e-Newsletter # 61 - November 2021

The Policy Brief aims to contribute to the discussion around the Global Fund for Social Protection. The Policy Brief was written by the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors’ working group on a global financing mechanism for social protection. Read more

The Future is Public: Global Manifesto for Public Services was developed collectively by dozens of organisations and actors to serve as a rallying cry for public services for civil society, providing a concrete alternative to the dominant neoliberal narrative that has failed to ensure a dignified life for all. The manifesto positions public services as the foundation of a fair and just society and of the social pact that implements the core values of solidarity, equality and human dignity. It advances a series of ten principles for universal quality public services in the 21st century, and outlines how funding universal quality public services is possible. Read more

By Marty Alter Chen
Globally, pre-COVID-19, 260 million women and men produced goods or provided services from in or around their homes: 86 per cent (224 million) were in developing and emerging countries and 14 per cent (35 million) in developed countries. During the COVID-19 pandemic, countless other workers – mainly white-collar workers – began working remotely from home using the internet.
The key difference is that many “old” home-based workers lost their work and income during the COVID-19 pandemic recession as the demand for their goods and services declined, while the “new” home-based workers could continue to work and collect paychecks. Read more

In a public letter drafted in advance of the G20 Summit in Rome, Human Rights Watch, the AFL-CIO, the American Apparel & Footwear Association, and Fontheim International, called on the Biden Administration to use the opportunity to advance efforts for an international Global Social Protection Fund.
If the Biden Administration is serious about leading the charge towards an equitable and comprehensive economic recovery and mitigate the extreme impacts of future crises, it should: ensure adequate social spending domestically; increase its ODA internationally; and endorse the proposal for a Global Social Protection Fund. Read more

The mandate of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Olivier De Schutter, is conducting a worldwide study on non-take-up in the context of social protection. This study covers over 50 countries across all world regions. It seeks to identify the perceived reasons why non-take-up occurs, the impact of non-take-up, and possible ways of reducing this phenomenon. Survey 1 targets CSOs, NGOs, ministries, administrations and experts who have a good overview of social protection and non-take-up in their country. It is accessible here. The deadline for filling in Survey 1 is November 14th.
Survey 2 seeks to collect information from individuals in or at risk of poverty and/or social exclusion who may have experience with non-take-up. Please fill Survey 2 here. The deadline for filling in Survey 2 is November 28th. If you have questions please contact Agathe Osinski, at agathe.osinski@srpoverty.org

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Monday that the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, and the changing world of work, makes the right to social security for all, “a matter of the utmost urgency.”
Michelle Bachelet was participating in the first ever intersessional panel discussion on the right to social security hosted by the Human Rights Council.
For Mrs. Bachelet, there could not be a better time to discuss social security and social protection. Due to the pandemic, 255 million jobs have been lost in 2020 alone. Read more.

Ahead of the G20 Leaders’ Summit, ILO warns on stalled global labour market recovery and significant disparities between advanced and developing economies.
The eighth edition of the ILO Monitor: COVID-19 and the world of work, warns that without concrete financial and technical support, a “great divergence” in employment recovery trends between developed and developing countries will persist. Read more.

The video of the virtual side event “Decade of Action to achieve Universal Social Protection by 2030” is now online. The side event on the Theme Austerity & Social Protection was co-hosted by the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF) and the Africa Platform for Social Protection (APSP) and it was held during the Global People's Assembly on 22 September, 2021. Read more

Members of the Global Coalition have created an ad hoc working group to work on two processes of the World Bank (the IDA20 Replenishment and the Social Protection and Jobs Compass) and they would more than welcome more people and organisations in this effort.
The International Development Association (IDA), which is the “soft window” of the World Bank is normally replenished every three years, but this process is now taking place one year earlier than planned, because of the Covid crisis. The so called Social Protection and Jobs Compass is a policy document which will replace the Social Protection and Labour Strategy 2012-2021.
The working group aims to influence the wording of these process to push forward universality of social protection and the gender transformative role of social protection. Members of the coalition are currently participating in consultation and lobby processes.
Members of the Global Coalition are invited to join the ad hoc working group on IDA20 of the GCSPF. If you want to know more or join the WG please contact Gunnel Axelsson Nycander (Act Church of Sweden) and/or Johanna Wagman (Action Contre La Faim France | ACF-France). Read more

