Joint Statement “Towards Universal Social Protection“

The Joint Statement was developed by the co-organizers and participants of the workshop series “Toward Universal Social Protection: Health, Social Protection and Equality“ that was held in Kathmandu on 17 February 2024 during the World Social Forum 2024 (WSF2024). The GCSPF as well as many members support the Statement.

The statement is here. Download pdf version.

Joint Statement WSF2024

Workshop Series on Towards Universal Social Protection

As the world economy produces more goods, grows at a rapid pace, and generates more and more wealth and profits, the disparity between those at the top of the pyramid and those at the bottom is increasing exponentially. Despite producing more, working longer hours, and sacrificing more, vulnerable people around the world now have less access to healthcare, quality education, civic services, and housing. In a world where work and income are far from secure, the lack of guaranteed access to necessities for workers and their families is a serious and often tragic issue. At least 8 million people die every year simply due to a lack of quality health care. In 2020, almost 800 women died every day from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. On top of this, women undertake three times as much unpaid care work as men in Asia and two times more than men globally. The aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic has left a multitude of public service workers in dire straits, especially in health and sanitation (where service provision has increasingly been contracted out to private firms), since such workers were all hired under sub-contractual outsourcing systems and therefore have no guarantee of future employment. Inequality is omnipresent and takes a number of different forms. Within the household, there exist inequalities between boys and girls and between men and women. Nor is equality maintained in education, in the distribution of skill, or in employment opportunities. Women are facing discriminatory behaviors first in accessing employment and then, for women who are employed, in accessing financial resources. This gender inequality fuels patriarchy, empowering men and forcing women to take losses, which then creates a situation in which men grow more powerful and women weaker. The absence of gender- responsive budgeting mechanisms, that focus financing on social protection presents systemic barriers for the implementation of social protection in a holistic manner.

Discussing universal social protection becomes challenging in the midst of war and conflicts that resulted in the loss of lives, injuries, and the displacement of millions of people from their homes, depriving them of essential rights such as access to health, food, clean water and education, with the most substantial of these casualties being women and children.

In these circumstances, all people must be assured access to comprehensive social protection, encompassing housing and civic services, healthcare, education, unemployment allowances, maternity cash assistance, and pensions for the elderly, whether they are employed or not. Within the broad framework of social protection for all, there must also be a particular focus on addressing the needs of people with disabilities and workers within the informal economy, and concerted efforts should be made to organize spaces and systems that facilitate their ability to lead secure and productive lives. Additionally, everyone should be guaranteed a decent life from the womb to the tomb.

We, including 200 people from different organizations participating in the World Social Forum 2024 in Kathmandu, gathered for Universal Social Protection, jointly state the following:

1. Universal Social Protection. We are committed to collective action, advocating for the rights and dignity of all, recognizing that universal social protection is not merely a cost or charity but an inherent right and a crucial investment. Our pledge involves rejecting poverty targeting in favor of universality, ensuring that disability benefits, child benefits, pension and maternity rights reach every individual. We emphasize the importance of day care services for working mothers, the elimination of child labor and abuse, and the provision of free and quality education for a better tomorrow. We acknowledge the significance of #CareWorkMakesAllOtherWorksPossible and strive to achieve decent work for all. Our unwavering commitment extends to quality public services and healthcare, opposing privatization and advocating for increased investment in public healthcare. We pledge to prioritize people over profit, advocating for living wages and ensuring financial benefits are easily accessible to all. In our comprehensive approach, we recognize that building a society that values the well-being, rights, and dignity of all is a collective responsibility. Keeping in view the exclusion of workers within the Informal Economy from the social protection floors, we demand the establishment of Maternity protection boards for informal workers across the region. Maternity benefits must be extended to all women irrespective of age, marital status and income category and must be applicable to all pregnancies. Adequate universal social protection coverage should also include the possibility to adapt and use schemes in case of large-scale shocks, especially in a context of increasing catastrophes exacerbated because of the climate crisis, but also including phenomena like Covid-19 which especially affected informal workers.

