Ahead of the 2023 Annual meetings of the World Bank and IMF, 71 civil society organizations supported the release of a joint statement calling on the Bank and IMF to change their social protection policies and practices. The group of signatory organizations urged the IMF and the World Bank to commit to realizing the right to social security, end poverty-targeted programs in countries without universal coverage, support equitable and sustainable public systems, and to halt austerity measures that threaten rights.
We restated our concerns with the start of the 2024 Spring Meetings, in an open letter to World Bank and IMF executive directors, proposing four measures to realize the right to social security.
Human rights, faith-based, and economic justice organizations wrote to the World Bank Group (WBG) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Executive Directors to express concerns that the WBG and the IMF are failing to support States to realize the human right to social security for all. The letters were sent in the framework of the Spring Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the IMF and the WBG that are taking place from April 15 to 20, 2024, in Washington DC.
Dear Executive Directors,
We, the undersigned human rights, faith-based, and economic justice organizations, are writing to express concerns that the World Bank and IMF are failing to promote the human right to social security for all.[1] We are proposing four policy changes that would advance the right to social security in line with human rights standards, and we would like to meet with you to explore how your office may support them.
As underlined by the Global Partnership for Universal Social Protection to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (USP2030),[2] which the World Bank is co-chairing, “universal social protection is a human right and key to recovery, for a green transition and sustainable and inclusive economic and social development for individuals, communities, and nations”. At present, however, over half of the world’s population has no access to even one social security program.[3]
Among international development actors, the World Bank is the largest funder of social protection systems.[4] Despite the World Bank’s commendable commitment in 2015 to promote universal social protection, we are concerned that the World Bank continues to promote narrowly targeted “safety nets,” where eligibility hinges on estimates of the extent of poverty that have acknowledged large exclusion errors, rather than embracing a more inclusive and rights-aligned universal approach.[5]
Research by Oxfam International and others found that 85 percent of the world’s population lives in countries where governments’ austerity measures impede their ability to deliver on their human rights obligations.[6] While as part of its country assistance programs, the IMF has increasingly included some level of protection for social spending, the Fund continues to promote heavily means-tested programs that cover only a tiny fraction of the population. This undermines global efforts to work towards universal social protection systems consistent with human rights.[7]
The negative impacts of this approach are well-documented, especially in countries without universal social security systems and where the majority of people work and live in informal settings. Evidence shows that such programs are often designed too narrowly and exclude many of the poorest.[8] “The poor” is not a static group, and in reality, households dynamically move between societal welfare rankings over short periods.[9] Further, most governments lack up-to-date data to accurately identify “the poor.” “Targeting” is also vulnerable to mismanagement or corruption.[10] By focusing only on people in poverty or even extreme poverty, these programs exclude large segments of the population who may not be considered “poor” at one moment but are far from enjoying their rights. They also fail to build a shared sense of solidarity and can undermine trust within societies.[11]
Further, through macroeconomic policy advice, the World Bank and IMF have a history of undermining public social insurance systems by promoting individualized savings schemes such as privately managed pensions, over investment in public systems.[12]Recent reforms in some countries have further eroded the right to social security, leading to reduced coverage and lower benefits.[13] In some countries, these changes involved cuts to employer contributions or reduced benefits for the majority in the public system. Research by the International Labour Organization (ILO) shows that privatization of social insurance in some countries worsened poverty and inequality, disproportionately affecting women and older people.[14]
The current approach taken by the World Bank and IMF falls short of their obligations under international law. International financial institutions have an obligation to avoid causing harm by not demanding cuts or a re-design of social security programs that would undermine rights, and to provide as many resources as they can to help build universal social security systems that are rights-aligned.[15]
The Bank and IMF have an opportunity to course-correct and adopt a rights-aligned approach to social security that sets the tone and leads the way toward more just societies and economies. We strongly urge the World Bank and IMF, as pivotal actors in financing and shaping social security policies in low- and middle-income countries, to take four measures to progressively realize the right to social security:
We would greatly appreciate the opportunity to meet with you and discuss these proposed policy reforms. Given that several of our organizations will be in Washington DC for the 2024 Spring meetings, we kindly request a meeting either in person during the Spring meetings or online the week following the meetings.