The ad hoc group on IDA20 of the GCSPF has prepared a position paper on the draft policy commitments in the IDA20 replenishment document. The document is available here (pdf format) and here (word format).
The World Bank launched an early twentieth replenishment process of the International Development Association (IDA), its fund for the world’s poorest countries, aiming to support countries in their recovery from the COVID-19 crisis and transition to green, resilient, and inclusive development. The IDA20 replenishment will conclude in December 2021 with a policy and financial package to support 74 countries between July 2022 and June 2025. Read more

This year, the theme of IDEP is “Building Forward Together: Ending Persistent Poverty, Respecting all People and our Planet”. The Day will offer an opportunity to hear from those who are at the forefront of fighting poverty while also facing the Covid-19 pandemic and the effects of climate change.
The virtual session co-organized by of the International Movement ATD Fourth World, UNDP, UN DESA, the Permanent Missions of France and Burkina Faso to the United Nations, the International Committee for Oct17 and the NGO Committee for Social Development will take place on Zoom, on Friday October 15th, 2021 from 10am to 11:30am EST.
Please register here and join us for a time of togetherness and dialogue bringing the expertise and experience of people living in persistent poverty, civil society organizations, UN agencies and government representatives - for the design and implementation of solutions require the mobilization of all sectors of society. Register here

The UN Secretary-General released his report “Our Common Agenda” that builds on 12 commitment areas identified by Member States in the UN75 Declaration in 2020. Four tracks fed into Our Common Agenda: the Next Generation Fellows youth track, thought leaders, UN Member States, and civil society.
Paragraph 28 of the Report refers to social protection and the establishment of a Global Fund for Social Protection. Read more

The ITUC has welcomed the Global Accelerator announced by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres and its target for jobs and social protection.
The policy brief sets out a target to create at least 400 million jobs by 2030, primarily in the green and care economies, and extend social protection floors by 2025 to about four billion people currently not covered by any measures.
The Accelerator was presented during the UN's 76th General Assembly as part of the Financing for Development in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond Initiative (FfDI), a process in which the ITUC has been involved presenting recommendations on Financing Recovery and Building the Economy of the Future.
“Our demands have been heard,” said ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow, who participated in the launch event. “The targets of the Accelerator will help to rebuild trust and hope with working people, as it can provide concrete answers to the shocks we face today and will face in the future.” Read more

Human Rights Watch (HRW) is pleased to invite you to a High-Level Panel Between Hunger and the Virus: Why the Covid-19 Pandemic Shows the Need to Fix Africa’s Social Safety Net.
HRW and its partner organizations have reported on the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on access to food and livelihoods in Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda. Our research has shown that while African governments have tried to fill gaps in social protection during the pandemic, the vast majority of households have not received any government support. Meanwhile, governments in higher income countries have spent trillions of dollars on financial and in-kind assistance for their populations during the Covid-19 crisis, widening global inequality.
This high-level panel, held in advance of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, brings together Human Rights Watch researchers, representatives of impacted communities, and government officials with African and international experts to discuss how to build stronger social protection systems in the wake of the pandemic.
When: Thursday, October 14, 2021, at: 9-10.30 am US EDT/1-2.30pm GMT/2-3.30pm WAT/4-5.30pm EAT.
Register online via Zoom here: https://hrworg.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__xJiU5-bRSOLnu1BsPZ9vQ

The ILO will launch the second phase of the SPF Flagship Programme on Building Social Protection Floors for All at the Development Partners Meeting on 7 October 13h – 16h (CEST).
The Partners meeting is the opportunity to enhance its partnerships to respond to the needs of constituents, to implement the mandate given by the International Labour Conference to promote universal social protection at country level and globally, and to contribute to the realisation of the SDGs on social protection. Read more.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) investigates and reports on abuses happening in all corners of the world. We are roughly 450 people of 70-plus nationalities who are country experts, lawyers, journalists, and others who work to protect the most at risk, from vulnerable minorities and civilians in wartime, to refugees and children in need. We direct our advocacy towards governments, armed groups and businesses, pushing them to change or enforce their laws, policies and practices. To ensure our independence, we refuse government funding and carefully review all donations to ensure that they are consistent with our policies, mission, and values. We partner with organizations large and small across the globe to protect embattled activists and to help hold abusers to account and bring justice to victims.

