GCSPF Newsletter #33 – March 2020

e-GCSPF # 33 - March 2020

Letter to IMF Director on women's rights & gender equality       Over 60 civil society organisations, including members of the Global Coalition, have written a letter to IMF Managing Director, Kristalina Georgieva. The letter calls on the IMF to focus on the harmful aspects of its own policy advice on women's rights and gender equality. Read more           Social Protection Reform in Arab Countries       In the Arab region, social protection systems have for many years suffered from a number of severe shortcomings. Contributory social and health insurance regimes tend to be undermined by low coverage, a high degree of fragmentation and financial unsustainability. Non-contributory social protection has for a long time predominantly consisted of universal subsidies, whereas other forms of social assistance have been marginal. Overall, a lack of coherence and coordination has undermined the effectiveness and efficiency of social protection systems. The 2019 report illustrates the considerable reforms underway in the region to overcome those problems. Throughout, it considers social protection reform from a ‘systems perspective’, addressing, for example, the prevalence of pluralistic financing arrangements which in practice often blur the traditional distinction between contributory and non-contributory mechanisms. Read more           The State of Social Protection       This issue of Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN) Informs presents a discussion on the state of social protection in the Global South and the new (and not so new) challenges to overcoming its gender gaps. Recognizing that in the countries of the Global South, the development of social protection systems has presented features of segmentation, insufficiency, exclusion, and inequality, the articles gathered here review the situation in the various regions (Asia, Pacific, Africa, and Latin America), taking into consideration their nuances and differences. The authors discuss central problematic nodes such as the social protection situation of migrant populations, female rural workers and those engaged in platform jobs. They also review experiences of resistance against the increase in precariousness in various workspaces. Read more           United Nations: Private debt both a cause and consequence of rights violations       High individual and household debt, which accounts for a significant portion of private debt in most countries, has been associated with inequality, macroeconomic instability, unsustainable sovereign debt and financial crises. This is one of the main conclusions highlighted by Mr Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky, the Independent Expert on the effects of foreign debt and other related international financial obligations of States on the full enjoyment of human rights, in his report to the UN Human Rights Council, that is holding its forty-third regular session from 24 February to 20 March 2020. Read more Event Private Debt and Human Rights. The Report will be presented to the Human Rights Council on March 2 in Geneva, Swizerland. Download the flyer here.         Welcome new member       The Uganda Reach the Aged Association       The Uganda Reach the Aged Association (URAA) is a national voluntary not-for-profit, non-government organization whose vision is a dignified, self-fulfilled poverty free ageing Uganda and a mission is to champion the realization and preservation of a dignified quality of life for older persons in Uganda. URAA was founded in 1991 by a group of older persons (OP) themselves and is affiliated to HelpAge International. URAA has a membership of over 480,000 older persons in the 80 district associations (230,000 Male and 250,000 Female) were it operates. The aim of URAA is to provide a platform for fellowship, mutual support, hope and a voice to Ops. Specifically, the organization focuses on advocacy to raise awareness on Op’s issues and fight stigma to Ops through the rights-based approach aimed at promoting dignified living by advocating and promoting equitable access economic empowerment, social welfare, treatment, care and support, and wellbeing of OPs. Read more

Report of the interactive, evidence based panel “The right of all to roofs & floors: Affordable housing and social protection” with international experts who explored the latest evidence on the human rights dimensions and interlinkages between the implementation of universal social protection systems, including floors, to combat and ultimately do away with homelessness and ensure adequate housing for all, and simultaneously address inequality. The side event took place on Wednesday 12 February 2020.

Organisers:  Winifred Doherty and Sylvia Beales, Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors
Moderator: Paul Ladd – Director, UNRISD
Keynote speaker: Juha Kaakinen – Director, Y Foundation, Finland. The presentation is here.

Panellists

Daniel Zavala Porras – Ministro Consejero, Mission of Costa Rica to the UN.
Maren Jiménez – Social Affairs Officer, UN Department of Social and Economic Affairs (UNDESA). The presentation is here.
Joanna Padgett Herz – Project Coordinator, Institute of Global Homelessness.
The presentation is here.
Christina Behrendt – Head, Social Policy Unit, International Labour Organisation (ILO). The presentation is here.
Sylvia Beales – Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors. The presentation is here.

Discussants:

Jack Kupferman - Gray Panthers, Stakeholder Group on Ageing
Lucy Richardson - IDA, Stakeholder Group of Persons with Disabilities
Thomas Pallithinam - Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP).

Download the report here (pdf format)

Overview summary

The event was organised by the Global Coalition of Social Protection Floors and sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Finland to the United Nations and UNDESA. Co-sponsors were UNRISD, INPEA, Global Call for Action Against Poverty (GCAP), the ILO, The Institute of Global Homelessness, the Africa Platform for Social Protection, the Stakeholder Group on ageing, The Stakeholder Group of Persons with Disabilities and USP 2030.  Experts for the panel were drawn from leading organisations in the field of social protection and homelessness.

The theme of the 58th Commission of Social Development was “Affordable housing and social protection systems for all to address homelessness.”  2020 is also the 75th anniversary of the Commission and the 25th anniversary of the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development.  The side event was therefore part of a series of dialogues to support accelerated realisation of inclusive societies and reduction of inequalities everywhere for people of all ages. The event examined in depth two overarching social ambitions - that of achieving universal social protection for all across the life course, and doing away with homelessness.  It examined the ways in which how the issues are linked, how progress on one (social protection) can help to provide solutions to the other (homelessness), and what the key policy provisions are to achieve both.

Conclusions of the event were:

• The achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals will depend in large part on making the social protection floor a reality for all.  It is important to note that the social protection floor is a minimum, delivering essential health care and basic income security.

• Lack of social protection is a significant cause of homelessness.  Progress on both social protection and homelessness depends on the willingness of government to deliver on their human rights obligations to all their citizens, recognising that both social protection and adequate housing are human rights.

• Homelessness is increasing almost everywhere.  Finland is the only country which is on course to eliminate homelessness and is an example from which all other countries can learn.  Having found a policy that worked, “Housing First”, Finland has stuck with it, provided the resources needed to implement it effectively, built the networks and coalitions of participants and supporters that anchor it in its wider society – in other words, Finland has demonstrated political will.  Yet other governments regard homelessness as an impossible problem.

• The same approach could be adopted for the progressive implementation of social protection floors.  There is plentiful evidence of the benefits of social protection in countries where people receive at least some benefits; social protection is affordable – and, in the small number of countries where it cannot be funded through national resources, international assistance in the form of a Global Fund is eminently feasible.  Only the political will to make it happen is lacking.

Rights and obligations

The Rights to Social security and adequate housing are contained within the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 as follows:

Both social protection and housing have clear targets in the Sustainable Development Goals 1 and 11 of the 2030 Agenda:

1.3 Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and vulnerable.

11.1 By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums.

Health coverage is an essential component of social protection and is also a target in Goal 3:

3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health care services and access to safe, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.

Evidence provided by the keynote speaker, panellists and respondents show that, with some exceptions, now, 10 years before the target date of the 2030 Agenda, policies and actions are a very long way from making those targets a reality.

Data and definitions

Data cannot be mentioned without definitions; because without definitions, and the data to support them, it is not possible to monitor and assess progress towards the realisation of universal rights and SDG targets.  There are at present no clear definitions of homelessness between countries and no agreed methodology for collecting data and statistics on homelessness.  One objective of the Commissions work was to make progress on globally accepted definitions of homelessness.  For these reasons statistics on homelessness should be regarded as estimates.