For additional details on our unified call to action and priorities for realizing the right to social security, please refer to the full statement on the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors website via the following link: https://www.socialprotectionfloorscoalition.org/social-security-for-all/.
Sincerely,
Notes:
[1] In October 2023, 71 organizations signed a joint statement that provides additional details on our unified call to action and priorities for realising the right to social security, see here: https://www.socialprotectionfloorscoalition.org/social-security-for-all/.
[2] See: https://usp2030.org.
[3] See: https://www.social-protection.org/gimi/WSPDB.action?id=32.
[4] In 2022, the World Bank reported a portfolio of almost US$29.5 billion in social protection financing, covering an estimated 880 million people in 71 countries. See: https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/84ba2380-624c-553a-b929-2882e72c7468
[5] We understand poverty versus universal programs as follows: i) Poverty-Targeted Programs are means-tested and attempt to target people based on their income or assets. ii) Universal Programs do not limit eligibility based on peoples’ resources, but rather emphasize universal eligibility for everyone within specific groups that encompass stages of life or statuses in which people’s economic, social and cultural rights are particularly at risk (e.g., children, people with disabilities, unemployed adults, caretakers, older people, etc.).
[6] “85% of the world’s population will live in the grip of stringent austerity measures by next year.” Oxfam. 2022. https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/85-worlds-population-will-live-grip-stringent-austerity-measures-next-year.
[7] “Bandage on a Bullet Wound: IMF Social Spending Floors and the Covid-19 Pandemic.” Human Rights Watch. 2023. https://www.hrw.org/report/2023/09/25/bandage-bullet-wound/imf-social-spending-floors-and-covid-19-pandemic.
[8] “Hit and Miss: An assessment of targeting effectiveness in social protection with additional analysis.” Stephen Kidd and Diloá Athias. Act Church of Sweden and Development Pathways. 2020. See: https://www.svenskakyrkan.se/default.aspx?id=1909511.
[9] “Advocating for universal social security: how to win hearts and minds.” Stephen Kidd, Gunnel Axelsson Nycander, and Holly Seglah. 2023. https://www.developmentpathways.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Advocating-for-universality_v1c.pdf.
[10] “The social contract and the role of universal social security in building trust in government.” Stephen Kidd, Gunnel Axelsson Nycander, Anh Tran and Madeleine Cretney. Act Church of Sweden and Development Pathways. 2020. https://www.svenskakyrkan.se/default.aspx?id=2151346.
[11] “Towards universal social protection.” Development Pathways and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. 2022. https://www.developmentpathways.co.uk/publications/towards-universal-social-protection/.
[12] “Reversing Pension Privatizations: Rebuilding public pension systems in Eastern Europe and Latin America.” International Labour Organization. 2018. https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_protect/---soc_sec/documents/publication/wcms_648574.pdf.
[13] “End Austerity: A Global Report on Budget Cuts and Harmful Social Reforms in 2022-25.” Isabel Ortiz and Matthew Cummins. 2022. https://publicservices.international/resources/publications/end-austerity-a-global-report-on-budget-cuts-and-harmful-social-reforms-in-2022-25?id=13501&lang=en.
[14] “Reversing Pension Privatizations: Rebuilding public pension systems in Eastern Europe and Latin America.” International Labour Organization. 2018.
[15] “Questions and Answers on the Right to Social Security.” Human Rights Watch. 2023. https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/05/25/questions-and-answers-right-social-security.
[16] Stephen Kidd, Nahya Mansoor, Angela Barca. 2023. “An affordable and feasible pathway to universal social security using the principle of universality.” Act Church of Sweden, Action Against Hunger France, Development Pathways. 2023. https://www.developmentpathways.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Affordable-and-feasible-pathway-to-universal-social-security.pdf.
[17] “Social registries: a short history of abject failure.” Stephen Kidd, Diloá Athias & Idil Mohamud. 2021. https://www.svenskakyrkan.se/filer/578537/Social-registries-a-short-history-of-abject-failure-June-1%20(1).pdf?id=2244266.
