activities – such as the tourism, transportation and services industries. These sectors were hit particularly badly by the pandemic, and as such many employees within those sectors lost their jobs. Additionally, all supply chains associated with food markets and restaurants – in which young people tend to be employed – were also harmed by the pandemic. The study also found that response policies implemented during the crisis did not take into account the needs of young people with disabilities. Read more           ASEAN Regional Forum on Social Protection that Empowers Women       The virtual ASEAN Regional Forum on Social Protection that Empowers Women organized by OXFAM was held on 29 - 30 June 2021. The forum brought together social protection experts, national and international organizations, civil society organizations, UN agencies, ASEAN Committee on Women, ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Social Welfare and Development empowerment and advancement. Aura Sevilla (WIEGO), Florencia Caro Sachetti (CIPPEC, Argentina), Evelyn Astor (ITUC), María Victoria Raquiza (Social Watch Philippines, Philippines) members of the Global Coalition participated on the Forum and spoke about the Global Fund. Further information can be found here. The videos are here.           HRW Job Vacancy: Deputy Director, Business and Human Rights Division       Human Rights Watch (HRW) is seeking experienced applicants for the position of Deputy Director in the Business and Human Rights Division to serve as a key strategist for our growing body of work on Poverty and Inequality and to work with the Director and the staff on corporate accountability. The Deputy will report to and work alongside the Director to ensure the highest standards of research and advocacy, develop and implement the division’s strategy, liaise with other parts of the organization, and help manage an increasingly growing staff focused on human rights in the global economy. The successful candidate will have demonstrated experience developing and implementing strategic human rights interventions and understand how to bring innovate approaches to research, advocacy and communications to effect change. Application deadline: September 30. Read more.

JOIN US TO ACHIEVE SOCIAL PROTECTION FOR ALL GLOBAL COALITION FOR SOCIAL PROTECTION FLOORS - GCSPF For comments, suggestions, collaborations contact us at: info@socialprotectionfloorscoalition.org To stop receiving this newsletter send a message with the subject "unsubscribe" to: info@socialprotectionfloorscoalition.org

On August 2021 the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors sent a letter to Mathias Cormann, Secretary General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). See the letter below, pdf version here.

26 August 2021

Mr. Mathias Cormann
Secretary-General
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

Dear Mathias Cormann,

On behalf of the entire membership of the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF), the Coalition’s core group of founding members congratulates you on your appointment to the position of Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

As a key actor in international economic and social policy and a major representative of a group of the highest income countries, the OECD has, as part of its mandate, a critical role in the definition and implementation of development cooperation, a task of overarching and fundamental importance.

The Global Coalition is a growing international civil society alliance of 110 non-governmental organizations, trade unions and think tanks working for social protection and, in the first instance, for national floors of social protection. There are large gaps in social protection worldwide, not only in low-income countries, but also in higher-income countries and member States of the OECD. Among other things, we are actively involved in current discussions on the establishment of a Global Fund for Social Protection to enable the lowest income countries to achieve social protection floors. Last year in September, the French government, together with the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, organized a High-Level Expert Meeting on "Establishing a Global Fund – Social Protection for All." OECD staff participated at this meeting in a very constructive way furthering discussion on a new international financing mechanism.

We note that full implementation of social protection floors in lowest income countries has been estimated by the International Labour Organization to cost roughly 0.13 per cent of the collective national income of OECD member States at the outset, far below their objective of giving 0.7 per cent of collective gross national income (GNI) as official development assistance (ODA) and even less than half of the current sum of OECD members’ ODA of 0.3 per cent of GNI.

Yet, the imperative to invest in sustainable social protection systems globally must be squarely addressed to put a stop to - and reverse - increasing inequality, essential to poverty eradication and to the eventual achievement of globally inclusive and sustainable economic growth. Positive conditionalities, the demonstrated multiplier effects of social protection and consequent increased financial capacity of recipient economies will be the pillars of the resilience and sustainability of social protection systems.