While there is data and therefore greater clarity on the importance of social protection as being core to the successful implementation of the poverty, health and employment SDGS, and to reducing inequalities, there has been slow progress on extending coverage, financing and implementing universal roll out of the social protection floor; despite the full guidance for Member States set out in ILO recommendation 202.

The Social Protection Floors Recommendation, 2012 (No. 202) sets out the standards for Member States on building comprehensive social security systems and extending social security coverage by prioritizing the establishment of universally accessible national floors of social protection.

• The components of the social protection floor are as follows:
• Everyone has access to essential health care, including maternity care.
• All children enjoy basic income security, providing access to nutrition, education, care, and any other necessary goods and services.
• All persons in active age who cannot earn sufficient income, enjoy basic income security, particularly in cases of sickness, unemployment, maternity, disability.
• All older persons enjoy basic income security.

This repeats in similar wording the right to social security and to health set out in the Universal Declaration, but makes explicit that social protection should be afforded to those who cannot earn sufficient income, making clear that people experiencing in-work poverty should also have a right to income support provided by social protection.  On average, full-time employment in a low-paid job brings two-earner couples with children to only 65% of the national median income.  Over half OECD member states provide some sort of income support to top up the earnings of low-paid workers.¹  The ILO points out that poverty rates of people who are working are much higher in Asia (21%), the Arab states (16%) and above all in Africa where in 2018 almost one third of all workers were living in extreme poverty.²  Currently some 55% of the world’s population receive no social security benefit.

Social protection and homelessness

Data presented in the event illustrates why urgent progress is needed on social protection and homelessness.

Homelessness

As mentioned above, there is no universally accepted definition of homelessness.  Different countries work with different definitions and have different methods of collecting data so the numbers of homeless people which they record are not comparable.

Joanna Padgett Herz in her presentation illustrated definitions that are wide-ranging; for example ‘Homelessness is a condition where a person or household lacks habitable space with security of tenure, rights and ability to enjoy social relations, including safety. Homelessness is a manifestation of extreme poverty, and a failure of multiple systems and the implementation of human right “ (Institute of Global Homelessness), and rudimentary, such as that used by Russian legislation – “people without fixed abode or place of stay”³, which in 2010, according to the Russian statistical agency Rosstat, delivered an estimate of just 64,000 homeless,⁴ likely to be an underestimate of the real figure.

As with the definitions, different methods are used to collect data on homelessness:  Australia uses a street count and Russia a census with a focus on ‘records on residences and housing payments.’

Homelessness across the world

With the exception of one country, Finland, homelessness, on the basis of statistics gathered according to non-comparable definitions and by different methodologies, has increased over the past decade.  There is little sign that this trend will be reversed any time soon.  With so many different definitions of homelessness, with some countries including people living in inadequate or marginal housing as homeless, it is not possible to give a global figure of homeless persons.  Suffice to say that it is very large.  Estimates of homeless people provided by OECD member states, on the basis of different methodologies and base years, give a total of nearly 2 million.⁵  UN Habitat estimates that 1.6 billion people worldwide live in inadequate housing.⁶

Case Studies: Finland

In 1987 there were 17,000 homeless people in Finland.  The number has come down steadily since then, is now under 4,000 and is on course to be zero within six years.  According to Freek Spinnewijn, Director of FEANTSA (European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless), Finland had already brought the number of homeless down to virtually zero.

Juha Kaakinen, CEO of the Y Foundation in Finland, (The presentation is here.) outlined the policies and practices by which this has been achieved.  The overall policy is ‘Housing First’ – the provision of permanent housing for homeless people with services to support the new tenants which help them deal with the problems that made them homeless in the first place.  The provision of a stable roof over their heads makes it much easier for the formerly homeless tenants – and the services which support them – to manage and resolve their problems.  And it also saves money.  The savings in terms of the services needed by one person can be up to 9,600 euros a year when compared to the costs that would result from that person being homeless.⁷  Over a period of 30 years temporary solutions (hostels and shelters) have been largely replaced with permanent housing – independent rental apartments, social housing apartments and supported housing.  In 1985 there were 2,121 shelters and homeless hostels; now there are just 52.

How has this been achieved? Juha’s clear answer is political will (and political will and political will).  Finland’s approach to housing and homelessness, which pre-dates the official launch of Housing First, has survived through 11 prime ministers from different parties and is based on a wide partnership between state authorities, ministries, cities and NGOs.

An important conclusion to be drawn, accordingly, is that consistency of policy, purpose and implementation over time is required with support from governments of different ideological persuasions.

Costa Rica

Daniel Zavala explained how the government of Costa Rica is directly addressing the issues of homelessness which on the increase.  There are approximately 7,000 homeless people in Costa Rica, mainly concentrated in urban areas, with 4,000 rough sleepers (described as “street” people – personas en situación de abandono y situación de calle) in the capital, San José.  Nine out of ten of homeless people are addicts – drugs or alcohol – and similarly nine out of ten are of working age, between the ages of 18 and 65, a figure that came as surprise, with only 10 per cent of older persons, over the age of 65.

The importance of social and family networks should not be underestimated.  These break down among homeless people in the urban environment.

The responses for homeless persons of working age focus ultimately on reintegration into employment by means of mentoring, training etc.  This, however, may not possible for older persons so there are questions about approaches that are right for them.  There is a possibility that they will be able to perform unpaid, reproductive services, (e.g. child-care, working with disabled persons etc).  There is also a need to create a network to allow older persons to participate as citizens with full rights, in both the public and the private spheres.  In this way, for both older persons and those of working age, socially inclusive policies are an integral part of the response to homelessness.

The government’s three pronged strategy is to:

• Ensure that homeless people are integrated into social protection floors, including health provision;
• Provide access to housing;
• Decriminalise homelessness and combat stereotypes.

The government recognises that homelessness has multiple causes and four national institutions according participate in the National Policy Framework on homelessness:

• Ministry of Social Development
• National Institute of Drug Dependence and Alcoholism (Instituto sobre Alcoholismo y Farmacodependencia)
• National Council of Persons with Disabilities (Consejo Nacional de Personas con Discapacidad)
• National Council of Older Persons (Consejo Nacional de la Persona Adulta Mayor)

The experiences of Finland and Costa Rica show that it is essential to adopt a multidimensional approach to homelessness.  People become homeless for a reason and, if those reasons, which inevitably vary from person to person, are not addressed, any respite from homelessness is likely to be temporary.  Social protection – the provision of a basic income – together with health care and supporting services, which are a part of the social protection package, can prevent poverty and facilitate access to affordable housing.  Housing First also involves specialist services which address the multiple causes of homelessness.

Social protection and inequality

Homelessness is, at least in part, a consequence of inequality – inequality in access to services and education and inequality in income.  Inequality is increasing across the world.  Social protection demonstrably reduces income inequality.  In Eastern Europe and Central Asia social assistance and social insurance together reduce the Gini coefficient of inequality by 24%.

According to FEANTSA, which works across the EU, the multidimensionality of homelessness can be seen by looking at how trends in poverty reduction and homelessness can go in different directions.  Less inequality does not automatically lead to less homelessness (as demonstrated by the Czech Republic, the least unequal country in the EU); countries with more social housing do not necessarily have less homelessness (Netherlands); even countries with strong social protection systems struggle with homelessness (Denmark).

This also underlines the need to take a Housing First approach, deploying a tailored variety of government resources and making the stable roof first rather than the last component of the strategy.

Maren Jiménez pointed out in her presentation that statistics on income, provide only a very partial picture of inequality. They do not take account of inequality experienced by people discriminated against by age, gender, disability, ethnicity, sexual orientation and other factors; groups and by people living in specific locations and by inequalities which are perpetuated or exacerbated by policy formulation, design and implementation. The presentation is here.

