GCSPF E-Newsletter #1 - June 2017

Members of the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors submitted comments on the draft General Comment of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) on Business activities and human rights. The meeting was held in Geneva, Switzerland on February 2017.
In the document the crucial role of business on decent work and the financing of social protection floors was recognized. A number of general comments were included and also pleaded for tax justice at the international level to make sure that social protection floors can be properly financed. Read more

Members of the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors presented a statement at the fifty-fifth session of the Commission for Social Development (CSocD55) held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on February 2017.
The choice of Strategies for the Eradication of Poverty to Achieve Sustainable Development for All as the priority theme of the 55th session of the Commission for Social Development is timely and of utmost importance as it firmly embeds anti-poverty efforts undertaken globally and nationally in the context of the SDG framework. Striking a balance between social, environmental and economic goals is essential to ensure that the benefits of growth reach all people, especially those still living in poverty. Evidence confirms that eradication of poverty can bring numerous opportunities and benefits to society, facilitating concrete actions on the road towards sustainable development. At the same time, it is widely recognized that the effective efforts aimed at poverty eradication are closely linked to mitigation and adaptation policies. Read more

The meeting “Social Protection and Sustainable Development Goals: A Joint Agenda” brought together Core Group members of the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors and Latin American social protection experts for three days in Buenos Aires. The exchange with the experts over the first two days resulted in technical and methodological recommendations as to how best to link Social Protection Floors and Social Development Goals, as well as a thorough analysis of the social protection challenges and opportunities in each world region. The third and last session dealt with future planning for the Coalition and resulted in several concrete decisions. It was agreed that the GCSPF ought to focus on helping build national coalitions in selected countries, as well as supporting one regional coalition, that of the Southern Cone in South America. Read more

“The universal and potentially 'transformative' character of the USPF has broad appeal to many rights-based advocates” explained Victoria Raquiza, co-convenor of Social Watch Philippines at the start of a debate convened by SWP and UNICEF in Manila, last April 26. “While acknowledging the strides made in social protection such as through the conditional cash transfer program (Pantawid Pamilya), PhilHealth and pensions for the elderly, social protection remains fragmented, inaccessible and unreachable to may Filipinos.” Speakers from the governmental Department of Social Welfare and Development, National Anti-Poverty Commission, and the Coalition of Services of the Elderly reacted to the propositions of UNIEF, the ILO and Social Watch Philippines. Read more

“Informal labor is not a marginal issue in Arab countries. It is a core component of modern Arab economies and the distribution of work therein and is doomed to expand under current policies,” explained Samir Aita, lead researcher of the Arab NGO Network on Development (ANND) at the launch of the 2017 edition of the Arab Watch on Economic and Social Rights, last May 8 in Beirut.
The report, launched publicly at the American University, concludes that the “highest percentages of lack of formality are in countries with the least strict laws and bureaucracies, and vice versa. This goes against the stereotype that says that informality is a result of strict laws and bureaucracies.” It also concludes that “informal labor in Arab countries is mostly waged labor, except in rare cases, which contradicts another idea that says that informal labor is a choice, as young people entering the job market have no choice but to find any type of livelihood, no matter how fragile or temporary.” Read more

Social protection has become prominent in the global development agenda over recent decades, with social protection systems now being included as a target under Sustainable Development Goal 1: “End poverty in all its forms everywhere”. This issue of Policy in Focus presents a wide range of both theoretical and practical perspectives, to contribute towards the promotion of gender equality through social protection. It features a wide range of contributions from women policy practitioners and scholars, presenting case studies and reflections from Brazil and various African countries. Read more