Respect for human rights is closely intertwined with addressing poverty and extreme inequality. HRW research exposes how people experiencing poverty are often more vulnerable to having their rights violated and abuses can further entrench barriers to people meeting their basic needs. We also document how extreme economic inequality contributes to corruption and mismanagement of public resources. We push governments to end abusive policies that contribute to poverty, and advocate respect for human rights that can help achieve the building blocks for a dignified life – such as affordable healthcare, quality education, adequate housing, a living wage, social protection and safe drinking water, as well as the rights to unionize, protest, and participate in political decision-making.
Further information can be found here and here.
Contact information: Lena Simet, Senior Researcher on Poverty and Inequality

The ILO World Social Protection Report 2020-2022, Social protection at the crossroads: in pursuit of a better future (pdf version) provides a global overview of recent developments in social protection systems, including social protection floors, and covers the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on new data, it offers a broad range of global, regional and country data on social protection coverage, benefits and public expenditures.

Following a life-cycle approach, the report analyses progress with regard to universal social protection coverage, with a particular focus on achieving the globally agreed 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The report includes access to comprehensive statistical tables containing the latest social protection data, including detailed country data on SDG indicator 1.3.1. Read more

On August 2021 the GCSPF sent a welcome letter to Mathias Cormann, new Secretary General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

As a key actor in international economic and social policy and a major representative of a group of the highest income countries, the OECD has, as part of its mandate, a critical role in the definition and implementation of development cooperation, a task of overarching and fundamental importance. Read more

These blog posts summarise the reflections presented at the webinars “ACTIONS of African governments to expand social protection during COVID-19”, “Africa’s VISION to expand social protection and build forward better from COVID-19” and “VOICES of Africans affected by the COVID-19 crisis: Experiences on the impacts of COVID-19 on the incomes, livelihoods and wellbeing” held on June 2021.

These sessions are part of a series of discussions jointly organised by the African Union, the Africa Social Protection Platform, HelpAge International, WIEGO, Save the Children, the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) – Zambia, and the ILO Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa. The recordings and presentations are available and can be accessed online. Read more

The study “Social and Economic Impact of the Coronavirus on the Employment of Young People in Jordan”, prepared by the Phenix Center for Economic and Informatics Studies, explored opportunities for young people in different sectors and economic activities, the skills needed for young people to be able to enter the labor market in light of the pandemic, and highlighted the impact of the pandemic on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Jordan.

The study noted that the employment of young men and women in Jordan is more concentrated in some specific sectors and economic activities – such as the tourism, transportation and services industries. These sectors were hit particularly badly by the pandemic, and as such many employees within those sectors lost their jobs. Additionally, all supply chains associated with food markets and restaurants – in which young people tend to be employed – were also harmed by the pandemic. The study also found that response policies implemented during the crisis did not take into account the needs of young people with disabilities. Read more

The virtual ASEAN Regional Forum on Social Protection that Empowers Women organized by OXFAM was held on 29 - 30 June 2021. The forum brought together social protection experts, national and international organizations, civil society organizations, UN agencies, ASEAN Committee on Women, ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Social Welfare and Development empowerment and advancement. Aura Sevilla (WIEGO), Florencia Caro Sachetti (CIPPEC, Argentina), Evelyn Astor (ITUC), María Victoria Raquiza (Social Watch Philippines, Philippines) members of the Global Coalition participated on the Forum and spoke about the Global Fund. Further information can be found here. The videos are here.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) is seeking experienced applicants for the position of Deputy Director in the Business and Human Rights Division to serve as a key strategist for our growing body of work on Poverty and Inequality and to work with the Director and the staff on corporate accountability. The Deputy will report to and work alongside the Director to ensure the highest standards of research and advocacy, develop and implement the division’s strategy, liaise with other parts of the organization, and help manage an increasingly growing staff focused on human rights in the global economy.
The successful candidate will have demonstrated experience developing and implementing strategic human rights interventions and understand how to bring innovate approaches to research, advocacy and communications to effect change. Application deadline: September 30. Read more.