Differences in educational achievement, for example, reflect horizontal inequalities between different groups.  These are evident in school attendance statistics.  These show large differences between children of parents with differing levels of education; children of higher and lower income families; and children of different ethnic groups – between whom, in theory, there should be no difference in attendance at secondary school which is, or should be, a universal service provided to all without discrimination. Inequality is intersectional, that is, the degree or impact of inequality experienced by individuals depends on factors such as age, ethnicity, gender, disability, location, sexual orientation, social and educational status, fluency in an official language etc.

Universal social protection is a step in the right direction but excluded groups can still suffer. They may lack information about benefits which are available; they may be subject to discrimination; and they may be excluded from the “universal” population because, for instance, they do not have the right ID documentation.⁸ Social protection does not in itself change the attitudes that lead to stigma and discrimination, and if not universally applied can therefore replicate or exacerbate exclusions.  Homeless people are among those likely to be unable to access social protection support and services.  For particularly vulnerable or discriminated groups, such as homeless people, as the example of Finland has shown, social protection has to be linked to guaranteed access to social services that can be tailored to particular needs, such as mental health support, alcoholism or drug addiction services.

Christina Behrendt in her presentation stressed the interconnections between the rights to social security and to adequate housing.  The data show that for very large numbers of people these rights are non-existent or only partially realised.  Only 45% of the global population is covered by one area of social protection; 23% of the world’s urban population lives in slums.  The ILO has produced studies demonstrating the connections with global statistics showing that across the world there is a rough correlation between the percentage of the population living in slums and the percentage not covered by social protection.  An even more informative correlation would show a comparison between countries with similar income levels.

Christina demonstrated that the goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda show that a strong international consensus has been reached on the implementation of social protection floors, which is also extending to the urgency of tackling homelessness. It is also clear that there are a range of connections to show how social protection can reduce homelessness.  By delivering a guaranteed minimum income and services, particularly health care, social protection can reduce or cushion the negative impacts of the risk factors that can trigger homelessness – unemployment, sickness, maternity, old age poverty and relationship breakdowns.  Besides a basic minimum income, social protection may include housing benefit.  Thirty seven countries report having at least one type of housing allowance in place.⁹

Adea Kryeziu introduced the Global Partnership for Universal Social Protection to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (USP2030), launched in 2016,¹⁰ and invited those present to join the partnership. UNP 2030 calls for:

1. Protection throughout the life cycle: Establish universal social protection systems, including floors, that provide adequate protection throughout the life cycle;

2. Universal coverage: Provide universal access to social protection and ensure that social protection systems are rights-based, gender-sensitive and inclusive, leaving no one behind;

3. National ownership: Develop social protection strategies and policies based on national priorities and circumstances in close cooperation with all relevant actors;

4. Sustainable and equitable financing: Ensure the sustainability and fairness of social protection systems by prioritizing reliable and equitable forms of domestic financing, complemented by international cooperation and support where necessary;

5. Participation and social dialogue: Strengthen governance of social protection systems through institutional leadership, multisector coordination and the participation of social partners and other relevant and representative organisations, to generate broad-based support and promote the effectiveness of services.

Sylvia Beales spoke on behalf of the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors, whose vision is to promote the implementation of social protection floors and the extension of social protection to all.  The presentation is here. With over 100 members comprising grassroots organisations, NGOS, think tanks, and individual experts the Coalition’s mission is to work strategically, collaboratively and in spirit of global solidarity, to provide a space and virtual platform for coalition members united by the common purpose of promoting the consolidation of social protection floors from a human rights perspective.  The Coalition stresses that social protection is a right and therefore an obligation of governments, and at a minimum, should consist of access to the set of goods and services set out in ILO Recommendation 202.

Sylvia pointed out this is not an unachievable fantasy but affordable and within the realms of possibility.  116 countries would theoretically be able to close their social protection gaps with national social protection spending increases of less than 4% of GDP (with 32 countries requiring less than 1% of GDP); 21 countries would require increases in spending of more than 4% of GDP to close their social protection gaps, and of these only a small number would be likely to require some temporary international support.

There are systemic issues which affect the full realisation of the right to social protection include the conditions attached to social protection determined by governments.  These affect the range of social protection supports and services available and the people and groups who can benefit.  To realise its transformative potential social protection needs to be universal, adequate and accessible to all across the life course.  The resources are available; there is more than enough evidence that effective social protection reduces poverty and benefits the wider society as well as direct beneficiaries.  Progress, however, is still painfully slow. Universal funding to underpin system development could be achieved via a global fund mechanism.

Discussion

Paul Ladd raised why social protection is “not happening” given the plentiful evidence that it is effective and affordable.  Issues of homelessness and social protection (or the lack of it) go the heart of how we govern the economy.

He reiterated that intersectionality – the way in which people’s different identities and statuses can have a cumulative impact on disadvantage – is a key issue.  He pointed out that homeless people are neglected in multiple ways.

He invited discussants to look at the experiences of different sections of society in terms of homelessness and social protection.

Jack Kupferman (Gray Panthers, Stakeholder Group on Ageing) took up the issue of older people and homelessness, explaining causes and circumstances unique to older persons that could make them homeless.  He gave the example of older widows in India who were shunned and abandoned by their families.  The city of Vrindavan has become a mecca for widows who have been made homeless by their families.  In other societies too it may be thought that older persons are cared for by their families, but the reality is that many older persons are not supported by younger generations. It is a government responsibility to deliver the rights of older people to social protection, care and shelter.

Mr Kupferman summarised as follows:

• The connection between homelessness and ageing is underacknowledged and under reported – and there is almost no data on this issue.
• Universal social protection will address some of the inequities and difficulties of older persons.
• Sometimes the causes of homelessness among older persons are unique to the ageing process.
• Solutions are available – but there has to be acknowledgement, accurate data and planning before solutions can be effective.

Lucy Richardson (IDA, Stakeholder Group on People with Disabilities) said that the cross cutting identities of persons with disabilities are a complicating factor.  A key problem is the lack of accessible, appropriate and affordable housing for persons with disabilities, and inaccessible transport.  To ensure that persons with disabilities are included it is necessary for there to be compliance with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The Convention gives very clear guidance on the issues of the built environment and social protection and has been ratified by over 170 Member States.

While the SDGs have some relevant indicators for persons with disabilities there is a lack of adequate data.  Without attention to data it is all too easy for persons with disabilities to be left behind.

Thomas Pallithinam (GCAP) explained that GCAP represented 11,000 CSOs in 57 countries. For GCAP the crux of the problem is politics and policy. Homelessness is not a standalone issue but a symptom of inequality.  Inequality and homelessness share the same causes. The link between the absence of effective social protection and homelessness is evidenced by the fact that young people who are discharged from institutions (orphanages and children’s homes) are the very people who almost immediately become homeless.

Mr Pallithinam made the observation that the phrase “Leave no-one behind” is condescending – the SDGs should be about empowering people so they can have the capacity to say, “we will not be left behind.”  To make change people should be willing to use the tools of data and evidence set out in today’s presentations.

Contributions from the floor included the importance of keeping social protection high on the policy agenda of the Commission for Social Development; and that the urgency of building family and community resilience requires action now to deliver universal social protection and to end homelessness.

Conclusions

• The achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals will depend in large part on making the social protection floor a reality for all.  It is important to note that the social protection floor is a minimum, delivering essential health care and basic income security.

• Lack of social protection is a significant cause of homelessness.  Progress on both social protection and homelessness depends on the willingness of government to deliver on their human rights obligations to all their citizens, recognising that both social protection and adequate housing are human rights.

