Location:	Online, Zoom  (https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYsc-qtqTgrE9SnIIq5oLZYCd_geocWOB2B)
Date:	4 October, 2023
Time:	3 – 4 pm (CEST)

Agenda 

3:00 - 3:05	Moderator Farah Al Shami, Arab Reform Initiative
3:05 - 3:25	Global testimonies on the challenges of poverty targeting and pension privatization Allana Kembabazi, ISER, Uganda Sarala Emmanuel, Feminist Collective for Economic Justice in Colombo, Sri Lanka Guillermo Zuccotti, CGT, Argentina Manuel Riesco, CENDA Foundation, Chile
3:25 – 3:35	Questions & Answers
3:35 - 3:45	Introduction to the universal Social Security Campaign Isabel Ortiz, Global Social Justice
3:45 – 4:00	Stand up for the Right to Social Security! Closing remarks from campaign organizers

        
    Additional information

Interpretation will be provided for Arabic and Spanish . Please register at this link.

         
   Background and Context

Cascading crises – from the pandemic to conflict and the climate breakdown – are exposing social tensions and deepening fractures arising from an economic approach that has emphasized growth with little regard to human rights, the equitable distribution of resources, or the environment. The erosion of public services, social security/protection and labor rights, have increased inequality and enabled an elite few to capture the vast majority of global resources, posing one of the most pressing threats to human rights of our time.

Correcting course demands transforming economies, social policies, development paradigms, and the international financial architecture to enable states to fulfill their human rights obligations. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, which play a key role in responding to these crises, have a critical opportunity to contribute to transformative change, yet they are continuing the same failed policies and practices.

The World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) will meet in Marrakech, Morocco, 9-15 October, and the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors – supported by many other civil society organizations and trade unions – is launching a campaign to highlight key demands to end the injustice that more than 4 billion people in the world face every day without social protection coverage:

• The IFIs should commit to support states to realize the right to social security by setting up or strengthening rights-aligned universal social protection systems, beginning with the establishment of social protection floors.
• The World Bank should immediately stop developing, and phase out existing, poverty-targeting programs and replace them with universal programs. It should strengthen a fair distribution of resources by coupling universal social security with fiscal reforms that reduce inequality.
• The IMF and the World Bank should support equitable and sustainable public social security systems in accordance with international standards that include adequate employers’ contributions and ensure income security.
• The IMF should stop austerity policies that increase social spending in one sector at the expense of other rights and replace universal systems with means-testing. It should redesign programs to consistently promote universal social security and universal quality public services. It should ensure that spending on health, education, and social security meets, at a minimum, international benchmarks as a percentage of GDP and national budgets. 

You are kindly invited to take part in the launch event, on 4 October 2023 (3 – 4 pm, CEST - Confirm your local time here) by registering through this link https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYsc-qtqTgrE9SnIIq5oLZYCd_geocWOB2B).

Further information about the campaign is available here. Please sign on to the statement using this link HERE, and help us spread the word and encourage others for endorsements.

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LANZAMIENTO DE LA CAMPAÑA:
SEGURIDAD SOCIAL PARA TODOS: PILAR CLAVE DEL NUEVO CONTRATO ECO-SOCIAL

Fecha: 4 de Octubre de 2023
Horario: 1 – 2 pm UTC. Puedes confirmar tu hora local aquí.

Registrate aquí para el lanzamiento virtual:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYsc-qtqTgrE9SnIIq5oLZYCd_geocWOB2B

Habrá interpretación al árabe y al español.

Agenda

Moderadora: Farah Al Shami, Arab Reform Initiative

Testimonios de todo el mundo sobre los retos de la lucha contra la pobreza y la privatización de las pensiones

• Allana Kembabazi, ISER, Uganda
• Sarala Emmanuel, Feminist Collective for Economic Justice in Colombo, Sri Lanka
• Guillermo Zuccotti, CGT, Argentina
• Manuel Riesco, Fundación CENDA, Chile

Presentación de la Campaña Seguridad social para todos. Isabel Ortiz, Global Social Justice

Defendamos el derecho a la Seguridad Social!

Antecedentes y contexto

Las crisis en cascada -desde la pandemia hasta los conflictos y las catástrofes climáticas- están exponiendo las tensiones sociales y profundizando las fracturas derivadas de un enfoque económico que ha hecho hincapié en el crecimiento con escasa consideración por los derechos humanos, la distribución equitativa de los recursos o el medio ambiente. La erosión de los servicios públicos, la seguridad/protección social y los derechos laborales han incrementado la desigualdad y han permitido a unas pocas élites privilegiadas acaparar la inmensa mayoría de los recursos mundiales, lo que supone una de las amenazas más acuciantes para los derechos humanos de nuestro tiempo.