The virtual side event “Decade of Action to achieve Universal Social Protection by 2030” took place on 12 July 2021 during the High-level Political Forum 2021.
The event was co-organized by the Permanent Mission of Argentina to the United Nations; Ministry of National Development Planning, Indonesia; Global Partnership for Universal Social Protection - USP2030; Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors; Global Call to Action Against Poverty; International Labour Organization; The World Bank; International Network for Social Protection Rights (INSP!R West-Africa); United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD); Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung; Protestant Agency for Diakonie und Development; Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd; Centro de Implementación de Políticas Públicas para la Equidad y el Crecimiento (CIPPEC). Watch the recording

From gender-responsive to gender-transformative public services. This briefing paper by the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR) aims to explore the role of public services in the transformation of asymmetrical power relations between women and men. The publication argues that public services can play a decisive role in this transformation, by fostering a critical examination of gender roles, redistributing resources and opportunities and strengthening positive social practices that enhance gender equality. It puts forward five key elements for a gender-transformative approach to the management, delivery, funding and ownership of public services.
Public services enable us to tackle not only the consequences, but also the systemic and underlying factors—the uneven power imbalances — underpinning gender inequality. Read more

On July 2021 Human Rights Watch & Empowerment Initiatives (JEI) released the Report “Nigeria: Covid-19 Impact Worsens Hunger in Lagos” that documents how a five-week lockdown, rising food prices, and a prolonged economic downturn have had a devastating impact on informal workers, slum dwellers, and other urban poor families in Lagos. The absence of a functioning social security system meant that government assistance, including cash transfers and food handouts, reached only a fraction of people going hungry. The report also shows the need for increased international support for expanding the right to social security, including a reference to the Global Fund for Social Protection, to support expanded social security in the wake of the pandemic. The Global Fund could present an alternative to loans that may impose austerity measures that could harm human rights and increase poverty and inequality in the coming years. Read more

Social protection and care systems for children and families during COVID-19 and beyond. The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented, disastrous impact on the ability of people to balance work and care for their children and families. This policy brief is an outcome of a collaboration between Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO), UNICEF and the International Labour Organization (ILO) in advocating for family-friendly policies to protect and ensure social protection and care systems that are good for children, good for women and good for the economy. The policy brief features an increased focus on the well-being and working conditions of caregivers in the informal economy and their children’s development in low- and middle-income countries. The brief highlights the need to consider sustainable policy and protection responses instead of quick, short-term measures for more gender-transformative and equitable solutions. This represents a critical gap which, if not addressed, will make our goals to tackle child poverty, hunger and gender inequality – and fulfil the SDGs – impossible to achieve. Read more

Moussa Chrafeddine, President of I’DAD-Friends of the Disabled Association
Persons with disabilities in Lebanon represent between 10 and 15% of the total population of 7 million, totaling approximately to around 910,000 (K4D report).
As in many parts of the world, people with disabilities in Lebanon are among the most excluded and marginalized population groups. They contend with a systemic lack of provisions for rights, resources, and services and experience widespread marginalization, exclusion and violence at home and outside. This applies to all areas of their lives including access to quality care facilities. With the Lebanese economy practically in freefall, poverty and unemployment rates have reached records high, with disproportionately adverse impacts on persons with disabilities, among other most vulnerable groups. Read more

Responding together is key to overcome the COVID social, economic and health crisis caused by the pandemic. The Leave No Woman Behind 6 part mini-series of publications investigates regional and thematic dynamics which perpetuate multiple discrimination of women but also propose policy-based solutions.
The goal of the Leave No Woman Behind project is that women who face multiple discriminations, exploitation, abuse and/or violence take part in national and global processes to protect their rights and work for the implementation of the SDGs to ensure that no woman is left behind. In the first phase, the project works mainly with women and girls with disabilities. Read more

As of May 2021, Gala Díaz Langou is the new Executive Director of CIPPEC (Center for the Implementation of Public Policies Promoting Equity and Growth), Argentina.
Gala, who has been director of CIPPEC’s Social Protection Program since 2016, is founder and member of the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors, the Childhood Debt collective (Infancia en Deuda), the Equality Agenda initiative (AgendaxlaIgualdad), Humanin Haus and is also argentine delegate for the Women 20 (W20).
As head of CIPPEC’s Social Protection Program, Gala promoted research and public policy recommendations on poverty, childhood, employment, social security and gender economic inequalities. She has a comprehensive approach on all these issues, with special concern for the feasibility and sustainability of social policies and the convergence of macroeconomics with development strategies. Read more