• Homelessness is increasing almost everywhere.  Finland is the only country which is on course to eliminate homelessness and is an example from which all other countries can learn.  Having found a policy that worked, “Housing First”, Finland has stuck with it, provided the resources needed to implement it effectively, built the networks and coalitions of participants and supporters that anchor it in its wider society – in other words, Finland has demonstrated political will.  Yet other governments regard homelessness as an impossible problem.

• The same approach could be adopted for the adoption of social protection floors.  There is plentiful evidence of the benefits of social protection in countries where people receive at least some benefits; social protection is affordable – and, in the small number of countries where it cannot be funded through national resources, international assistance in the form of a Global Fund is eminently feasible.  Only the political will to make it happen is lacking.

Further references

https://www.socialprotectionfloorscoalition.org/

https://housingfirsteurope.eu/countries/finland/

https://ighomelessness.org/

https://www.un.org/development/desa/dspd/world-social-report/2020-2.html

https://www.un.org/development/desa/dspd/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2020/01/55706.pdf

https://www.un.org/development/desa/dspd/world-social-report/2020-2.html

https://www.stakeholdergrouponageing.org/

http://www.internationaldisabilityalliance.org/content/stakeholder-group-persons-disabilities

https://gcap.global/

Notes:

Notes:

e-GCSPF # 32 - February 2020 - CSocD58

GCSPF at the 58th Session of the Commission for Social Development Members of the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors will participate in the fifty-eighth session of the Commission for Social Development (CSocD58). The CSocD58 will take place from 10 to 19 February 2020 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The Commission is the advisory body responsible for the social development pillar of global development. In 2020, the Commission is celebrating its 75th anniversary and the 25th anniversary of the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development. 2020 is a crucial year for the accelerated realization of inclusive societies and reducing inequalities everywhere for people of all ages. Priority Theme: Affordable housing and social protection systems for all to address homelessness. Side Events: For the draft list of side events please visit here. Side events organized by members of the GCSPF are listed below. The Civil Society Forum will take place on Friday 14 February 2020 at UNHQ, in conference room 4 from 10am-1pm and 3-6pm. The theme is “Affordable housing and social protection systems for all to address homelessness”. The Civil Society Declaration is here. For more information, please visit here.             Street Homelessness and Catholic Theological Ethics       Deeply encouraged by the ways in which Pope Francis has drawn the attention of the Church and the world to the situation of homeless people, DePaul International and IGH (Institute of Global Homelessness) have worked to provide foundations for a renewal and extension of Catholic social teaching in this area. In the series Catholic Theological Ethics for a World Church, this book was edited by Fr James Keenan SJ and Mark McGreevy. It contains contributions from around 30 theologians and Catholic practitioners from 15 countries, exploring the resources of Catholic tradition in the light of contemporary realities. Read more Monday, February 10th - 1:15 - 2:45 pm - 777 United Nations Plz, Church Center 2nd Floor           Overcoming Inequality and Exclusion in Access to Housing       The Quest for Policy Solutions. Homelessness, one of the most visible signs of human deprivation and social exclusion, exists in all regions of the world and is a major affront to human dignity. This side event will explore policy solutions to address growing inequality and social exclusion in access to housing, with emphasis on urban areas. Read more Monday, February 10th - 1:15 - 2:30 pm - Conference Room C, United Nations Building           Hidden Faces of Family Homelessness       From the Perspective of Women and Children/Girls While the experience of homelessness has distinct characteristics for all irrespective of an individual’s economic, cultural, racial or geographic context, homelessness is often experienced by women and children/girls in a way that is dissimilar to that of their single or male counterparts. This side event will enable an open dialogue to discuss the drivers, good practices from various state and non-state stakeholders, policy recommendations, and to give a voice to women and children/ girls who have experienced Homelessness/ Displacement. Read the concept note here. Read more Tuesday, February 11th - 1:15- 2:30pm - Conference Room 12, United Nations Building       The Links between Inequalities, Inadequate Housing and Homelessness       The global crisis related to housing and homelessness from the perspective of inequalities and human rights violations, highlight the data from our 2019 grassroots survey, and discuss potential solutions will be discussed in this event. The objectives of the session are: To present Grass Roots survey results related to homelessness; To examine the links between access to housing, homelessness, and inequalities, and the fulfillment of human rights obligations; To discuss how persons in various locations are experiencing inadequate housing or homelessness, as well as good practices in addressing it; To discuss the connections between land access (or lack thereof) and inadequate housing/homelessness, and the impact of climate change upon housing and homelessness. Read more Tuesday, February 11th - 3:00 pm - 4: 15 pm - Conference Room E, United Nations Building       The Right of all to Roofs and Floors: Affordable Housing and Universal Social Protection       An interactive, evidence-based panel of experts to explore interlinkages between the implementation of social protection systems, including floors in line with SDG 1.3 to combat and ultimately do away with homelessness and ensure adequate housing, and simultaneously address inequality. The panel of experts will examine latest evidence on the extent of and experience of homelessness and the data, including fiscal space, to implement social protection for all, as envisaged by USP 2030. The discussion will be interactive, focus on human rights, will show the nexus between homelessness and multidimensional poverty and the effectiveness of strong social protection systems including floors coupled with political will to be transformational. Evidence from Finland will demonstrate the interlinkages and what can be done to eradicate homelessness with political will and social policy innovation. Practical and clear recommendations will be made and results written up for media and website use. Permanent Mission of Finland to the UN, UNDESA, Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd/Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors. Read more Wednesday, February 12 - 10:00 - 11:15 am - Conference Room 12, United Nations Building           Women's Rights to affordable housing and secure tenure: key to ending homelessness       Organized by Worldwide Network Nigeria, UNDESA and NGO Working Group to End Homelessness Read more Wednesday, February 12 - 10:00 am - 11:15 am - Conference Room E, United Nations Building       Social Protection Systems to Address Homelessness: Key to Leaving No One Behind       Our event offers the opportunity for a diverse group of stakeholders to engage in robust learning, discussion, and dialogue on the causes and solutions to global homelessness, and how homelessness indeed connects to social protection floors. Speakers, moderators, and facilitators represent NGOs working in the global North and global South, academia, faith communities and government perspectives. Featured speakers include Dame Louise Casey, former UK Homelessness Tsar and chair of the Institute of Global Homelessness; and Dr. Ify Ofong, from WorldWIDE Network Nigeria. Joining Dame Casey and Dr. Ofong are other international experts on homelessness and social protection floors. for a series of inspiring and diverse discussions. Causes and solutions to global homelessness will be explored, and clear connection to social protection floors will be made. Speakers, moderators, and facilitators represent NGOs from the global North and global South, academia, faith communities, and government perspectives. Read more Thursday, February 13 - 10:00 am - 11:15 am - Conference Room E, United Nations Building           Family Homelessness: Prevention and Solutions       Family homelessness is a serious and often hidden developmental challenge in need of greater recognition and attention. Although research is scarce, family homelessness appears to be rising. Its causes range from fractured family relations, fleeing domestic violence, loss of employment to internal migration and unsustainably rapid urbanization and scarcity of affordable housing. The event "Family homelessness: prevention and solutions" organised by DISD/UNDESA in cooperation with civil society, including UNANIMA International, International Federation for Family Development , NGO Committee on the Family (and possibly other stakeholders) will explore the following questions: Should the family unit be the starting point for strategies to break the inter-generational cycle of poverty and homelessness? How can we prevent and solve the challenge of family homelessness? What obstacles must be overcome? What good practices can be replicated? How do we ensure that no family is left behind. Organized by UNDESA, UNANIMA International, International Federation for Family Development, the NY NGO Committee on the Family, UN Women Read more Thursday, February 13, 11:30 am - 12:45 pm - Conference Room 12, United Nations Building           Addressing homelessness in the context of the 2030 Agenda: From Rhetoric to Action       Organized by NGO Committee on Social Development, Worldwide Network Nigeria, WADAH Foundation Read more Thursday, February 13, 1:15 pm - 2:30 pm - Conference Room C, United Nations Building           Working Together to End Homelessness       Homelessness is one of the most visible manifestations of inequality. The event will engage various stakeholders, including the philanthropical community, the private sector, local governments/communities, persons experiencing homelessness, and other relevant actors to identify common challenges, and exchange good practices and way forward to end homelessness. Read more Thursday, February 13, 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm - Conference Room 12, United Nations Building           Building a Housing First Approach and Implementing Inclusive Best Practices       There is an estimated 100 million people in the world who are homeless, 15 million people are evicted annually, 1.6 billion people live in inadequate conditions and 883 million live in slums, although International Human Rights law includes the right to adequate housing. The Housing First Approach is intrinsically peoplecentered and human rights oriented. It provides housing and supportive services for people living on the streets without any preconditions. This side event will highlight the creation of the Housing First approach and its successful adoption into national policy in Finland, the current state of affordable housing, domestically and abroad, and showcase current successful grassroots work while offering venues for action. Read more Friday, February 14th - 1:15 to 2:30 pm - Conference Room 12, United Nations Building           Using Legal Mechanisms & Policies to Advance Social Protections       This event will offer awareness of the importance of legal mechanism (international treaties and domestic laws) and policies that are applicable to advancing social protection systems including those that address homelessness. The variety of speakers represent a multi-disciplinary approach to how these tools are used and in what context varying from the international arena to the local. A human rights based approach which includes all members of society underpins the worth of every member of society. It fosters human dignity, social inclusion, sustainable development and the peaceful c0-existence of everyone. Read more Friday, February 14th - 1:15 pm to 2:30 pm - Conference Room C, United Nations Building           Finding our way home       A call for integrated solutions built on the lived experience of homelessness and poverty By looking at the issue in the United States and in high income countries, this side-event will explore how homelessness contributes to deep poverty, discrimination and social exclusion. Ending homelessness calls for integrated solutions where housing rights are inseparable from access to decent work and quality healthcare for all. A comprehensive approach to eradicating poverty and ending homelessness that is conceived with those experiencing it first-hand is needed to understand the complexity of the dynamics at play. Read more Friday, February 14th - 3 to 4:15 pm - Conference Room E, United Nations Building           Migration and Homelessness: Hope from the Margins       The side event will focus on the issues of migrants and homelessness and highlight the stories of hope and resilience as they live through the reality and make way for a better life. Within the countries rural-urban migration pushes people to the squatters and slums as they keep searching for a better standard of living in the cities. Affordable Housing, health services, education, jobs are major needs that will require collaboration between governments and civil society. Two faces of our cities and urban centers glaringly manifest the shocking reality of inequalities among the populations and their living conditions. The side event will look at rural and urban dimensions as well as national and international scenario through the lens of poverty eradication (SDG1), reducing inequalities (SDG10), and gender equality (SDG 5). Tuesday, February 18th - 10:30 am - 12:45 pm - Church Center, Second Floor Read more           Youth Homelessness: Interrogating Policy Gaps and Legislative Vacuum       Panelists, drawn from experts and practitioners from across the globe critically analyze policies and legislations that address the incidence of Youth homelessness globally. They explore if the present policies, laws and programs are enough to address the issue of homelessness of young people leaving care institutions set up in compliance with CRC. We will listen to experiences of young people who have been in state institutions and foster homes and had to experience homelessness when leaving such institutions. Also listen to their stories of how they overcome those hurdles. The side event will then high light Good Practices from different countries that have effectively addressed this critical issue. Inter-active dialogue that follows will come up with plans to address both the lack of adequate data on youth homelessness resulting from lack of policy and legislative support and for advocacy and lobbying to plug policy gaps and legislative vacuum. Read more Wednesday, February 19th - 1:15 - 2:30 pm - CR. E, United Nations Building