The Global Campaign for the Right to Social Security invites you to join our session at the Civil Society Policy Forum (CSPF), titled “Examining the Progress of the World Bank's Commitment to Universal Social Protection.” You can also attend online.
The event will take place on April 17, 2024 at the World Bank I Building 2-250 from 16:15 pm to 17:45 pm (GMT-4).
The Global Campaign for The Right to Social Security hosted a parallel event titled ‘Unlocking Gender Equality: The Power of Universal Social Security Programs’ highlighting the pivotal role of universal and individual social security programs in advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, as opposed to means-tested or poverty-targeted programs. The session took place on March 14, 2024.
The session was focused on the flaws of means-tested or poverty-targeted social protection programs and make the case for universal and individual social security programs in advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.
The event was moderated by Farah Al Shami (Arab Reform Initiative) and the panelists were Ana Maria Munoz Boudet (World Bank), Jane Anyango (Polycom Development Project), Tara Korti (Christian Aid) and Abiodun Abaniwo (Action Against Hunger Nigeria).
The side event was coorganized by the Global Campaign for the Right to Social Security, Act Church of Sweden, Action Against Hunger France, Action Aid, the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors, and the Arab Reform Initiative.
The 68th annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) took place from 11 to 22 March, 2024 under the priority theme “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective”.
Further information here.
Curious about how universal and individual social security programs can promote gender equality and empower women and girls?
The Global Campaign for The Right to Social Security will be hosting a parallel event at the 68th annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) titled ‘Unlocking Gender Equality: The Power of Universal Social Security Programs’ highlighting the pivotal role of universal and individual social security programs in advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, as opposed to means-tested or poverty-targeted programs.
The session will be focused on the flaws of means-tested or poverty-targeted social protection programs and make the case for universal and individual social security programs in advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. It will be delivered in an engaging format that inspire people to take action and express concrete commitments towards this issue.
Join us on Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 10:00 am – 11:30 am EST
Zoom registration link: Webinar Registration - Zoom
Moderator: Farah Al Shami, Arab Reform Initiative.
Panelists: Shahra Razavi (International Labour Organization, ILO), Ana Maria Munoz-Boudet (World Bank), Jane Anyango (Polycom Development Project), Tara Korti (Christian Aid), Abiodun Abaniwo (Action Against Hunger Nigeria).
The 68th annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) will take place this year from 11 to 22 March under the priority theme “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective”.
In December 2023 the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF) submitted its inputs for the preparation of the Zero Draft of the Pact for the Future. The GCSPF’s document is published on the UN’s website. Download pdf document.
Members of the GCSPF have also contributed with written inputs, among them: Amnesty International, Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP), HelpAge International, Human Rights Watch, ITUC, Make Mothers Matter (MMM), Save the Children International, Social Watch.
Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors - GCSPF
Chapeau
The right to Social Protection for all underpins the vision of the 2030 Agenda, the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and the ambition of the Summit of the Future. This right is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in several international human rights conventions.[1] However, four billion people worldwide, over half the global population, still live without adequate social protection.[2] Those denied social protection lack important means of escaping extreme poverty, ensuring sufficient food security for themselves and their families and accessing essential health and other services. Without effective social protection, inequalities within societies and between countries are increased – in particular, women and girls, people with disabilities and older persons are severely disadvantaged.
Therefore, it is right that target 3 of SDG 1 calls for social protection and social protection floors and that they are recognized as essential for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – above all for the "leave no one behind" principle on which the entire Agenda is based.
Social protection floors, which should guarantee basic income and health protection over the life course[3], must be designed for the long term, as they must cover childhood and youth, working life and old age. Social protection must also be in place for future generations as those born today will not be able to lead a dignified life without it. All of this requires a solid financial basis underpinned by political will and inclusive and fairly designed governance structures – not only in the countries themselves, but also at the global level. Thus, social protection is a topic that relates to several chapters of the Pact for the Future, mainly chapters I, IV and V.
We therefore urge, that the Pact for the Future will include a specific commitment in its chapeau to universal social protection and to demonstrable tangible progress on social protection floors by 2030.