Action Against Hunger – France’s (AAH) released its latest policy brief documenting the impacts of poor women’s heavy workload on child undernutrition; and advocating for the recognition, reduction and redistribution of unpaid care work through universal social protection.
This policy brief is based on data from 29 AAH publications, covering 15 countries in 7 different regions from 2012 to 2021. It highlights the vicious circle between unpaid care work, poverty and hunger in patriarchal societies. To put an end to this vicious circle, AAH calls on the States which will be present at the Generation Equality Forum to work in favor of the reduction, recognition and redistribution of poor women’s unpaid care work, by defending the right and access of all to universal social protection floors as defined by ILO 202 recommendation. Read more

There is much evidence to demonstrate that all social registries have failed to achieve their main aim of accurately identifying the beneficiaries of social programmes. This is largely because social registries - which are databases - generate very high levels of targeting and exclusion errors in the social programmes that use them. This report, by Act Church of Sweden and Development Pathways, examines the utility of the so-called "social registry" within social protection systems and finds that it is minimal - unless the aim is to undertake inaccurate poverty targeting. The report argues that, instead of wasting large sums of money on social registries, countries could use the funds on much better and more useful alternatives such as building Single Registries or proving identity, through the provision of birth certificates and identity cards, to all members of society.
If governments truly wish to transform their societies and support national recovery from COVID-19, the paper argues that they need to realise that social registries will only hinder them from achieving this. Read more

The report “Bearing the brunt” by HelpAge international provides an overview of the impact of COVID-19 on older people based on insights from research in low- and middle-income countries.
Older people are at higher risk of serious illness and their odds of survival are the lowest. Many have lost their livelihoods and can’t buy the food or medicine they need to survive.
The pandemic has also exposed ageism like never before. Older people have been separated and isolated, portrayed as weak and helpless and, their rights have been ignored. This has taken a toll on their health and wellbeing, and older people now risk facing more violence, abuse and neglect than before the pandemic. Read more

In celebration of socialprotection.org’s 5-year anniversary, a global online event took place focusing on the global health crisis. The e-Conference “Turning the COVID-19 crisis into an opportunity: What’s next for social protection?” gathered the global social protection community to provide a unique opportunity for learning and collaboration.
To further disseminate the e-conference’s key discussions, the socialprotection.org platform and the International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth (IPC-IG) have developed two special Policy in Focus issues. This issue provides a thematic focus, delving in more depth into the main topics discussed during the round tables, such as financing, universal basic income, linkages to food security and employment, as well as gender-, child-, and disability-sensitive programmes, among others. Read more

This report on “Universal Quality Public Services”, prepared by PSI in collaboration with the New Economics Foundation, helps unions build strong arguments for extended public services as the bedrock for the Covid-19 recovery.
The Report outlines how Universal Quality Public Services are the most effective tool in achieving human rights, reducing inequality and ensuring equal access. Drawing on effective case studies from across the world, the study demonstrates the positive effects of bolstering the public realm and ensuring public services are guaranteed as rights rather than treated as entitlements.
The report is designed to assist unions in countering the damaging and incorrect narrative, advanced by global institutions and leaders from across the political spectrum, that public spending is wasteful, that public services work better when marketised and that public sector workers are inefficent. Read more

The report “Impacts of social protection on social cohesion and reconciliation” by HelpAge International presents findings from a desk study on how national social protection programmes have promoted social cohesion and national reconciliation in post-conflict contexts internationally. The study documents and analyses the dynamics of how government-provided social protection programmes in a variety of contexts, with various design features, have contributed to national reconciliation and social cohesion. Key findings are that social protection has a documented impact on several dimensions of social cohesion and that programme design matters for the effects of social protection on social cohesion. Read more

The DAAD Helmut-Schmidt Scholarship supports future leaders in politics, law, economics and administration, who want to actively contribute to the social and economic growth of developing countries. This scholarship is only for the master's programme in "Social Protection", the deadline is July 31st, 2021. Read more