e-GCSPF # 31 - January 2020

Global Social Protection Week The outcome document of the Global Social Protection Week is now available in English, French and Spanish. The event was held under the auspices of the International Labour Organization (ILO) from 25th to 28th November 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland. Video recordings of the high-level segment, selected interviews and photos are posted here. Read here about the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors activities during the event.             Covering the Missing Middle: Informal Economy Workers       WIEGO participated at the side event "Covering the missing middle: Informal economy workers" on 27 November. Read more           Asian Roundtable on Social Protection network       AROSP published an article on the activities carried out by the GCSPF during the ILO Social Protectoin Week. Read more           The Human Rights Framework for Establishing SPF and Achieving Universal Heath Coverage       In its General Comments No. 14 and 19, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has specified the contents of the right to health and the right to social security. The main challenges associated with the implementation of these two human rights have been addressed in several major international policy initiatives and global partnerships: The 2030 Agenda now makes an important contribution to the concretization of the rights to health and social security, because it expressly obliges the international community both to implement the concept of social protection floors and to ensure universal health protection. The extra-territorial obligations deriving from the two human rights are also taken up by the 2030 Agenda. The article by Markus Kaltenborn is available here           Let's kick-start a Global Fund for Social Protection by crowdfunding       More than half the global population is living in abject poverty and severe social insecurity. We have known for decades that well-run national social protection systems can solve most of the problem. But how do we fund it? The article by Michael Cichon is available here       New resources on SDGs and ageing       HelpAge International recently launched new SDG advocacy resources for ageing and older people inclusion in SDG implementation. The guide "Ageing and the SDGs - Six steps to older people’s inclusion" supports HelpAge network members and other CSOs in using Agenda 2030 to advance older people’s rights and inclusion. It sets out six key steps for integrating ageing and age-inclusive policies into national implementation of Agenda 2030, including mapping key advocacy stakeholders and identifying the main influencing opportunities in the SDG process. There is also a messaging guide and a flyer with some short advocacy asks. Read more         Welcome to Odile Frank as individual member       Odile Frank represented several organizations that are members of the GCSPF, now she has joined the GCSPF as individual member.