Chapter I. Sustainable development and financing for development
Without adequate social protection, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In particular, the fight against poverty, the reduction of inequalities within and between societies, adequate food supply and health care, regular school attendance for children and the elimination of gender discrimination are goals that are inextricably linked to target 1.3 of the 2030 Agenda. Human rights for all are the foundation of the 2030 Agenda and yet the right to social protection is being denied to over half the global population. Some countries have succeeded in generating adequate domestic resources to ensure rights-based and sustainably financed social protection systems for the entire population. Other countries, however, do not yet have sufficient financial resources nor the political will to fully guarantee their population this protection. It is therefore essential and urgent that the international community both calls for universal social protection in all countries and supports the system building, rollout and the financing of social protection floors worldwide. With the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection proposed by the UN Secretary-General[4], global solutions to these problems are currently being sought. But financial and technical support can, and must be, significantly expanded[5], otherwise it will not be possible in many parts of the world to successfully implement social protection floors – the basis for achieving some of the key objectives of the 2030 Agenda.
Chapter II. International peace and security
Social protection plays a fundamental role in the prevention of conflicts when and where poverty and inequality are associated with other root causes of conflict. As countries reconstruct and communities regroup after conflict and disruption social protection is essential to support access to health and education, work and small scale investment. The potential benefit of ensuring the right to social protection for all to reduce and counter marginalization, radicalization, and extremism that fuel conflict should be acknowledged in the Summit conclusions and the language of the Pact.
Chapter III. Science, technology and innovation and digital cooperation
System building to deliver social protection requires up-to-date technology and data accuracy. Advances in this field significantly enhance governmental accountability and can support citizen inclusion in development. They are an important contribution to ensuring that social protection measures can also be expanded to the most vulnerable groups of society. Cooperation between countries and UN agencies on digital innovation for social protection is an exciting development which is supporting the building of robust governmental institutions, essential for SDG achievement.
Chapter IV. Youth and future generations
All countries are ageing, with life expectancy on the rise in the over 70’s age group, especially in the countries of the global south. Social protection protects all people from the cradle to the grave and ensures that older people can support their dependent family members and that young people can develop their future prospects in a safe social and economically stable environment, essential to counter the noxious effects of poverty on child development. This is why target 1.3 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (“Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable”) must be achieved. This applies a fortiori to future generations. Sustainable social protection will enable improved life conditions and create pathways to equitable life chances; future generations will not be able to enjoy decent lives unless adequate social protection is sustainably guaranteed for them. It is also important that the educational and employment rights of the youth related to social protection are guaranteed.
Chapter V. Transforming global governance
Global governance structures must be designed in such a way that all states – regardless of their economic and financial strength – can influence multilateral decisions on an equal basis. If international funds are set up to deal with global problems (e.g., in the areas of climate protection, health and food security or social protection), contributors and recipients must have equal rights in the decision-making process.[6] It is also important that the affected civilian population is adequately represented in these processes.
Building age and gender inclusive social protection systems should engage national populations and be a participatory process, which demonstrates good governance and robust national institutions. Putting in place financial and technical cooperation for universal social protection will demonstrate global commitment to inclusive, participatory and knowledge sharing processes from the local level to those at national, regional, and global levels.
International tax reform is needed globally to address lost revenues that must be recaptured for domestic government expenditure and international funds. We urge member countries to advance towards a UN Convention on Taxes that allows to fight tax evasion and illicit financial flows and thus generate the domestic resources indispensable for social protection.
Notes:
[1] Article 9 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; Art. 5e iv International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; Art. 11, para 1e Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women; Art. 26 Convention on the Rights of the Child; Art. 27 International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families; Art. 28 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
[2] ILO (2021), World Social Protection Report 2020–22: Social protection at the crossroads – in pursuit of a better future, https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@ed_protect/@soc_sec/documents/publication/wcms_817572.pdf.
[3] Social Protection Floors Recommendation (ILO R 202, 2012).
[4] https://unglobalaccelerator.org/.