We note also the critical and remarkable progress spearheaded by OECD on international collaboration to end tax avoidance, and welcome OECD’s continuing active engagement in ongoing debates on global social protection in that context. We uphold the position that significant tax recoveries should benefit a new, dedicated international financing mechanism for social protection, fundamental to poverty eradication and inclusive economic growth, and believe that OECD is in the best position to enable that end.

Please accept, Sir, the assurances of our highest regard and sincere expression of our full collaboration.

Your sincerely,
on behalf of the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors

e-GCSPF # 58 - August 2021

Recording for HLPF Side Event: “Decade of Action to achieve Universal Social Protection by 2030”       The virtual side event “Decade of Action to achieve Universal Social Protection by 2030” took place on 12 July 2021 during the High-level Political Forum 2021. The event was co-organized by the Permanent Mission of Argentina to the United Nations; Ministry of National Development Planning, Indonesia; Global Partnership for Universal Social Protection - USP2030; Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors; Global Call to Action Against Poverty; International Labour Organization; The World Bank; International Network for Social Protection Rights (INSP!R West-Africa); United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD); Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung; Protestant Agency for Diakonie und Development; Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd; Centro de Implementación de Políticas Públicas para la Equidad y el Crecimiento (CIPPEC). Watch the recording           “Pushing the frontiers: Women and public services”       From gender-responsive to gender-transformative public services. This briefing paper by the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR) aims to explore the role of public services in the transformation of asymmetrical power relations between women and men. The publication argues that public services can play a decisive role in this transformation, by fostering a critical examination of gender roles, redistributing resources and opportunities and strengthening positive social practices that enhance gender equality. It puts forward five key elements for a gender-transformative approach to the management, delivery, funding and ownership of public services. Public services enable us to tackle not only the consequences, but also the systemic and underlying factors—the uneven power imbalances — underpinning gender inequality. Read more           Report “Between Hunger and the Virus”       On July 2021 Human Rights Watch & Empowerment Initiatives (JEI) released the Report “Nigeria: Covid-19 Impact Worsens Hunger in Lagos” that documents how a five-week lockdown, rising food prices, and a prolonged economic downturn have had a devastating impact on informal workers, slum dwellers, and other urban poor families in Lagos. The absence of a functioning social security system meant that government assistance, including cash transfers and food handouts, reached only a fraction of people going hungry. The report also shows the need for increased international support for expanding the right to social security, including a reference to the Global Fund for Social Protection, to support expanded social security in the wake of the pandemic. The Global Fund could present an alternative to loans that may impose austerity measures that could harm human rights and increase poverty and inequality in the coming years. Read more           Family-Friendly Policies for Workers in the Informal Economy       Social protection and care systems for children and families during COVID-19 and beyond. The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented, disastrous impact on the ability of people to balance work and care for their children and families. This policy brief is an outcome of a collaboration between Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO), UNICEF and the International Labour Organization (ILO) in advocating for family-friendly policies to protect and ensure social protection and care systems that are good for children, good for women and good for the economy. The policy brief features an increased focus on the well-being and working conditions of caregivers in the informal economy and their children’s development in low- and middle-income countries. The brief highlights the need to consider sustainable policy and protection responses instead of quick, short-term measures for more gender-transformative and equitable solutions. This represents a critical gap which, if not addressed, will make our goals to tackle child poverty, hunger and gender inequality – and fulfil the SDGs – impossible to achieve. Read more           Impacts of Covid 19 on persons with disabilities in Lebanon       Moussa Chrafeddine, President of I’DAD-Friends of the Disabled Association Persons with disabilities in Lebanon represent between 10 and 15% of the total population of 7 million, totaling approximately to around 910,000 (K4D report). As in many parts of the world, people with disabilities in Lebanon are among the most excluded and marginalized population groups. They contend with a systemic lack of provisions for rights, resources, and services and experience widespread marginalization, exclusion and violence at home and outside. This applies to all areas of their lives including access to quality care facilities. With the Lebanese economy practically in freefall, poverty and unemployment rates have reached records high, with disproportionately adverse impacts on persons with disabilities, among other most vulnerable groups. Read more           Leave No Woman Behind Reports       Responding together is key to overcome the COVID social, economic and health crisis caused by the pandemic. The Leave No Woman Behind 6 part mini-series of publications investigates regional and thematic dynamics which perpetuate multiple discrimination of women but also propose policy-based solutions. The goal of the Leave No Woman Behind project is that women who face multiple discriminations, exploitation, abuse and/or violence take part in national and global processes to protect their rights and work for the implementation of the SDGs to ensure that no woman is left behind. In the first phase, the project works mainly with women and girls with disabilities. Read more                   Gala Díaz Langou, CIPPEC’s new Executive Director       As of May 2021, Gala Díaz Langou is the new Executive Director of CIPPEC (Center for the Implementation of Public Policies Promoting Equity and Growth), Argentina. Gala, who has been director of CIPPEC’s Social Protection Program since 2016, is founder and member of the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors, the Childhood Debt collective (Infancia en Deuda), the Equality Agenda initiative (AgendaxlaIgualdad), Humanin Haus and is also argentine delegate for the Women 20 (W20). As head of CIPPEC’s Social Protection Program, Gala promoted research and public policy recommendations on poverty, childhood, employment, social security and gender economic inequalities. She has a comprehensive approach on all these issues, with special concern for the feasibility and sustainability of social policies and the convergence of macroeconomics with development strategies. Read more