2. Gender Equality and Justice. Advocating for Gender-Responsive Budgeting and gender-friendly markets, we emphasize the imperative need to remove the obstacles hindering women's career advancement, and push for the proportionate representation of women in all walks of life, including employment, administration, and parliament. Recognizing that promoting Gender Equality requires active championing by men, we assert the necessity to halt gender-based violence. Additionally, fostering a society that embraces dignified menstruation is the collective responsibility of all. Social protection is also a powerful tool to ensure inclusivity of LGBTIQA+ workers and their families.

3. Economic Justice and Decent Work. In our comprehensive approach, we advocate for a Solidarity Economy, ensuring Equal Access to Financial Resources, and ending Workplace Harassment to create safe working conditions. Recognizing the importance of Women's Engagement in the Labor Market, we value and recognize Care Work, strive for a Living Wage for Social Protection, and emphasize Decent Work for All, promoting fair labor practices and safe working conditions.

4. Social Justice and Human Rights. Given our commitment to Youth Health as fundamental for a healthy nation, we acknowledge the significance of unpaid care work. Consequently, we are actively working towards its integration into national accounts. Moreover, we advocate for the availability of easily accessible centers facilitating digital benefit applications for all, ensuring streamlined access to essential services and support.

5. Gender Transformative Quality Public Services. Our advocacy revolves around championing Quality Public Services. Opposing privatisation, we instead promote the public ownership and management of public services. Our fight is for equal access to quality public services and for the rights of the workers delivering them. We emphasize the essential need for public services to be in the public's hands.

6. Social Responsibility. Our commitment lies in prioritizing People Over Profit, working towards Poverty Alleviation, and advocating for Social Profitability within the framework of a Social Solidarity Economy. We emphasize the importance of placing human well-being ahead of financial gains and fostering economic models that prioritize broader societal benefits over narrow interests.

March 2024

The Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF) continues participating in the preparatory process of the Summit of the Future. The GCSPF delivered a statement in the Informal consultation with relevant stakeholders in preparation of the zero draft of the Global Digital Compact (GDC) that was held on Friday, March 1st, 2024.

This round of informal consultation is a contribution to the elaboration of the zero draft of the GDC which will be annexed to the Pact for the Future. The Pact will be adopted at the Summit of the Future to be held at the UNHQ, in New York, 22-23 September 2024.

Download here the statement (pdf version).

Global Digital Compact - Stakeholders Informal Consultation
1 March, 10 am EST

Statement on behalf of the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors - GCSPF

The role of digital technologies and legal identity in accessing social protection and other public services

Thank you very much. I have the pleasure to speak on behalf of the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF). The GCSPF represents more than 120 CSOs worldwide that are committed to realising the right to social security for all which we believe to be a core enabler of SDG achievement.

The lack of legal and digital identity is one important reason why about one billion people in the world have no access to social protection and other public services[1],[2]. Many more people do not have access either, because digital access is not tailored to their needs and circumstances. Governments often see digitalization as a means to cut costs rather than to extend coverage.

Based on participatory dialogues with people living in poverty, our Global Coalition and its members have formulated four recommendations[3] for improving digital access to public services.

One. The right to digital connection and digital identity.  Affordable access to internet and digital support should be provided to everyone, and in particular in rural areas. (Websites and interfaces should be easy to use).

Two. When people are not able to digitally access public services, the right to a physical human reception should be ensured (so that human contact is always present in administrative processes).

Three. (To the extent possible,) Right holders to public services should meaningfully participate in the design, implementation, and evaluation of digital policies.

Four. A variety of accountability mechanisms should be built in. (such as observation and legal tools as well as permanent watchdogs in order to) These mechanisms would detect human rights violations, such as with regard to privacy and exclusion from public services. (Digital policies must be evaluated in terms of their impact on the poorest 10% of society)

Thank you for your attention.

Notes:


[1] https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/immersive-story/2019/08/14/inclusive-and-trusted-digital-id-can-unlock-opportunities-for-the-worlds-most-vulnerable

[2] https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/despite-significant-increase-birth-registration-quarter-worlds-children-remain

[3] Statement submitted by International Movement ATD Fourth World, non-governmental organization in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, Commission for Social Development, Fifty-ninth Session, 8-17 February 2021 (E/CN.5/2021/NGO/1)

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.