[5] In June 2021, the International Labour Conference (ILC) called on the International Labour Organization (ILO) to “initiate and engage in discussions on concrete proposals for a new international financing mechanism, such as a Global Social Protection Fund, which could complement and support domestic resource mobilization efforts in order to achieve universal social protection“, ILC.109/Resolution III. See in this context also UN Human Rights Council (2021), Global fund for social protection: international solidarity in the service of poverty eradication, Report of the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, A/HRC/47/36, 22.4.2021, https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/ahrc4736-global-fund-social-protection-international-solidarity-service; and Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (2022), Civil Society Call for a Global Fund for Social Protection to respond to the COVID-19 crisis and to build a better future, https://www.socialprotectionfloorscoalition.org/civil-society-call/.
[6] If the Global Public Investment (GPI) approach is used, according to which all states involved in a financing mechanism pay contributions into the fund based on a fair share calculation (https://globalpublicinvestment.org/), an equal distribution between the groups of net contributors and net recipients must be ensured during voting.
The video of the event "Building a New Eco-social Contract and Advancing Social Security in Times of Debt and Austerity" is now online. The event took place on Friday, October 13, 2023 during the Civil Society Policy Forum of the WBG-IMF Annual Meetings 2023 held in Marrakech, Morocco.
Recent research analyzing IMF programs show that, far from “mitigating” austerity measures, IMF policies and social spending floors fail to address negative social impacts. The panel explored how the World Bank and IMF could build a human rights-based economy with better developmental outcomes.
The event was moderated by Shahir Ishak (Senior Social Protection Specialist, Inclusive Social Security Policy Forum).
And the speakers were Sarah Saadoun (Senior Researcher, Human Rights Watch), Allana Kembabazi (Program Manager, Initiative for Social and Economic Rights), Isabel Ortiz (Director of the Global Social Justice, Initiative for Policy Dialogue) and Rodrigo Cerda (Division Chief, IMF), the World Bank Group (WBG) declined the invitation to participate in the event.
The event was organized by Act church of Sweden, ActionAid international, AWC, ANND, Amnesty International, CESR, End Austerity Campaign, FTC, Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF), Global Social Justice/Initiative for Policy Dialogue (IPD), HRW, ISSPF, ISER, ITUC, Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation, Oxfam International, BWP, WIEGO, ARI and MenaFem.
Further information on this event is available here. Further information about the Right to Social Security Campaing is available here.
Members of the Social Security for all Campaign participated at the Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group (WBG) - International Monetary Fund (IMF) Annual Meetings 2023 held in Marrakech, Morocco, from 9 to 15 October, 2023.
Members of the Social Security for all Campaign participated at the Reclaim our Future Conference, from 8 to 9 October 2023. The event End Austerity! Reclaim the Right to Education, Health and Social Security took place on October 8th.
This session presented the new austerity policies advised by the IMF and the World Bank, and implemented by most Ministries of Finance, from cuts to public services and social security/social protection, to privatization and labor flexibilization reforms, affecting more than 6 billion people. All the human suffering these reforms cause is unnecessary: there are alternatives that even the poorest countries can implement to achieve human rights including the right to education, health and social security.
The speakers were Isabel Ortiz (Director of the Global Social Justice Programme), Matti Kohonen (Director of the Financial Transparency Coalition), Nabil Abdo (Senior Policy Advisor, Oxfam International), Roos Saalbrink (Global Lead on Economic Justice and Public Services, ActionAid International) and Sarah Saadoun (Senior Researcher and Advocate, Poverty and Inequality, Human Rights Watch).
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Members of the Social Security for all Campaign participated at the Civil Society Policy Forum (CSPF) of the WBG-IMF Annual Meetings 2023, from 9 to 13 October 2023. The event "Building a New Eco-social Contract and Advancing Social Security in Times of Debt and Austerity" took place on Friday, October 13th. The video is here and further information is available here.
Recent research analyzing IMF programs show that, far from “mitigating” austerity measures, IMF policies and social spending floors fail to address negative social impacts. The panel explored how the World Bank and IMF could build a human rights-based economy with better developmental outcomes.
The event was moderated by Shahir Ishak (Senior Social Protection Specialist, Inclusive Social Security Policy Forum). And the speakers were Sarah Saadoun (Senior Researcher, Human Rights Watch), Allana Kembabazi (Program Manager, Initiative for Social and Economic Rights), Isabel Ortiz (Director of the Global Social Justice, Initiative for Policy Dialogue) and Rodrigo Cerda (Division Chief, IMF), the World Bank Group (WBG) declined the invitation to participate in the event.