e-GCSPF # 30 - December 2019

GCSPF at the Global Social Protection Week Members of the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors participated in the Global Social Protection Week organized by the International Labour Organization (ILO) which was held from 25th to 28th November 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland. The objective of the Global Social Protection Week was to provide a roadmap for the future of social protection within the framework of the recently adopted ILO Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work. Video recordings of the high-level segment, selected interviews and photos are posted here.             GCSPF Commitments towards achieving Universal Human Rights-Based Social Protection Systems and Floors       The GCSPF delivered a statement at the Commitment session of the High-level Segment on Tuesday 26th. Read the statement here and the audio is here           Partnering for USP and SDG 1.3.       The GCSPF delivered a statement at the Session Partnership for USP and SDG 1.3 at the Global Social Protection Week on Thursday 28th. Read the statement here           Financing Social Protection       Magdalena Sepúlveda and Barry Herman, members of the GCSPF, participated in the panel of the session "Financing Social Protection: Creating fiscal space at the international level" that was held on Tuesday 26th. The audio is available here           Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung at the Commitment session       Cäcilie Schildberg delivered a statement on behalf of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung at the Commitment session of the High-level Segment on Tuesday 26th. The audio is available here, and all the session is here           Meeting of the Social Protection, Freedom and Justice for Workers Network       A meeting with the Social Protection, Freedom and Justice for Workers Network took place on Wednesday 27th. The Workers Network is an initiative by the ILO – in partnership with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) – to bring together trade unions that are active in promoting adequate, comprehensive social protection systems, to support dialogue amongst them and mutual learning. The network meeting showcased how unions are campaigning for the extension of social protection systems that are adequate, comprehensive, and based on the principles of solidarity and universality; dfending these systems against austerity and mobilising against cutbacks to the adequacy and coverage of social protection; negotiating reforms within tripartite committees or councils, as well as actively participating in the implementation, monitoring and follow-up of social protection reforms; supporting workers in the informal economy to access comprehensive social protection, while at the same time fostering the transition from the informal to formal economy; and promoting the ratification and effective implementation of international labour standards on social protection, namely ILO Convention 102 on Social Security and Recommendation 202 on Social Protection Floors. Specific country cases were presented (India, Nepal, Argentine, Kenya. Read more       Formulating national policies and strategies and national dialogue       Aura Sevilla and Michael Cichon participated in the panel. The session was moderated by Cäcilie Schildberg. The session was held on Wednesday 27th. This session brought together governments, social partners, international organizations and development partners to discuss the importance of an effective and inclusive national dialogue for formulating national social protection strategies and policiesto build national social protection systems. It explored steps that countries can follow to formulate national social protection policies and strategies based on national dialogue and highlight countries’ experiences and lessons learnt in this regard. Read more           International Financing for Social Protection Systems       The technical session "Exploring the feasibility of International Financing for Social Protection Systems" was held on Thursday 28th. Michael Cichon and Markus Kaltenborn were in the panel. This session brought together leading thinkers from governments, research institutions, the civil society and the private sector in order to discuss the feasibility of international financing for social protection floors. Different proposals for global solidarity mechanisms have been put forward in the past decade. Furthermore, different tax proposals have been discussed (and partly been implemented), including recent discussions on international taxation in the G7. The audio is here and the concept note is here           Launch of the publication "The challenge of creating national social dialogues for social protection floors"       The side event "Launch of the publication From international ivory towers to national realities: The challenge of creating national social dialogues for social protection floors, organized by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung was held on Thurdsday 28th. The importance of an effective and inclusive national dialogue for formulating national social protection strategies and policies to build national social protection systems was discussed in the session. And the experiences FES made in a three year project in nine countries where the impact that can be achieved by societal dialogues for the extension or the preservation of social protection almost everywhere. The publication seeks to contribute to the core objectives of the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors and to foster ongoing discussion at the national and international levels on how to better support the achievement of the SDGs and the practical realization of Recommendation 202, as a necessity for any kind of social-ecological transformation towards just and sustainable development.           Video Social Protection Floor       Only with a solid floor beneath our feet, we can feel safe and start dancing! Watch the video here       Networking at the Marketplace       On Wednesday 27th the GCSPF had a stand to present our work as well as publications of our members. The presentations included information shared by the members. The stand was focused on the cluster "Delivering on SDG 1.3: UN and partners" and the main focus was on "The role of civil society for universal social protection". José Florito (CIPECC, Argentina) coordinated our participation on this.           Strategy meeting of the Core Team       The strategy meeting of the Core Team of the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors took place during the Global Social Protection Week. The aim of this workshop was to bring together the members of the Core Team in order to share information among the members on activities in their working area, to discuss and develop future strategies and actions on all levels with specific focus on the regional, national and local level in developing countries, to discuss and decide respective action plans for 2020 and 2021 and to meet with international experts of the ILO and the Human Rights system during the ILO’s Social Protection Week and to strengthen their partnership. The meeting was facilitated by the Geneva Office of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) and Brot-für-die-Welt.

Dear friends,

Thank you very much for this opportunity to contribute to this very last session of the Global Social Protection Week. I am proud as a technical consultant to WIEGO, coalition member, based in the Philippines, to be able to outline for you the role and function of the global coalition for social protection floors for all.

1. Could you please share with us the main objective and composition of Global Coalition on Social Protection Floors? What is the main added value? Could you please share some of the concrete achievements so far?

The Global Coalition is a network of over 100 civil society organizations, trade unions and think tanks from all regions. Our vision is to promote the implementation of social protection floors and the extension of social protection to all. Our Mission is working strategically, collaboratively and in spirit of global solidarity, to provide a space and virtual platform for coalition members united by the common purpose of promoting the consolidation of social protection floors from a human rights perspective in line with human rights instruments, international labour standards, ILO Recommendation No.202 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

You have asked about our main added value and concrete achievements. In our 7 years of existence our coalition has kept the Social Protection Floor high on the international agenda. We have given visibility to many different experiences and expertise in the field of social protection. We have enabled national civil society organisations and trades unions to have a voice, and led on supporting, organising, mobilising and empowering especially the left behind people, such as those in the informal economy, rural areas, older people and persons with disabilities, to have awareness, confidence and agency to monitor and claim their rights to social protection. Our members have used their expertise in monitoring and training to lead and initiate dialogues on SP at the national level, and have ensured the participation of those often left behind in social protection policy formulation.

Our approaches include sharing practice nationally, regionally and internationally. We draw on academic expertise to build our capacity in moving forward on the challenges relating to the extension of social protection floors for all. This has given us the space at national, regional and international level for evidence based advocacy, drawn from experience of members, and shaped by a common framework to achieve the four guarantees of the floor. This framework has guided us in activities - including implementation of the social pension in the Philippines, to examine the impact of the right to care in Uruguay, to submit evidence to the Committee of Social and Economic Rights, to explore approaches to social protection through multi-country studies in Africa and Asia and facilitate multi-stakeholder networking on the right to social protection in nearly 20 countries in Africa Asia and Latin America. Our commitment to information exchange via website meetings, the monthly newsletter and the development of our many technical and policy documents has been supported over the years by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and Bread for the World.

Since the GCSFP came into being with the adoption of ILO Recommendation 202 in 2012 we have been actively engaged in ensuring that the right to social protection and its implementation of floors is in key global policy documents such as Agenda 2030 and those of regional Commissions, including the EC and AUC. Statements focus on social protection systems and floors and access to public services and infrastructure for gender equality. We participate in sessions of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR), have submitted shadow reports to the Committee of Economic and Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) and are supporting the finalisation of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights on the Rights of Citizens to Social Protection and Social Security of the African Union. The GCSPF has a seat at the Steering Committee of the Universal Social Protection 2030 Initiative. We believe it is effective to bring in the voice of civil society and trade unions in these regional and global fora where UN organisations and member states lead the way, since civil society and trade unions play an important transformative role in realizing the right to social protection and the implementation of the floors.

In that sense, we are very happy that we were able to co-negotiate the contents of the Call to Action of the Global Partnership for Universal Social Protection, which was launched on February 5th. It was crucial for us that important issues such as the adoption of human rights language, the recognition that universal systems require both contributory and non-contributory components and that civil society and trade unions must be centrally involved in the development, implementation and monitoring of national regional and global social protection policies.

2. In the future social protection systems need to be universal, comprehensive, adequate, sustainable and adapted to the transformations of the world of work, and to face many new challenges.

a. What concrete actions does the GCSPF plan to take to fill the coverage and financing gaps for universal social protection, and build the future of social protection to ensure that no one is left behind?