Corregir el rumbo exige transformar las economías, las políticas sociales, los paradigmas de desarrollo y la arquitectura financiera internacional para que los Estados puedan cumplir sus obligaciones en materia de derechos humanos. El Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI) y el Banco Mundial, que desempeñan un papel clave en las respuestas a estas crisis, tienen una oportunidad decisiva para contribuir a un cambio transformador y, sin embargo, continúan con las mismas políticas y prácticas fracasadas.

El Banco Mundial y el Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI) se reunirán en Marrakech (Marruecos) del 9 al 15 de octubre, y la Coalición Mundial por los Pisos de Protección Social -con el apoyo de muchas organizaciones de la sociedad civil y sindicatos- lanzan una campaña para presentar las principales demandas para acabar con la injusticia a la que se enfrentan cada día más de 4.000 millones de personas en el mundo que no cuentan con cobertura de protección social:

• El Banco Mundial y el FMI deben comprometerse a apoyar a los Estados para que hagan efectivo el derecho a la seguridad social, empezando por la creación o el fortalecimiento de sistemas universales de protección social alineados con los derechos, empezando por el establecimiento de pisos de protección social.
• El Banco Mundial debe inmediatamente dejar de desarrollar cualquier nuevo proyecto que incluyan redes de asistencia estrictamente focalizadas a la pobreza y eliminar los programas existentes, y sustituirlos por programas universales. Además, debería reforzar una distribución justa de los recursos combinando la seguridad social universal con reformas fiscales que reduzcan la desigualdad.
• El Banco Mundial y el FMI deberán respaldar sistemas de seguridad social equitativos y sostenibles de conformidad con las normas internacionales, entre otras cosas, garantizando cotizaciones adecuadas de los empresarios o patronos, y prestaciones de seguridad social con niveles de beneficios suficientes para garantizar la seguridad de los ingresos.
• El FMI debe poner fin a las políticas de austeridad que aumentan el gasto social en un sector a expensas de otros derechos y reemplazar los sistemas universales focalizados. Debería rediseñar los programas para promover la seguridad social universal y los servicios públicos universales de calidad. Debería garantizar que el gasto en sanidad, educación y seguridad social cumpla, como mínimo, las referencias internacionales como porcentaje del PIB y de los presupuestos nacionales.

Tenemos el agrado de invitarles a acompañarnos al lanzamiento virtual que tendrá lugar el 4 de Octubre de 2023, 1 pm UTC. Puedes confirmar tu hora local aquí) y puedes registrarte en este vínculo https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYsc-qtqTgrE9SnIIq5oLZYCd_geocWOB2B).

Más información sobre la campaña se encuentra disponible AQUÍ. Puedes apoyar la campaña firmando la declaración que se encuentra AQUÍ.