The GCSPF took the floor at the International Labor Conference (ILC) to call for the creation of a solidarity based Global Fund for Social Protection; to pool funds while supporting countries design and implement national social protection floors. A Global Fund is the adequate multilateral initiative needed to respond to the consequences of Covid-19 and to build a better future.
As an institution of global governance, the Fund would help pull together efforts and decrease the fragmentation of aid, leading to a consolidation of existing financing mechanisms and enabling domestic financing over the long term. Read more

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) annual ILC has concluded with the adoption of a strong and coherent response to the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A key opportunity to press forward this agenda will be through the convening of a major international policy forum, with other multilateral institutions.
The demand for universal social protection was reinforced in the resolution on social security. Important elements in that resolution include: the leading role of the ILO in the international system concerning social protection; social protection as a critical factor for recovery and resilience against future crises; the need for greater international solidarity in funding social protection and the engagement of the ILO in initiating and establishing a Global Social Protection Fund; and coverage of all workers in the formal and informal sectors, and increased action to formalise informal work. Read more

At the ILC, PSI has underlined the urgent need for a complete reshaping of the rules of the global economy, with a recovery based on rebuilding quality public services and workers rights. Read more

Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
On Saturday, June 19th, the ILC, the highest body within the ILO, voted to call on the ILO to develop concrete proposals for establishing a Global Fund for Social Protection. It’s a historic breakthrough for 55 per cent of the world's population – 4 billion people – who are still deprived of any form of social protection. Read more

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

Olivier De Schutter, Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, said a Global Fund for Social Protection should be set up to increase the level of support to low-income countries, thus helping them to both establish and maintain social protection floors in the form of legal entitlements, and to improve the resilience of social protection systems against shocks. Such a Fund was affordable. The video is here. Read more

Countries must prepare for future crises by setting up a Global Fund for Social Protection, a new international financing mechanism that will help protect their populations from the next pandemic, says a new report presented today by Olivier De Schutter, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on poverty, before the Human Rights Council. Read more

ATD Fourth World speaks out in favor of the creation of a global fund for social protection.
The International Movement ATD Fourth World strongly supports this initiative because it could bring about significant changes in countries or regions where poverty seems to be inexorably increasing. Read more

The Lutheran World Federation (LWF), the World Council of Churches (WCC), ACT Alliance and their partners worldwide submitted an oral statement to express that they are deeply concerned by the ongoing increase in extreme poverty, hunger and human suffering and the lack of most basic protection of impoverished communities, especially in low income countries. Read more

The working group for a Global Fund developed a question-and-answer (Q&A) document to clarify and express our thinking around the Global Fund. Read more

The GCSPF took the floor at the International Labor Conference (ILO) to call for the creation of a solidarity based Global Fund for Social Protection; to pool funds while supporting countries design and implement national social protection floors. A Global Fund is the adequate multilateral initiative needed to respond to the consequences of Covid-19 and to build a better future.
As an institution of global governance, the Fund would help pull together efforts and decrease the fragmentation of aid, leading to a consolidation of existing financing mechanisms and enabling domestic financing over the long term. Read more

Civil 20 (C20) and Oxfam organised the event “Ahead of the G20 Foreign and Development Joint Ministerial Session. “Policy Dialogue on G20 response to adequately tackle the impact of COVID-19 on hunger and food insecurity” held on 15th of June 2021. Johanna Wagman participated on behalf of the Global Coalition. Read more

The joint policy note “Towards a Social Protection Floor for Lebanon, Policy options and costs for core life-cycle social grants” by the ILO and UNICEF explores policy options and costs for core life-cycle social grants in Lebanon. Lebanon is facing a detrimental and multifaceted crisis that threatens to undermine its political, economic, financial, fiscal and social stability. The country – its people and the Government – is at a critical juncture in which key decisions around the (re)construction of core institutions will determine the success or failure of the country’s immediate recovery plans and long-term trajectory. Social protection will be central to this reconstruction, but temporary or reactive measures will simply not be enough to get the country on track. Lebanon has an opportunity to meet the immense crisis with an equivalent investment in an inclusive, lifecycle social protection system, which will not only provide immediate relief but will fuel a faster recovery and lay the foundation for a stronger economy and society going forward. Read more