Listen to the audio - Download pdf version

Markus Kaltenborn delivered the statement (listen to the audio and/or download pdf version) of the GCSPF to the Informal consultations with stakeholders on the Summit of the Future that took place on December 13, 2023.

The Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF) welcomes the initiative to convene a Summit of the Future. The agenda of the Summit will focus on those topics that are of crucial importance for the future of the global community.

There are three chapters of special relevance to our Coalition:  Chapter I. Sustainable development and financing for development, Chapter IV. Youth and Future Generations and Chapter V. Transforming global governance.

The Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF) represents more than 120 CSOs worldwide that are committed to realising the right to social security for all which we believe to be a core enabler of SDG achievement.

The right to social security is contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in several international human rights conventions.  However, four billion people worldwide still live without adequate social protection. Those denied social protection lack important means of escaping extreme poverty, ensuring sufficient food security for themselves and their families and access to 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 recognised as essential for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda – 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, must be designed for the long term, as they must cover childhood and youth, working life and old age. Social protection must 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.

Some countries do not yet have sufficient financial resources to fully guarantee their population this protection, some may still lack political will. It is therefore essential and urgent that the international community supports the rollout and the financing of social protection floors. With the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection proposed by the UN Secretary-General and other multilateral initiatives, global solutions to these problems are currently being sought. These are important elements of global governance and the social contract, that must be consistently shaped in line with the vision of the 2030 Agenda and the protection of future generations.

We therefore urge, that the Pact for the Future will include a specific commitment to universal social protection and tangible progress on social protection floors by 2030.

Read here the contribution of the International Movement ATD Fourth World.

PRESS RELEASE
COP28: Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors Calls for Building Social Protection Systems to deal with "Loss and Damage"

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[Montevideo, 30.11.2023] – The Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF) welcomes the decision to establish a Loss and Damage Fund. It is an important step towards climate justice. Estimates by scientists projecting climate damages ranging from $290 to $580 billion by 2030 and surpassing one trillion dollars by 2050 underscore the urgency of such measures.

Member organizations of the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors collectively advocate for strategic utilization of financial resources from this Fund. A central concern is to specifically allocate fund resources for the establishment and fortification of rights-based Social Protection Systems. These systems play a pivotal role in mitigating the catastrophic consequences of climate change and adequately cushioning individual damages and losses, while contributing to increase resilience and improve adaptation.

The Social Protection Systems we call for encompass the right to preventive and curative health services and financial livelihood security, also in the face of crop failures or natural disasters, and support for dependent family members in the event of death. A Loss and Damage Fund, financed on the basis of the polluter-pays principle, can contribute to implementing these measures in particularly vulnerable countries.

We emphasize that well-thought-out Social Protection Systems can be more sustainable than project-specific approaches or purely humanitarian interventions. These systems have the potential not only to cushion individual damages but also to contribute to socio-ecological transformation and promote societal redistribution.

It is imperative that national Social Protection Systems are robust, coherent, and prepared for the collective risks posed by climate change. Therefore, the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors calls for investment in the development and strengthening of these systems, ensuring they can reach all residents and are prepared for climate-change-induced crises.

Financial resources from the Loss and Damage Fund and other climate financing instruments should be strategically deployed to support the establishment of rights-based social protection systems. Planning should be forward-looking, and mechanisms for rapid expansion or situation-specific adjustment of programs must be in place.

The Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors appeals to the international community to seize this opportunity and actively participate in fair burden-sharing. Only in this way can we collectively advance transformative societal development that leaves no one behind and brings about the positive changes our world urgently needs.

The Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF) demands the use of climate funding to invest into social protection system building, as this will facilitate more sustainable and transformative support than humanitarian aid and reconstruction of damaged infrastructure alone.