• Members of the coalition support national and regional work on budget analysis and dialogue on fiscal space for SP floor implementation. In 2020 we will launch an on line data platform of a Social Protection Index to support informed debate on national budget priorities, and to create the policy for this. The index shows that it is financially possible for most countries to implement the 4 social security guarantees. We will support the participation of ‘left behind people’ in Assessment based national dialogues and reinforce budget analysis training. We will engage in processes in relation to global financing initiatives, participate in FFD processes and look carefully at the roll out of the IMF strategy on social spending.
• We are looking forward to the implementation of the new EU Global Action Programme on Fostering Synergies between SP and Public Finance Management. This is a unique technical cooperation programme, co-financed by the EU, where ILO, UNICEF and the GCSPF will have to work together in four countries - Uganda, Senegal, Cambodia and Nepal - with findings rolled out to many more. Such multi-stakeholder approach is promising and could yield important results. Our ultimate goal is to extend coverage to people, provide them with access to specific social protection benefits and services whilst ensuring sustainable and equitable financing. At the moment, we are making a mapping exercise to identify the different civil society organisations and trade unions which are willing to engage in this programme. And there we really want to ensure that we can reach a variety of organisations working with different groups and communities in the four countries.

b. What are the concrete actions that you plan to take in the Global Coalition on Social Protection Floors to strengthen partnerships for promoting universal social protection?

Over Sunday and Monday of this week coalition members met to make concrete plans for the next two years. Our plans include to take forward human rights monitoring by encouraging coalition members to make inputs to available human rights monitoring mechanisms, including the Human Rights Council and the CESRC on social protection implementation , and to give visibility to the guarantees of the floor within UN processes – CsocD, CSW, HLPF, FFD, and the African Union. We will promote and encourage coalition member experience sharing and enhance partnerships in the global south for capacity building work. We will support Regional Platforms – eg Africa Platform for Social Protection, WIEGO, Asia Monitoring in the in country monitoring of access to benefits and to develop positions and articulate experience of platform members on key issues including informal work, the impact of climate change and humanitarian challenges, and legal standards to underpin the 4 social security guarantees. We envisage more partnerships with academia and think tanks to strengthen our capacities on a number of issues, including fiscal space, public finance management and human rights. We will continue our engagement in USP2030, with individual organisations joining the Membership Assembly and the GCSPF taking up its seat in the Steering Committee, together with ITUC.

Our engagement in the EU Global Action is an example of a multi-stakeholder partnership that we would value in other countries. It is an example of shared commitment to the same objectives and a common guiding framework to make a real difference to people’s lives. The lessons which we will draw from this new EU Global Action will be very useful in guiding future partnerships in other countries, and support our active engagement in the delivery of the human right of social protection for all and its sustainable and long term financing.

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Our Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors comprises over 100 non State actors, civil society organizations and trade unions.  We work towards the implementation of universal, residence and human rights-based social protection systems and floors – in line with human rights instruments, international labour standards, ILO Recommendation No.202 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Our coalition is active on issues which in our view are essential building blocks to achieve universal social protection systems and floors for all. These include:

1. Robust monitoring of the implementation of the four social security guarantees of recommendation 202
2. National and international financing mechanisms for social protection
3.  Participation in the design, promotion and monitoring of the implementation of social protection systems and floors
4.  National and international action required to ensure delivery of social protection systems and floors including universal access to essential health care
5. The importance of gender equality and rights-based care policies

We are a committed member of the interim Steering Committee of the USP2030 partnership. We are pleased to participate in specific country action covered by the EU Action Programme on “Synergies in Social Protection and Public Finance Management”. We are confident that this partnership with ILO, UNICEF and the EU will strengthen national-level dialogues to reach consensus to further social protection for all.

Our three priority areas are:

1. Articulate the transformative potential of social protection for social development, the eradication of poverty, for gender equality, to enable people and societies to address the impact of climate change and to reduce inequalities.
2. Strengthen partnerships, advocacy and lobbying on social protection floors, highlighting progress and gaps. We stress the need for enhanced coverage, adequate financing, and tax justice.
3. Identify and help overcome obstacles in the delivery of social protection, including means-testing and conditioning benefits, and ineffective delivery systems that exclude marginalized and hard to reach people.
4. Strengthen social accountability through assessment-based national dialogue, capacity building, data disaggregation and monitoring to achieve universal residence- and human rights-based social protection systems and floors for all people on our planet.

Thank you for your attention.

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The audio is available here

The Strategy Meeting of the Core Team of the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors took place on November 24 and 25 during the Global Social Protection Week.

The aim of this meeting was to bring together the members of the Core Team in order to share information among the members on activities in their working area, to discuss and develop future strategies and actions on all levels with specific focus on the regional, national and local level in developing countries, to discuss and decide respective action plans for 2020 and 2021 and to meet with international experts of the ILO and the Human Rights system during the ILO’s Social Protection Week and to strengthen their partnership.

The meeting was facilitated by the Geneva Office of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) and Brot-für-die-Welt.

e-GCSPF # 29 - October 2019

The World Bank’s new White Paper falls short on its objective of ‘protecting all’       The World Bank recently issued a White Paper on rethinking social protection systems to extend coverage. While at first glance this is an honourable goal, the proposals in Protecting All: Risk-Sharing for a Diverse and Diversifying World of Work would do little to achieve this aim. The paper proposes a rollback of existing rights and protections for workers, both in terms of social security and labour market protections. Leo Baunach, Evelyn Astor and Stephen Kidd argue that this approach would increase inequality and undermine poverty reduction. The World Bank is the largest multilateral institution devoted to promoting development. Unfortunately, its promotion of the Washington Consensus, pension privatisation, poverty targeting and other failed policies have caused immense damage to developing countries. No matter, the authors say: “Rather than an indication of poor development progress,” the lack of social protection coverage in developing countries means that it will be easier to implement the untested and inequitable framework presented in the White Paper (pg. 31). Read more           Declaration of Civil Society Organisations at the World Bank and IMF Annual Meetings       In a joint declaration, Civil Society Organisations reject the IMF austerity policies implemented in Ecuador, Argentina and Haiti, with agreements that include the restriction of public investment, reduction of labor rights, establish tax amnesties for the corporate sector and trigger a continued deterioration in public services. This is not the way to either prevent or resolve a crisis. The IMF has to change its austerity and deregulatory structural reform policies. Countries must have access to financing with sovereignty over their economic policies and in a a way that the State can guarantee human rights, civil and political, as well as economic and social rights, in line with their Constitutions and international treaties, and with the participation of diverse sectors of society, including social movements of indigenous people, women and workers. Read more           People’s Assembly Debates UN Reform and HLPF Review       On 24-25 September, parallel to these High-level UN meetings and closed-door or invitation only business meetings, civil society organisations engaged in critical discussions on the future of sustainable development and reforms needed to ensure a just and equitable future for all. The People’s Assembly hosted a session on “High level political forum (HLPF) Reform Including the Role of Private Sector in the UN”. The conversation, moderated by Jens Martens of Global Policy Forum (GPF), featured panelists Oli Henman of Action 4 Sustainable Development (A4SD), John Romano of the Transparency, Accountability, Participation (TAP) Network, Kate Donald of the Center for Economic and Social Rights (CESR) and Barbara Adams of the GPF. Their remarks and the subsequent interactive conversation touched on challenges and opportunities ahead regarding reform to the wider UN, proposals to reconstitute the HLPF, and immediate opportunities to reform the HLPF. Read more           Growing Inequality in South Asia       The South Asia Inequality Report 2019 aims to flag up the seriousness of growing inequality in South Asia as a result of government policies and programmes that benefit only a handful of rich leaving behind a large section of society who are denied access to the basic human rights and needs. The report published by SAAPE discusses the common problems caused by inequality and its impact on the lives of the people across South Asian countries. The high level of economic growth in South Asia has not resulted in welfare improvement especially in case of the poor since they have failed to gain any benefits in comparison to the rich. Societal welfare has been remarkably decreased because the economic growth has benefited the rich at the cost of the poor. Read more           AGS 2020: Move from Aspiration to Inspiration on Social Rights and Poverty Reduction       European Anti Poverty Network (EAPN) has written to the President of the European Commission to ensure the AGS 2020 continues its progress towards a more balanced social/economic/environmental strategy delivering on poverty, social rights + participation. EAPN underlines 10 key messages for the 2020 Annual Growth Survey, building on their exchanges with their members on their findings this year and particularly on the EAPN Assessment of the Semester 2019: Is the 2019 European Semester more social? Read more         Welcome to new members     Norwegian Church Aid Tanzania Office   By harnessing transformative interfaith action in communities, Norwegian Church Aid – Tanzania (NCA Tanzania) engages community members and local partners to uphold peace and promote social cohesion. Our interfaith community projects on budget monitoring, and savings and loan groups have proved vital for harmonious networking and interaction. Contact information: Sarah Shija, Senior Program Officer           Prof. Dr. Markus Kaltenborn   Please see his publications here.