e-GCSPF #77 - October 2022

Contributions to the discussion on Social Protection in South America       With the aim of strengthening the political incidence of civil society in favor of social protection in South America, a cycle of conferences with the participation of various organizations of civil society (e.g. feminists, trade unions, ecumenical, etc.) and experts in the field is taking place online. It is necessary an official care policy which contemplate supports and complements care work and defends the recognition of the "right to care", gender equality and human development. Likewise, ways of financing social protection are explored, including the creation of a global fund. The videoconference “What the pandemic left us: necessary transformations” will take place online on Thursday, October 13, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. GMT-3. This conference will be in Spanish. These activities are organized by Ciedur, Red de Género y Comercio, Social Watch and the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors.           Webinar Invitation: Work Bank, IMF and Universal Social Protection following COVID-19: The Good, the Bad and the Unclear       Representatives from different CSOs, unions and workers’ organisations will share their perspectives on whether, and if so, how, IFIs have changed their position on social protection in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on newly published evidence, we will discuss what is new regarding IFI’s engagement on social protection, what counts as progress, and what are areas where IFIs may continue to fall short on realising the right to social protection for all. Thursday, October 20, 2022 2 PM GMT+1 Register - Read more           2022 SWESD World Conference SEOUL       The Joint World Conference on Social Work, Education and Social Development 2022, under the theme “Redefining Social Policy and Social Work Practice in A Post-Pandemic Society: Social Welfare Programs and Social Work Education at A Crossroads” will be held from October 26 (Wed) to October 28 (Fri), 2022 in Seoul, South Korea. Hosted internationally by International Council on Social Welfare, and International Association of Schools of Social Work and hosted locally by Korea National Council on Social Welfare, Korean Council on Social Welfare Education, Korea Association of Social Workers, and Seoul Welfare Foundation. Read more Event “Delivering on the commitment to universal social protection: the quest for innovative solutions” co-organized by the Global Coalition. Date and time to be confirmed.           How low- and middle- income countries can implement universal social protection progressively       Apologies, this webinar has been postponed. We will reschedule this event to a later date, and we will be in touch soon with more details. There is broad consensus that expansion of social protection is a necessary response to the global food and economic crises. But an immediate reaction of countries when approached with the solution of universal social protection is “we can’t afford that!”. Today, the teams at ACT Church of Sweden, Development Pathways and Action Against Hunger show how, in actual fact, universality can be affordable. Daisy Sibun will be launching a new paper, ‘Can a leopard change its spots? A critical analysis of the World Bank’s ‘progressive universalism’ approach to social protection’. The paper scrutinises the justification through which the World Bank continues to promote poverty targeted programmes, despite its more recent high-level support for the idea of universal social protection, and contrasts it with the human rights-based approach to social protection as promoted by the ILO. Friday, October 7, 2022 - 2 PM - 3 PM CEST - Register - Read more           Global People's Assembly       The Global People's Assembly is a self organised space during the United Nations General Assembly high level wee with the aim of bringing the voices of the people to the forefront, at a time where decision makers engage in high level debate without people's involvement. This year's Global People's Assembly took place online from Tuesday 20th September - Thursday 22nd September 2022. Read the Declaration and the recordings of the sessions The Global Coalition is co-organizer of the Global People’s Assembly and several members participated in the sessions. Isabel Ortiz (Global Social Justice Switzerland) participated in the opening session. Sylvia Beales Gelber (APSP and member of the coalition core group) participated in the African Assembly and spoke on the right to universal social protection in Africa and the call for the global fund. Florian Juergens-Grant (WIEGO) participated on behalf of the GCSPF at the session Leave No Woman Behind on Wednesday 21st September.           Report “End Austerity: A global report on budget cuts and harmful social reforms”       A new report titled “End Austerity: A global report on budget cuts and harmful social reforms”, shows that 85 percent of the world’s population will live in the grip of austerity measures by 2023. This trend is likely to continue until at least 2025, when 75 percent of the global population (129 countries) could still be living under these conditions. Austerity measures include scaling down social protection programs for women, children, the elderly and other vulnerable people, leaving only a small safety net for a fraction of the poorest. They also include cutting or capping the wages and number of teachers and healthcare workers, eliminating subsidies, privatizing or commercializing public services such as energy, water and public transportation, and reducing pensions and workers’ rights. The report is co-authored by Isabel Ortiz and Matthew Cummins and co-published by ActionAid, Arab Watch Coalition (AWC), Eurodad, Financial Transparency Coalition (FTC), Global Social Justice, Initiative for Policy Dialogue (IPD), International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Latindadd, Public Services International (PSI), The Bretton Woods Project, Third World Network (TWN) and Wemos. Read more           ITUC response to the World Bank’s Social Protection and Jobs Compass       The ITUC has welcomed a much-anticipated publication by the World Bank “Charting a Course Towards Universal Social Protection : Resilience, Equity, and Opportunity for All” but has a number of considerable reservations to some of the policy messages, as well as the rigor of the analysis underpinning some of the policies proposed. Read more           Report of the Conference: Social Protection, How to make it happen?       Meryame Kitir, Belgian Minister for Development Cooperation; Jutta Urpilainen, European commissioner for international partnerships ; Shahra Razavi Director of the Social Protection Department of the International Labour Organisation (ILO); Olivier De Schutter, Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights; Sharon Burrow, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and many other partners in international cooperation participated in the Conference “Universal Social Protection, How to make it happen?”. The report of the Belgian dialogue USP2030 is now available in French. 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 Global People’s Assembly is a self organised space during the United Nations General Assembly high level with the aim of bringing the voices of the people to the forefront, at a time where decision makers engage in high level debate without people’s involvement. The 2022 Global People’s Assembly took place online from Tuesday 20th September – Thursday 22nd September 2022.

A Declaration developed with inputs from over 30 national and regional people’s assemblies, was adopted at the three–day Global People’s Assembly on Tuesday 22 of September, organised by Global call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) and allies, during the 77th session of the UN General Assembly. “The time to act is now,” the group calls for a shared political and economic power equally between the global north and global south, for global democracy and a robust civic space. Read the Declaration.

The recordings of the sessions are also available.

The Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors is co-organizer of the Global People’s Assembly and several members participated in the sessions.

Isabel Ortiz (Global Social Justice Switzerland) participated in the opening session.