The annual climate talks under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change - UNFCCC (COP28), the Kyoto Protocol (KP) and the Paris Agreement (PA) are taking place from 30 November to 12 December in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. During the opening plenary the long expected Loss and Damage Fund was adopted with new pledges by the UAE, Germany, UK, Japan and the USA.

Member organizations of the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors collectively advocate for strategic utilization of financial resources from this Fund. A central concern is to specifically allocate fund resources for the establishment and fortification of right-based Social Protection Systems. These systems play a pivotal role in mitigating the catastrophic consequences of climate change and adequately cushioning individual damages and losses, while contributing to increase resilience and improve adaptation.

The key priorities of the GCSPF are:

Climate-proof social protection

Pay for Loss and Damage and enable countries to expand social protection

The Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors appeals to the international community to seize this opportunity and actively participate in fair burden-sharing. Only in this way can we collectively advance transformative societal development that leaves no one behind and brings about the positive changes our world urgently needs.

Read more

The Loss and Damage Fund and Funding Arrangements and Social Protection Systems by Markus Kaltenborn, Professor at the Faculty of Law and Director of the Institute of Development Research and Development Policy (IEE), Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany and member of the GCSPF.
This paper was submitted to the UNFCCC Transitional Committee, July 2023.

Social Protection and Climate Action. A policy brief by Act Church of Sweden, Olof Palme International Center, Social Policy Initiative and the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation.

Press Release: COP28 - Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors Calls for Building Social Protection Systems to deal with "Loss and Damage"

The Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF), together with Gray Panthers and the International Movement ATD Fourth World, delivered a written statement at the 62nd session of the Commission for Social Development 2024 which priority theme is “Fostering Social Development and Social Justice through Social Policies to accelerate Progress on the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to achieve the overarching goal of poverty eradication”.

Members of the Global Coalition delivered statements to the CSocD, that are published in the section NGO Written Statements.

Statement delivered by the GCSPF

The Statement is published at the UN website, here. Download pdf version of the written statement

The Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF) consists of more than 120 CSOs, NGOs and Trade Unions from all parts of the world, united in their motivation to realize social protection for all. We welcome the theme of the 62nd Commission of Social Development of “Fostering social development and social justice through social policies to accelerate progress on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to achieve the overarching goal of poverty eradication”.

Halfway to Agenda 2030, we are nowhere near achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Member States are failing to commit to the urgent action required to accelerate response towards poverty eradication and rising inequalities, to uphold human rights, to make tangible progress on gender equality, to tackle violence and discrimination of all types, to end ageism and xenophobia and to take clear and lasting decisions to halt and reverse climate change. We need clear pathways for social and climate justice, to achieve peace and the end of militarism, and for all to double down on efforts for the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Governments must match the political determination and persistence of civil society and activists, many of whom face significant dangers in calling out our failure to achieve the SDGs, which if allowed to happen will be catastrophic for humanity and our planet.

We are extremely concerned that with seven years to go, barely 15% of the targets of the SDGS have been reached and the transformative vision of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is in jeopardy.  The principle of leaving no one behind and of upholding human rights is fundamental to achieving the topic of this Commission. It is imperative therefore that we focus on the full implementation of target 3 of Goal 1.

Universal Social Protection (USP) and the full implementation of Social Protection Floors in all countries must be at the heart of social and economic policies required to achieve the SDGs. Universal Social Protection is a right enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. USP is an essential lever to realise the sustainable development goals and their targets (specifically SDGs 1.3, 3.8, 5.4, 8.5 and 10.4) and underpins the global commitment to end poverty and reduce inequalities for all people within and between countries (SDGs 1 and 10). USP is a driver of social development and affords agency and self determination to recipients over the life course. It is a core lever to tackle poverty and marginalisation. The inclusion of target 3 of Goal 1 to end poverty ‘to implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable’ is a clear acknowledgment that social protection and social protection floors are recognized as foundational to ending poverty.