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Members of the Social Security for all Campaign participated at the Global Counter-Summit of Social Movements, that was held from 12 to 15 October 2023. See the programme here.
Further information about the Right to Social Security 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.
The session “Building a New Eco-social Contract and Advancing Social Security in Times of Debt and Austerity” will take place during the Civil Society Policy Forum (CSPF) of the WBG-IMF Annual Meetings 2023 in Marrakech, Morocco.
Recent research (for instance, by Oxfam, IPD, and HRW) analyzing IMF programs show that, far from “mitigating” austerity measures, IMF policies and social spending floors fail to address negative social impacts. The panel will explore how the World Bank and IMF could build a human rights-based economy with better developmental outcomes.
The organizers of the session are Act Church of Sweden, ActionAid international, AWC, Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND), Amnesty International, CESR, End Austerity Campaign, FTC, GCSPF, Global Social Justice/Initiative for Policy Dialogue (IPD), HRW, ISSPF, ISER, ITUC, Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation, Oxfam International, BWP, WIEGO, ARI and MenaFem.
Moderator: Shahir Ishak, Senior Social Protection Specialist, Inclusive Social Security Policy Forum
The Panelists are:
Friday, October 13th, 2023 - 2 pm - 3:30 pm (Marrakech time). Confirm your local time here.
Hybrid session: Location Room SC03 Saghro
Join us on Zoom at: https://imf.zoom.us/j/91582662390?pwd=dUtYUjIwNnI4NnJDbFFYTmt4ZGpUZz09
The video of the launching of the Campaign: Social Security for All – Key Pillar for a New Eco-Social Contract is now online. The event took place on Wednesday, October 4th, 2023.
The event was moderated by Farah Al Shami (Arab Reform Initiative). Global testimonies on the challenges of poverty targeting and pension privatization were presented by Allana Kembabazi (ISER, Uganda), Sarala Emmanuel (Feminist Collective for Economic Justice in Colombo, Sri Lanka), Guillermo Zuccotti (CGT, Argentina) and Manuel Riesco (CENDA Foundation, Chile). Isabel Ortiz (Global Social Justice) presented the Campaign: Social Security for All – Key Pillar for a New Eco-Social Contract.
Further information about the campaign is available here. Please sign on to the statement using this link here and the list of signatories is here.
Governments and international financial institutions should make a commitment to create social security systems that enable everyone to realize their rights, 43 human rights and economic justice organizations said today. Governments and financial institutions should end policies that have been failing millions of people.
The groups sent a joint statement to the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in advance of the 2023 annual meetings of both institutions in Marrakesh, Morocco, from October 9 to 15, 2023. The groups will hold an online meeting on October 4 to explain their call for change. Experts and activists will provide testimonies from Argentina, Chile, Uganda, and Sri Lanka.
“Amid mounting poverty and soaring inequality, where millions grapple daily to realize their economic, social and cultural rights, we cannot afford to maintain social security approaches that have been shown to fail rights,” said Tirana Hassan, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch. “Governments and international financial institutions have an opportunity to course-correct and adopt a rights-aligned approach to social security that sets the tone and leads the way toward more just societies and economies.”
Social security is one of the cornerstones of human rights, sustainable economies, and just societies. It is enshrined in numerous legally binding international treaties and is provided through a set of public policies and programs often known as social protection. These programs ensure income security throughout an individual's life, offering support during life events such as childbirth, old age, illness, disability, unemployment, and circumstances such as climate disasters that elevate the risk of income insecurity, such as the earthquake that recently shook Morocco.
“The right to social protection for all is enshrined in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and yet, 75 years later, global social protection falls shamefully short, with more than half of the global population lacking basic coverage, violating human rights,” said Luc Triangle, Acting General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation. Triangle said:
The international financial institutions bear immense responsibility for achieving universal social protection, but it's imperative to shift away from an outdated economic model that often endorses austerity measures. The workers’ call is clear: scaling up social protection financing, an investment for societies which dramatically reduces inequalities while boosting employment, skills, productivity, demand for goods and services, and overall GDP growth.