Sylvia Beales Gelber (APSP and member of the coalition core group) participated in the African Assembly and spoke on the right to universal social protection in Africa and the call for the global fund. Her presentation is here.

Florian Juergens-Grant (WIEGO) participated on behalf of the GCSPF at the session Leave No Woman Behind on 21st September. His presentation is here.

The webinar the “Work Bank, IMF and Universal Social Protection following COVID-19: The Good, the Bad and the Unclear” will take place on 20 October at 14:00 GMT+1.

Register here

Speakers

Lena Simet, Senior Researcher on Poverty and Inequality, Human Rights Watch

Tavengwa Nhongo, Executive Director, African Platform for Social Protection

Daisy Sibun, Social Policy Officer, Development Pathways

Isabel Ortiz, Director, Global Social Justice Program, Initiative for Policy Dialogue

Evelyn Astor, Economic and Social Policy Advisor, International Trade Union Confederation

Ghislaine Saizonou Broohm, Coordinator of the Department of Equality and Social, ITUC Africa

Florian Juergens-Grant, Project Manager, Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing

Moderator Rachel Moussié, Director of Programmes, Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing

The devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the ongoing crises driving up the cost of food and basic necessities for many around the world, highlight the urgent need for all countries to make rapid progress towards achieving universal social protection.

While human rights and international labour standards clearly recognise that ensuring adequate social protection is a responsibility of national governments, international cooperation plays an important role in supporting countries to realise those responsibilities. This may come in the form of financial support to countries struggling to finance the full required social protection system, as well as technical advice on the design and implementation. International organisations also influence international and national debates on what social protection should look like, and who should pay for it.

International financial institutions (IFIs), such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) that offer access to financing for cash-strapped governments can be particularly influential. Both have scaled-up their engagement in social protection in recent years: The World Bank is by far the largest external donor of social protection, while the IMF has recently published its first strategy outlining when and how to engage on social spending.

Civil society organisations, unions, workers’ organisations and some UN agencies have generally been critical of IFIs focus and track-record on social protection, stressing their perceived lack of regard to rights and labour standards, as well as their consistent emphasis on exclusionary safety nets, conditionalities and privatisation.

Then COVID-19 happened, and it seemed like everything was going to change. During the height of the crisis, the IMF has supported higher expenditure on health care and cash transfer programmes even when it meant higher fiscal deficit and public debt. A few months ago, the IMF published its first gender strategy. The World Bank likewise provided substantive support to the expansion of social protection during the pandemic and its brand-new social protection strategy is explicitly framed around achieving USP.

In this webinar, representatives from different CSOs, unions and workers’ organisations will share their perspectives on whether, and if so, how, IFIs have changed their position on social protection in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on newly published evidence, we will discuss what is new regarding IFI’s engagement on social protection, what counts as progress, and what are areas where IFIs may continue to fall short on realising the right to social protection for all.

Organisers:Action Contre La Faim, ACF (Action Against Hunger), Act Church of Sweden, The Africa Platform for Social Protection, APSP, Development PathwaysInitiative for Policy Dialogue, Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors, Human Rights Watch, International Trade Union Confederation, ITUC, African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation, ITUC-Africa/CSI-Afrique and Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing, WIEGO.

Resources:

Human Rights Watch: IMF/World Bank: Targeted Safety Net Programs Fall Short on Rights Protection

WIEGO and ITUC Africa: Building Forward Better: Investing in Africa’s Workers (also in French and Spanish)

WIEGO: World Bank’s Push for Individual Savings Provides Little Protection for Crisis-hit Workers (also in French and Spanish)

Initiative for Policy Dialogue (IPD), Global Social Justice (GSJ), International Confederation of Trade Unions (ITUC), Public Services International (PSI), ActionAid International, Arab Watch Coalition, Bretton Woods Project, Eurodad, Financial Transparency Coalition, Latindadd, Third World Network (TNW)

ITUC response to the World Bank’s Social Protection and Job Compass

ITUC response to the IMF’s Framework on Social Spending

Wemos: END AUSTERITY. A Global Report on Budget Cuts and Harmful Social Reforms in 2022-25

Development Pathways and Act Church of Sweden, Social registries: a short history of abject failure

Act Church of Sweden, Action Against Hunger France, Development Pathways, Can a leopard change its spots?

Read more at socialprotection.org

The Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors submitted a written statement to the 47^th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) held from 21 June to 9 July 2021. . This session considered the report of the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights on “The Global Fund for Social Protection: International Solidarity in the Service of Poverty Eradication”. The statement is here.

(General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, ITUC)

(UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights)

(Executive Director of the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights)

(Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania – ELCT)

(Project Officer, Church’s Auxiliary for Social Action)