National floors of social protection are vital to leave no one behind. They ensure universal access to essential health care and basic income security across the life course and are a human right. However currently only 47% of the global population are effectively covered by at least one of the guarantees; in Africa this is a mere 18%.  This is at a time when as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, ongoing conflicts and wars and highly volatile situations affecting millions of children and adults of all ages, the number of people facing acute food and economic insecurity has more than doubled - from 135 million in 2019 to 276 million in 2022.

In this challenging environment multiple studies have shown that ensuring a basic level of social protection for all is not only urgently needed now, but doable and affordable for most countries. It is entirely achievable through the solidarity and political will of the international community. And while many national governments are developing, financing, implementing and monitoring social protection floors, with the participation and monitoring of civil society, trade unions and informal worker organizations, and while generally and principally the financing of social protection systems must be within national budget frameworks, some countries will require temporary international co-financing of social protection floors, while they strengthen domestic resource mobilisation and digital and technical support in their establishment.

This is why the UN Secretary General, the International Labour Conference and the Un Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights have expressed their support for mechanisms to increase financing for SPFs including the establishment of a new international financing mechanism, such as a Global Fund for Social Protection.

A Global financing mechanism for Social Protection must be based on the principle of global solidarity, to support countries and their citizens to design, implement and, in specific cases, provide temporary co-financing for national social protection floors as described in ILO recommendation 202.[1]

Recommendations:


[1] https://www.ilo.org/dyn/normlex/en/f?p=NORMLEXPUB:12100:0::NO::P12100_INSTRUMENT_ID,P12100_LANG_CODE:3065524

The GCSPF presented a statement to support the Study “Inequality, social protection and the right to development" (A/HRC/54/83) published by the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development that was released at the 54th regular session of the Human Rights Council.

I am speaking on behalf of the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors, which counts over 120 Civil Society and Trade Union organizations world-wide.

We are delighted that this report on inequality, social protection and the right to development recommends the establishment of a global fund for social protection.

We are indeed convinced that

We call upon all governments to address deepening inequalities within and among States by establishing universal social protection systems as a fundamental human right understood through the principle of equality of opportunity for development -. on a personal as well as a national level.

We urge the international community, in particular all members of the Global Partnership for Universal Social Protection (USP2030), to support such efforts.

Item 3 Interactive dialogue with the expert mechanism on the right to development
Human Rights Council, 20 September 2023

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The Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF), comprising more than 100 NGOs and labour organisations, acknowledges recent initiatives taken by the ILO, World Bank, and other development cooperation partners to direct greater international financing towards supporting social protection programs in the context of the ILO Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection.

Such efforts could be a first step towards the creation of an international financing mechanism on social protection, or Global Social Protection Fund, long-promoted by the GCSPF as necessary in order to mobilise and coordinate international financial assistance in order to truly support the development of universal social protection systems, particularly in the global south.

The GCSPF wishes to underline some key specific criteria that need to be met by any kind of international financing mechanism that would be developed: in particular the need for such a mechanism to provide direct support to states with limited financial capacity to extend social protection systems on their own in the short term, in addition to technical support. The GCSPF equally reiterates the need for an inclusive and democratic governance structure for such a fund, enabling the participation of recipient countries and not just donor countries in funding decisions, as well as the meaningful participation of civil society and social partners who represent those that would benefit from social protection extensions.

Context: Major financing gaps for social protection

The Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF) recognises social protection floors as key instruments to realise the UN Sustainable Development agenda, as they are crucial for preventing and reducing poverty, ensuring inclusive economic growth and reducing inequalities amongst all members of society. They are also the tools to ensure States’ compliance with their obligations regarding the right to social security included, among others, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Art. 22) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (Art. 9). Nevertheless, major financing gaps persist today that impede countries to improve the adequacy and coverage of their social protection systems. Annually, 1.2 trillion USD is needed to fill the financing gap for low- and middle-income countries, and of that amount, around 78 billion USD is needed to finance social protection in the world’s poorest countries.[1] While this latter amount represents only 0.25% of global GDP, this represents 15.9% of the collective GDP of low-income countries and 45% of their collective tax revenue[2] – an insurmountable burden for them to finance alone without international financial assistance.

