Financing Social Protection: A National and International Responsibility

briefingThe Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural  Rights has elaborated the right to social protection’s normative content, as well as the core obligations governments have in respect of social protection. Furthermore, the ICESCR (International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights) states that the full realisation of the rights recognised in its Covenant on ESCR should be achieved -inter alia -through international assistance and co-operation. It follows from this that the provision of social security for everyone is also an international responsibility.

National societies and their governments are the first in line to implement and finance social protection, but in particular low-income countries may need the support from the global community to eradicate extreme poverty and establish social protection systems. Against this background, the debate on international financing options should be intensified.

Given that national economies worldwide lose significant financial resources as a result of illicit financial flows, for example through money laundering and tax evasion, the international community should put more effort into controlling tax havens and tax exemption systems designed for international investment. Global cooperation is central to combating international tax avoidance and evasion. The lack of an international agenda in tax matters costs all governments a great amount of resources that could be invested into social protection.

In addition, new and effective taxes will have to be applied to the financial sector, such as taxes on financial transactions and financial activities. These resources could be budgeted for national social protection systems.

At present, there are no effective ways to manage debt rescheduling and debt relief. Debt service competes with development spending even in countries that do not suffer from an acute debt crisis. The possibilities of debt reduction and cancellation have to be explored to end the debt crisis and to allow countries to spend resources for i.e. social protection and poverty eradication.

In particular for low-income countries the financial support of other countries is indispensable, possibly at a progressively decreasing rate. Some countries may also need additional outside financing in times of crisis. This could be in the form of a special financing window within the context of existing global or regional institutions, or through the establishment of a specific fund for the financing of national social protection floors. A fund could provide re-insurance for countries where shock-related risks currently make it difficult for states to stick to their development trajectories.

In this context, any engagement of private institutions, particularly actors of “philanthrocapitalism”, has to be transparent, closely monitored, regulated and controlled by national governments, civil society and the international community.

The financing of social protection should eventually be based on sustainable and sufficient national resources, and a fair international trade and financial system.

Moreover, new approaches have to be elaborated that correspond to the global migration of labour. This development cannot easily be challenged by nationally defined systems, and it needs more intensive international cooperation such as the portability of entitlements for migrants.

Finally, further analysis is needed to ascertain the root causes of the structures and processes that lead to the rapid accumulation of wealth. It is not enough to create redistribution mechanisms, such as through social security, but it is necessary to challenge both the accumulation of wealth and the idea of infinite economic growth. Inequality is a major barrier to sustainable human development, as it has detrimental effects on both individuals and societies, and it makes it difficult to reduce poverty overall.

 Luise Steinwachs, Brot für die Welt, Germany

See the full briefing paper Winning the Fight against Poverty and Inequality

72_SOLIDAR_Briefing_Cover_webSocial security is a human right. More than 60 years ago, article 22 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights declared ‘Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security’.

Nevertheless, the everyday life of billions of people around the world, from North to South and from East to West, shows that access to adequate social protection remains a privilege for the few. This is not just a reality in developing countries, but in Europe as well. Those groups with the highest risk of exclusion – such as the 20.1 million non-EU citizens living in the EU or the so-called NEETs (young people between 15 and 24 years not in employment, education or training) – are more likely to lack access to adequate ‘social protection floors’ (access to essential services and measures that guarantee income support).

The ongoing negotiations on the post-2015 international development cooperation framework aimed at setting global goals will provide a unique opportunity to push for the full realisation of the right to social security for everyone by 2030.

The European Council Conclusions on post-2015 to be adopted on December 12 will be a step in this direction.

In this context, the Briefing paper Winning the Fight against Poverty and Inequality - developed by SOLIDAR, Brot für die Welt, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in cooperation with the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors - calls national Governments to

  • Recognise that social protection is a human right which enables the fulfilment of other rights.
  • Support the inclusion of an implementation target, by 2030, of universal and comprehensive social protection systems and quality nationally-defined social protection floors (such as outlined in ILO Recommendation 202), in the post-2015 development cooperation framework ’.
  • Support the CSO’s role in the design, monitoring, evaluation and, where relevant, the implementation of universal social protection systems and floors (including the design of legal frameworks).

The Briefing echoes the demands (full version demands can be found here72_SOLIDAR_Briefing_Fighting Poverty and Inequality_Final ) raised by more than 30 CSOs to EU Governments representatives sent in November this year.

Let us all work together for Universal and Comprehensive Social Protection!

Universal Social Protection Advocacy TourFrom 4 till 6 November 2014 the UNIVERSAL SOCIAL PROTECTION ADVOCACY TOUR took place. The tour was organised by the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors, SOLIDAR, Brot für die Welt and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung with the participation, among others, of the Arab NGO Network for Development (Lebanon), the Phoenix Center (Jordan), the African Platform for Social Protection (Kenya), the Trade Union Confederation (Ghana), the CIPPEC (Argentina), SEWA (India), HelpAge and the Asia Europe People Forum (The Philippines).