The final report of the Civil Society Meeting “Financing for Development in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond”, Cluster 2: socio-economic response: social protection, gender, youth, health, education, and human rights is now on line. The consultation with NGOs and Civil Society Organizations was held under the auspices of the International Labour Organization and coorganized by the NGO Committee on Financing for Development and the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP). The event was held on 11 March 2021. Read more

The UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Olivier De Schutter, invited us to participate on a long-term video project to support the campaign for global social protection.
The collective video project “Social Protection for all!” compiles short videos from around the world where people and organisations answer the simple question: “Why does social protection matter to us?” Read more

The ASEAN Regional Forum on Social Protection that Empowers Women will be held on 29 - 30 June 2021 virtually via Zoom.
The forum will bring t protection experts, national and international organizations, civil society organizations, UN agencies, ASEAN Committee on Women, ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Social Welfare and Development empowerment and advancement. Members of the Global Coalition will participate on the Forum. Read more

This Civil Society Training Manual on Public Financial Management for Social Protection by Gemma Adaba and Barry Herman explores the basic concepts, processes and tools that underpin public finance management and it demonstrates the relevance for the strengthening of social protection systems, and for the progressive universalizing of social protection regimes.
This manual is part of the Programme “Improving synergies between Social Protection and Public Finance Management" Read more

To provide a platform for an engaging conversation between African Governments, civil society organizations, and people affected by COVID-19 on how to address critical social protection gaps exposed by the pandemic and progress towards inclusive and rights-based social protection, the African Union, the Africa Social Protection Platform, HelpAge International, WIEGO, Save the Children, the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) – Zambia, and the ILO Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa organised a virtual dialogue made up of three connected webinars. The conversation revolves around the VOICES of affected populations, the ACTIONS of Governments to expand social protection during COVID-19, and Africa’s VISIONS for social protection as part of an inclusive recovery. Read more

Webinars:

1. VOICES of Africans affected by the COVID-19 crisis: Experiences on the impacts of COVID-19 on the incomes, livelihoods and wellbeing - 1 June
2. ACTIONS of African governments to expand social protection during COVID-19 - 8 June
3. Africa’s VISION to expand social protection and build forward better from COVID-19 - 15 June

The COVID-19 Pandemic and its impact on economic, social and cultural rights - Opportunities and avenues out of the crisis, summarises, by theme, a total of 32 thought-provoking articles by 45 authors, advocates, practitioners, policy makers and academics, mostly women from the Global South, that were published in 2020 through GI-ESCR’s blog series assessing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the enjoyment of ESC rights.
This publication is part of the ‘Pushing the frontiers of economic, social and cultural rights’ series, which aims to foster collective reflection among activists, practitioners, organisations and communities on how we can, together, further develop the human rights framework as an axis and tool for transformative change to tackle imbalances of power, social and economic injustices, and environmental destruction. Read more

HelpAge and WIEGO partnered to develop a study on 'Older Informal Workers in the COVID-19 Crisis'. The study analyses the impact of COVID-19 on the income and work patterns of older informal workers, and their access to relief measures.

When COVID-19 hit, older informal workers saw their earnings collapse and a much slower return to their pre-COVID-19 livelihoods than younger people.

The study took place with informal workers aged 60 and older in cities in Bulgaria (Pleven), Ghana (Accra), India (Ahmedabad, Delhi and Tiruppur), Mexico (Mexico City), Peru (Lima), Senegal (Dakar), South Africa (Durban), Tanzania (Dar es Salaam), Thailand (Bangkok) and USA (New York). Read more

The publication by Francine Mestrum was presented at the Asia Europe People's Forum for a Just, Peaceful, and Sustainable World (AEPF 13) Read more

To date, little is empirically known about the impact of COVID-19 on the health of informal workers globally. The publication by Christy Braham, Ana Carolina Ogando (WIEGO) shows the key findings and policy recommendations pertaining to informal workers' health risks based on research undertaken as part of the COVID-19 Crisis and the Informal Economy study. Read more

Over the past decades, universal basic income (UBI) has repeatedly been put forward as a means to address increasing labour market precarity, jobless growth, and rising poverty and inequality. Most recently, proponents have argued that UBI could provide much-needed protection in the face of economic, environmental, and health crises, such as COVID-19.