At the same time, international financial support to social protection is extremely limited; before the pandemic, only a dismally low average of 1.2% of existing Official Development Assistance (ODA) had been dedicated to social protection globally.[3] While ODA has increased somewhat in this area due COVID response measures, the majority of this support went only to temporary emergency measures rather than strengthening social protection systems. Moreover, worryingly, a number of countries have also cut public spending in social protection in recent years as part of austerity measures. Governments and donors must see social spending as a crucial investment which can yield almost twice its value in economic returns.[4]

Options available – the need for inclusive governance

The GCSPF welcomes efforts to put together a financing mechanism for social protection in the context of implementing the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection; strengthened international financial assistance is critically needed in order to deliver on the Accelerator’s stated objectives of closing financing gaps and extending coverage to the 4 billion people currently without any social protection.

However, the GCSPF recalls that international support for the expansion of social protection systems should be mainly directed towards supporting national governments, as the key actors for the development of long-term sustainable, inclusive, and universal social protection systems.[5] Any financial mechanism should be developed to ensure the complete ownership of recipient countries over their social protection systems, involving national governments in decisions around how funding is allocated and how social protection systems should be extended, as well as ensuring broad-based and meaningful societal dialogue on reform priorities, bringing together social partners and civil society. Support should moreover be coherent with internationally-agreed social security standards, including General Comment 19 on the right to social security of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, ILO Convention 102 and Recommendation 202.

The GCSPF therefore considers that any financing instrument to be developed must put in place inclusive governance mechanisms that ensure a fair and balanced decision-making process, particularly regarding the allocation of funds. This process should involve representatives from both donors and recipient countries, which are utilising the resources to enhance their social protection systems. Equal voting rights shall also be a requirement for fair and accountable governance. [6]

At a point where various possibilities for setting up such a financing instrument are being discussed at international level, the main choices currently identified are:

The Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors would strongly advise against the use of a World Bank Trust Fund for social protection as it would fail to meet certain essential criteria for a partnership-based financing instrument that is acceptable to the Global South – as indeed equal decision-making power, with more than only limited ‘consultative’ space for civil society’s participation. The GCSPF would also be concerned with situating such a financing instrument directly within the World Bank, given that technical advice from the World Bank on social protection has often run in contradiction to international labour and social security standards.[7]

The development of a special window of the UN Joint SDG Fund or making use of the UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund, while being a more inclusive option in terms of governance, also has some limitations. This is mainly because such UN funds assign the main responsibility for implementing the fund to the respective participating UN organisations.[8] This would therefore likely restrict the scope of funding to only UN technical support to states, which would not be sufficient on its own to allow states meet the scale of the challenge in terms of financing social protection.

The creation of a new Financial Intermediary Fund would have substantial added value in directing financial support towards states themselves, so that they can extend social protection systems and develop long-term sustainable strategies. If well designed, it could also give the possibility of providing equal representation to Global South countries in their governing bodies, and incorporate civil society into the decision-making process[9].  The creation of such a fund would entail in the short term greater administrative burdens in terms of setting it up as compared to the other three options, as well as a minimum commitment of 200 million USD from development partners.  That being said, there are recent examples of successfully setting up such Financial Intermediary Funds, including the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria as well as the Pandemic Fund - which have been able to benefit from financial support from the World Bank as well as from development partner organisations.

In short, while the Global Coalition could be supportive of strengthened finance for UN technical support for social protection through the establishment of such a special window of the Joint SDG Fund or UN Multi-Partner Trust fund, we believe that additional funding through a Financial Intermediary Fund would have substantial added value. The Global Coalition would therefore support a new international financing instrument for social protection through the establishment of a Financial Intermediary Fund.

May 2023

Notes:

[1] ILO (2021) Secretary General’s Policy Brief “Investing in Jobs and Social Protection for Poverty Eradication and a Sustainable Recovery”.

[2] ILO (2020) Financing Gaps in Social Protection.

[3] Marcus Manuel (2022) Assessment of potential increase in domestic and external financing for social

protection in low-income countries.

[4] ITUC (2021) Investments in social protection and their impacts on economic growth.