e-GCSPF # 28 - September 2019

Spotlight on Sustainable Development 2019       Four years after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda the world is off-track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Most governments have failed to turn the transformational vision of the 2030 Agenda into real transformational policies. Even worse, xenophobia and authoritarianism are on the rise in a growing number of countries. But there are signs of change. Social movements have emerged worldwide, many with young people and women in the lead. They not only challenge bad or inefficient government policies, but also share a fundamental critique of underlying social structures, power relations and governance arrangements. Thus, the implementation of the 2030 Agenda is not just a matter of better policies. Meaningfully tackling the obstacles and contradictions in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs requires more holistic and more sweeping shifts in how and where power is vested, including through institutional, legal, social, economic and political commitments to realizing human rights. The GCSPF and several members of the Global Coalition participated in the 2019 Report. The chapter on SDG 1 is entitled “Applying human rights standards for the governance of social protection will unleash its transformative potential” by the GCSPF. Read the publication here and see below the contributions by members of the GCSPF.           Reshaping Governance for Sustainability: 2019 “Spotlight” Report Launched at the UN HLPF       Photo: FES “There needs to be an examination of the hardware of the 2030 Agenda, rather than an upgrade of its software” concludes the 2019 Spotlight Report launched on Thursday, 11 July during the HLPF that reviews the UN 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. Under the title of “Reshaping governance for sustainability”, the civil society report explores transforming institutions, shifting power and strengthening rights. The launch event showcased the ideas presented by a variety of the report’s authors. Read more           SDG 1. Applying human rights standards for the governance of social protection will unleash its transformative potential       By Sylvia Beales and Nicola Wiebe, Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors The Agenda recognizes that economic growth alone misses those left furthest behind, and its transformative vision is to reach the furthest first, to leave no one behind, to empower the disadvantaged and to end poverty in all its forms everywhere by 2030. Social protection is key to accomplishing this vision and is mandated in SDG 1, target 1.3. When properly designed, social protection effectively prevents and reduces poverty and inequality. Guaranteed social protection supports improved nutrition and access to essential services and can therefore interrupt the vicious cycle of poverty and its intergenerational transfer. Universal access rights to social protection means that those at extreme disadvantage can be reached, which contributes to overcoming deeply rooted experiences of discrimination and exclusion, disempowerment and gender inequality. But currently only 29 percent of the global population count on comprehensive social protection over the lifecourse and for the different contingencies that may occur. Read more           Civil society reports show conflicting priorities and trade-offs in SDG implementation       By Roberto Bissio, Social Watch The trade-offs between different priorities competing for scarce budget resources, for the limited attention of policy-makers or the interest of the media rarely emerge in the official debates, but they are permanently highlighted by the independent reports of civil society on implementation of the 2030 Agenda... or lack of it. Read more           Unveiling the hidden dimensions of poverty       By Xavier Godinot, International Movement ATD Fourth World The 2030 Agenda recognizes that poverty is multidimensional. However, apart from income poverty, hitherto these dimensions have not been well-specified, several of them have gone unrecognized, and the ways in which they all interact to shape the experience of poverty has not been properly understood. Read more       Human Rights in the 2030 Agenda: putting justice and accountability at the core of sustainable development governance       By Ignacio Saiz, Center for Economic and Social Rights (CESR) Over the seven decades since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), human rights have become deeply embedded in the discourse, norms and structures of global governance. Promoting human rights is one of the foundational purposes of the United Nations. Human rights agreements - and disagreements - have profoundly shaped the dynamic of relations between States, as well as between governments and their people. The principles affirmed in the UDHR represent the closest humanity has come to an agreed universal framework of standards for how such relations should be governed. Read more           Club governance: Can the world still be run by gentlemen's agreements?       By Roberto Bissio, Social Watch The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development clearly identifies several issues, ranging from finances, to climate to trade, where global governance agreement is required. But actual decisions on these issues often run in the opposite direction. Non-accountable ‘clubs’ exercise de facto authority and raise obstacles to implementing the SDGs. Read more           SDG 8. Reclaiming the socio-economic transformation space for realizing SDG 8 in Africa       By Trywell Kalusopa, Africa Labour Research Network (ALRN), ITUC-Africa This article seeks to add to the global dialogue from a trade union point of view, focusing on the assessment of progress in Africa towards SDG 8 targets on growth and employment. It argues that the current capitalist neoliberal global financial and economic production system tends to reproduce economic insecurities, a prime source of inequalities, unemployment and poverty. It asserts that the unfettered globalization enterprise, defined in the purview of the integration of trade, technology and labour, is an inherent driver of decent work deficits around the world. This is clear in the global commodity and value chains of the formal and informal economies that are now linked across borders, altering political, socioeconomic structures and ultimately employment relations. In that light, the increased integration of the global economy simply means that both formal and informal workers are enmeshed in integrated capitalist production processes that present newer challenges to worker organizations and ultimately undermine human development and progress. Read more           SDG 9. Towards a new approach to public infrastructure provision       By David Boys, Public Services International (PSI) Public infrastructure and services are the bedrock of our societies – they help families thrive, they allow communities and businesses to grow and prosper, they provide support for people in need. They include health and social services; education; water and sanitation; energy; public transport; roads; land use planning (both urban and rural); justice, security and more. These core government responsibilities are one of the main guarantors of fulfilling human rights and reducing poverty. Although the UN’s 2030 Agenda implicitly acknowledges the fundamental role of public services and the importance of universal access, its Financing for Development policies and the emphasis in SDG 17 on partnerships are pushing us towards the private, for-profit model. This even as the for-profit model demonstrates its inability to ensure universal access, especially for the poor. Therefore, a different framework is needed, one that rebalances the needs of people and planet over profit. Read more           SDG 10. The IMF’s role in economic governance: conducive to reducing inequalities within and among countries?       By Kate Donald, CESR, Grazielle David, University of Campinas and Mahinour El-Badrawi, CESR The IMF plays a central role in economic governance, both at the global and national levels. Although it presents itself as neutral economic arbiter, its approach is in fact deeply rooted in certain economic orthodoxies, many of which have proven incompatible with the achievement of sustainable development and the meaningful reduction of inequalities, particularly in the Global South. Drawing on the examples of Egypt and Brazil, we present concrete examples of how IMF governance – in its various forms – has led to deepening of social and economic inequalities, and threats to human rights enjoyment. This is in stark contrast to the image that the IMF is painting of itself as a champion of the SDGs. Read more           SDG 11. Tackling the challenges of global urbanization: flagship local government initiatives to meet the SDGs       By Daria Cibrario, Public Services International (PSI) and Andrea Ciambra, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) Highlighting the crucial role of local and regional governments in the frontline implementation of the SDGs, this article showcases a selection of innovative initiatives by subnational governments, often in dialogue and cooperation with trade unions and community groups. Cases go beyond the scope of SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities) reaching out to other SDGs relating to essential public service access, housing, climate change and public procurement. Read more