JOIN US TO ACHIEVE SOCIAL PROTECTION FOR ALL GLOBAL COALITION FOR SOCIAL PROTECTION FLOORS - GCSPF For comments, suggestions, collaborations contact us at: info@socialprotectionfloorscoalition.org To stop receiving this newsletter send a message with the subject "unsubscribe" to: info@socialprotectionfloorscoalition.org

The virtual side event “Decade of Action to achieve Universal Social Protection by 2030” took place on 12 July 2021 during the High-level Political Forum 2021.

The virtual side event was co-organized by the Permanent Mission of Argentina to the United Nations; Ministry of National Development Planning, Indonesia; Global Partnership for Universal Social Protection - USP2030; Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors; Global Call to Action Against Poverty; International Labour Organization; The World Bank; International Network for Social Protection Rights (INSP!R West-Africa); United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD); Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung; Protestant Agency for Diakonie und Development; Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd; Centro de Implementación de Políticas Públicas para la Equidad y el Crecimiento (CIPPEC).

Read more: the concept note, the invitation, the speakers bios, further information.

AGENDA

Moderator: Dr. Katja Hujo, Senior Research Coordinator, Transformative Social Policy Programme, UNRISD

Session 1: The Contribution of Universal Social Protection to Agenda 2030

• Dr. Shahra Razavi, Director of the Social Protection Department of the International Labour Organisation. (notes)

• Dr. Michal Rutkowski, Global Director, Social Protection and Jobs, The World Bank:
  Universal social protection - a key contribution to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda
  (SDG 1, 2, 3, 8, 10, 12, 13, 16, 17)

• Dr. Maliki, Director, Poverty Alleviation and Community Empowerment, Ministry of National Development Planning, Indonesia (notes, presentation):
  Universal social protection for a resilient recovery and future crisis preparedness

• Roshni K. Niggehalli, Wada Na Todo Abhiyan (WNTA), on behalf of Global Call for Action Against Poverty India (notes):
  Universal social protection – an essential instrument to reduce Inequality (SDG 10)

Session 2: Partnership for Joint Action

• Uzziel Twagilimana, INSP!R West-Africa, on behalf of the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (notes):
  The strength of national social dialogue to build universal social protection

• Erika Roffler, Secretary of Social Policy, Ministry of Social Development, Argentina (notas):
  The opportunities of a strong Global Partnership for Universal Social Protection (USP2030)

• Prof. Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights:
  How a Global Fund for Social Protection will enable social protection coverage for those left furthest behind

• Catherine Gigante, Head of Unit, Social Development, Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation, Belgium (notes):
  Comments and reactions on a Global Fund for Social Protection