[5] The overall and primary responsibility of the State in expanding social protection is among the agreed USP2030 “Principles for Financing Universal Social Protection”.

[6] For an extended discussion of the criteria to be met by the international financing instrument to support social protection in the global south, see: Markus Kaltenborn (2023) Expanding Global Social Protection – Options for the Design of an International Financing Mechanism. FES.

[7] See for instance, Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (2022) Response to the World Bank’s Social Protection and Jobs Compass.

[8] Markus Kaltenborn (2023) Expanding global social protection – options for the design of an international

financing mechanism.

[9] Ibid.

Barry Herman made an intervention on behalf of the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, a member of the GCSPF and also on behalf of the GCSPF at the UN's Development Cooperation Forum. His intervention (see here) was part of the interactive discussion that followed the panel presentation.

The UN's Development Cooperation Forum that met at ministerial level on 14-15 March 2023 in New York, included a session on "Building momentum for effective social protection measures." See the programme here.

Contributing to the debate on national social protection measures were Mr. Alexei Buzu, Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Republic of Moldova; Mrs. Fatou Gueye Diane, Minister of Women, Family and Child Protection of Senegal; Ms. Marta Eugenia Esquivel Rodriguez, Executive President of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund; and Ms. Sarah Lynne S. Daway-Ducanes, Assistant Secretary, National Economic Development Authority of the Philippines.

International cooperation on social protection, in particular "circular" cooperation among developing countries, was the focus of discussion by Mr. Mariano Berro González, Executive Director of the Uruguayan Agency for International Cooperation, Mrs. Arunee Hiam, Deputy Director-General of the Thailand International Cooperation Agency; and Ambassador Paula Narváez Ojeda, the Permanent Representative of Chile to the United Nations, joined by ambassador Agustín Santos Maraver, Permanent Representative of Spain and Ms. Beate Andrees, Special Representative and Director of the International Labor Organization Office at the UN.

A recording of the discussion is available here.

Statement in the Development Cooperation Forum on behalf of
Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd
United Nations, New York, 15 March 2023

Madam President,

My name is Barry Herman, and I make this statement on behalf of the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, a member of the NGO Committee on Financing for Development in New York, a substantive committee of the Conference of NGOs, and on behalf of the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors, a network of over 100 NGOs and labour organizations that advocates for enhanced social protection around the world. We all share a keen interest in this morning’s discussion.

The NGO Committee and the Global Coalition regard social protection as a human right. An adequate package of social protection programs would help ameliorate the inherent risks of daily life from conception to old age. It would help empower people to contribute more to society and lead lives of dignity. However, social protection must have an adequate standing in every country’s fiscal accounts.

Governments should want adequate, effective, efficient, universal and sustainable social protection systems. In many countries—rich, poor, and in between—governments are overly influenced by the rich and the companies they control. They would rather starve social protection of needed funds than accept their fiscal responsibility to society.

NGOs, such as the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, are hard pressed to fill the gap. In fact, they cannot marshal the resources needed. It must be a government responsibility.

How does international cooperation fit into this picture?

First, donor governments and international institutions can use their voices to strengthen the global call for adequate and universal social protection systems.

Second, they can help governments develop these systems when requested.

The development community works in this direction, but it has to do more.

Further policy and cultural reforms are warranted.

One example is the policy on social spending that the International Monetary Fund adopted in 2019. The new policy encourages IMF to engage with UN agencies as well as with the World Bank on social spending. It furthermore recognizes the value of taking into consideration the expertise of civil society in the countries its missions visit.

 In fact, we see greater IMF cooperation with UN agencies and civil society. However, austerity pressures seem to still come down too hard on developing economies. We still struggle to ring fence social spending during austerity drives and then adequately expand it and the taxation it requires.

It is nonetheless good to hear the progress that countries are reporting here today.

Civil society recognizes that advancing social protection is an inevitable struggle at domestic and international levels. It is a struggle that we fully embrace.

Thank you, Madam President

Download pdf version

Civil Society Call for a Global Fund for Social Protection

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

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SP&PFM Programme

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

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

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