Many governments rely on social security programs that are means-tested, in which eligibility hinges on income, assets, or narrow poverty indicators. Research shows that these programs are often ineffective because of high error rates, corruption, and social mistrust. Focusing only on people in poverty or extreme poverty also excludes large segments of the population, including those who are not officially considered poor but are far from experiencing economic stability.
“This campaign shows that there are more and more civil society organizations who sees through the statement that ‘poverty-targeting is pro-poor’. In fact, universality is pro-poor, in line with human rights and a key strategy to promote social justice,” said Henrik Fröjmark, Policy Director of Act Church of Sweden.
Stephen Kidd, CEO of Development Pathways, said:
The push by international financial institutions to promote poverty-targeted social assistance schemes–following the poor relief model used by Europe in the 19th century– across lower-income countries has meant that the vast majority of those living on low incomes have been excluded from social security, while national social contracts have been undermined as a result of citizens losing trust in their governments. It’s time that the international financial institutions got behind a modern system of universal life cycle social security system that ensures that everyone can receive protection from childhood to old age and, importantly, helps rebuild trust in government, democracy and strong social contracts.
For decades, the World Bank and the IMF have promoted this flawed approach, the groups said. They have failed to consider social security as a right and that it contributes to building fairer and more stable societies, and not just charity. This has contributed to a global reality in which 53 percent of people lack any form of social security, and whereas instability, social defiance, and polarization are growing and the needs for resilience are greater than ever in the face of the climate crisis.
“On the African continent we have witnessed the dire impact of failing to prioritize social protection resulting in inequality, rising poverty, children dropping out of school and unnecessary deaths,” said Angella Nabwowe, Ag. Executive Director of the Initiative for Social and Economic Rights. Nabwowe said:
Governments must seize this moment to rethink current approaches to social protection that have excluded large segments of the population through targeting and must holistically invest in social protection. The World Bank/IMF and other funders must desist from promoting austerity and poverty targeting, all of which reduce the ability of our governments to adequately finance social protection and prioritize public services, including social protection.
Recent reforms in some countries have also eroded the right to social security, leading to reduced coverage and benefits. In some countries, these changes, supported by the World Bank or IMF, involved cuts to employer contributions or reduced benefits for the majority in the public system. Additionally, privatization of social insurance in some places has worsened poverty and inequality, disproportionately affecting women and older people.
Dr. Maria Ron Balsera, Director of Program at the Center for Economic and Social Rights, said:
The current polycrisis should trigger a shift to a rights-based economy which includes promoting the right to social security for all, supported by the framework of values and obligations of human rights. A rights-based economy demands action to redistribute resources, remedy inequalities, and rebalance power in our economies.
The groups strongly urge the IMF and the World Bank, pivotal actors in financing and shaping social security policies in low- and middle-income countries, to take four measures that could improve the lives of hundreds of millions of people:
“It is high time that governments, the World Bank, and the IMF acted to make universal social protection a reality,” said Marta Schaaf, the climate, economic and social justice, and corporate accountability director at Amnesty International. Schaaf said:
The extraordinary combination of political, economic and climate crises is battering the lives and livelihoods of billions of people who have little or no access to social protection measures. Investing in universal social protection can provide security and dignity, and fulfill the right to social security for all. Protecting people against personal losses or losses due to shocks, from disasters or economic reversals, can be transformational, enabling children to stay in education, improving health care, reducing poverty and income inequality.
“We demand a full restructuring and change in social protection policies,” said Shereen Talat, MenaFem Movement for Economic, Development and Ecological Justice director. “We reject incremental reforms and call for a transformation of the global system. Genuine social protection means empowering the marginalized, eradicating poverty, and ensuring ecological justice. Anything less than this will be undermining the global crisis and perpetuation of injustice."
Signatories to the joint statement:
Over 200 civil society organizations and trade unions unite to call for a Global Fund for Social Protection to protect the most vulnerable during COVID-19 and beyond.
The programme Improving Synergies Between Social Protection and Public Finance Management provides medium-term support to multiple countries aiming to strengthen their social protection systems at a national level and ensure sustainable financing. The programme aims to support countries in their efforts towards achieving universal social protection coverage.