The Tour included dialogue with CSOs advocating for Universal Social Protection and Tax Justice as well as exchanges with EU representatives (Members of the European Parliament, Permanent Representation officials, European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) representatives, and European Commission officials) to advocate for the inclusion of universal and comprehensive social protection systems and floors in the post-2015 development framework. The dialogue has been covered on twitter through #SocialProtection4All.

The Tour highlighted the role that different EU institutions can play in the pledge for the implementation of Universal Social Protection systems.

Read the full summary and related policy recommendations here.

Photos of the tour can be found here.

 

21 November 2014, side-event at the official meeting of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Palais Wilson, Geneva, Switzerland. The Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors appeals to the members of the CESCR to issue a statement recognizing the ILO's Social Protection Floors Recommendation 202 as instrumental to the realization of the right to social security.

04 November 2014, Brussels

The Tour targeted the European Union (EU) institutions, to seek their support for the inclusion of universal social protection systems and floors in the post-2015 development framework. The Tour included a public event at the European Parliament and closed doors meetings with Brussels based CSOs, EU institutions and EU Governments Representatives.

Universal and Comprehensive Social Protection Systems and Floors: Essential to Fight Poverty and Inequality - During the week of 3 November 2014, the UNIVERSAL SOCIAL PROTECTION ADVOCACY TOUR – targeting European Union Representatives- was organised by the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors, SOLIDAR, Brot für die Welt and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung with the participation, among others, of the Arab NGO Network for Development - ANND (Lebanon), the Phoenix Center (Jordan), the African Platform for Social Protection (Kenya), the Trade Union Confederation (Ghana), CIPPEC (Argentina), SEWA (India), HelpAge International and the Asia Europe People Forum (The Philippines).

The Tour included dialogue with CSOs advocating for Universal Social Protection and Tax Justice as well as exchanges with EU representatives (Members of the European Parliament, Permanent Representation officials, European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) representatives, and European Commission officials) to advocate for the inclusion of universal and comprehensive social protection systems and floors in the post-2015 development framework. The dialogue has been covered on twitter through#SocialProtection4All. The full overview of the demands raised can be found here.

A social protection floor for everyone: a universal rights-based development goal

Well into the 21st century, the world remains an unfair, unequal, insecure and unhealthy place for the majority of people. At global level, four out of five persons do not have access to comprehensive social protection. About 80 per cent of the global population live in social insecurity and face a complete loss of income security when a personal or national economic crisis strikes. We, the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors promote social protection floors as key instruments to achieve the overarching social goal of the global development agenda. Social protection is one of the foundations for inclusive, equitable and sustainable development.

The Global Coalition holds that the two-dimensional strategy of the Recommendation, extending basic social security guarantees to all and ensuring improved quality of protection be adopted as a guide in developing an overarching social protection goal for social development in the framework of the post-2015 development agenda.

To track progress in accordance with this strategy, the targets, target levels and indicators to monitor realization of the two objectives are outlined in the table.

The Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors promotes the right of all people residing in a country to social security, regardless of documentation.  Accordingly, there is no reference in this framework to the citizenship status of any person residing within the borders of a country or recognized territory.

Global Coalition demands the right to social security for all at the Human Rights Council - On 6 March 2014, the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors, speaking via a video message, recommended to the Human Rights Council to:
• call on states to take appropriate measures and steps with a view to respecting, protecting and fulfilling the right to social protection of all individuals regardless of their social, economic or religious backgrounds. In particular, states must ensure the participation of vulnerable and marginalised groups in the design and implementation of laws and policies on social protection within their jurisdictions.
• Recognize, in its Resolution on the Question of the realization in all countries of economic, social and cultural rights, the International Labour Organization's Social Protection Floors Recommendation 202 as instrumental to the realization of the right to social security.
• To ensure that all economic, social and cultural rights are an integral part of the Universal Periodic Review process and that Member States are requested to report on the status of economic, social, and cultural rights along with civil and political rights. We further recommend the Council to engage with member states during the review process on steps that have been taken for the realisation of the right to social security for all.

Watch the video statement (at 01:55:04)
Read the speech by Priti Darooka, India on behalf of the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors.

06 March 2014, Human Rights Council, Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland

"Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors, speaking via a video message, said the right to social security was a key instrument to the realization of all human rights with dignity, because the world today was an unfair, unequal, insecure and unhealthy place for the majority of people. Universal social security entitlements and improved quality of protection should be adopted as a guide in developing an overarching goal for social development in the Post-2015 development agenda."

Read the documentation of the whole segment

HRC presentation by Priti Darooka SPF

Civil Society Call for a Global Fund for Social Protection

Over 200 civil society organizations and trade unions unite to call for a Global Fund for Social Protection to protect the most vulnerable during COVID-19 and beyond.

Read the Call

SP&PFM Programme

The programme Improving Synergies Between Social Protection and Public Finance Management provides medium-term support to multiple countries aiming to strengthen their social protection systems at a national level and ensure sustainable financing. The programme aims to support countries in their efforts towards achieving universal social protection coverage.

This initiative is implemented jointly by the ILO, Unicef, and the GCSPF.

Read more

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