The implications of UBI for gender equality have received insufficient attention in these debates—despite the fact that feminists have long discussed its pros and cons. Some feminists hold that an unconditional income independent of paid work would enhance women’s agency in families, households, the workplace and the community, with particular benefit for those facing multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination. Others caution that, in a climate of fiscal tightening and austerity, UBI could be used to justify the rollback of state responsibility and funding for other essential support measures, including care services, housing, education and health care. Building on their contributions,

This policy brief by Loui Williams (UN Women) discusses the potential and limitations of UBI from a gender perspective and points to some of the specific design features that policymakers need to consider to make UBI work for women and transgender and gender-diverse people. Read more

On April 2021 the Civil Society 7 Summit released the “Civil society’s recommendations to the G7” that include the Global Fund for Social Protection under “Global sustainable economic recovery after the pandemic” and link back to the Global Coalicion Concept. Read more

The US Coalition of the GCSPF sent a letter and a briefing on “Expanding social protection: benefits for workers, businesses, and communities” to the US government to support the global fund at both the G7 and G20. Read more

The side event “Building Roofs and Raising Floors Through Inclusive Digital Technologies and a Global Fund for Social Protection” organised by the GCSPF and GCAP was chosen by UN DESA to post and promote on their platform.

High level speakers from Governments, United Nations, civil society and academia considered the value and urgency of the proposal for a Global Fund for Social Protection to deliver to all the right to social protection, in the context of the impact of Covid 19, diverse and interconnecting perspectives on social protection, homelessness and how digital technology can extend social protection floors to those who are living without roofs. You can watch the full event recording online here. Read more

For the first time in its history the International Labour Conference is taking place virtually, and it will be divided into two segments during the course of the year.
Items on the agenda in June include a special outcome document on the ILO response to COVID-19 , the discussion of the reports of the Chairperson of the Governing Body and the Director-General, the ILO’s programme and budget for 2022-23 , the recurrent discussion on social protection , and consideration of the reports on the application of labour standards during the pandemic and related country case discussions.
The second segment of the Conference will take place from 25 November to 11 December, with an agenda that includes thematic discussions on inequalities and the world of work, as well as skills and life-long learning. Read more

Report of the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Olivier De Schutter
A global fund for social protection should be set up to increase the level of support to low-income countries, thus helping them both to establish and maintain social protection floors in the form of legal entitlements, and to improve the resilience of social protection systems against shocks. Such a fund is affordable, whether funding comes from official development assistance or from other sources, including unused or new special drawing rights. Moreover, social protection should be seen as an investment with potentially high returns, since it leads to building human capital, has significant multiplier effects in the local economy, and contributes to inclusive growth and to resilience in times of crisis. International support, therefore, should be seen as launching a process that will allow recipient countries to gradually increase the levels of domestic resource mobilization: rather than creating a new form of dependency, it would ensure a predictable level of support to countries that are committed to establishing social protection floors and whose ability to finance social protection would improve in time. Read more

On March 2, 2021, USP2030 members and interested partners came together for the 2nd Membership Assembly. It took place at a critical moment allowing for a reflection on the unprecedented developments over the past year. The debates focused on two key issues for USP2030 and universal social protection – financing and delivery mechanisms – that have gained considerable traction during the crisis, and were also reflected in the discussions on the USP2030’s next steps. Read more

OP-ED - By Markus Kaltenborn and Letlhokwa George Mpedi

The proposal to set up a Global Fund for Social Protection could be the subject of this year’s discussions at the G20. South Africa is the only African country in the G20, so the South African government should seize the opportunity to support the establishment of a Global Fund that will enable the economically weaker countries of the continent to pursue ambitious goals concerning the social protection coverage of their population. Read more

On the 1 May, workers across the world will be celebrating the achievements of nearly 200 years of trade union activity and putting forward their demands for decent work and sustainable development.

A new report for the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) shows that there is a strong economic, as well as moral and public health, case for governments to introduce universal social protection.
“Investments in social protection and their impacts on economic growth” shows that there is a healthy return on investing in social protection.
By applying a robust assessment of the impact of investing the equivalent of just 1% of GDP in each of eight countries, the research shows that positive returns on the economy overall, stimulating growth; increased productivity and overall employment; increased tax revenues; more effective poverty alleviation; and reduced barriers to women entering or returning to work.

In addition, the report shows that increased investments in social protection can yield between 0.7 and 1.9 times their value in economic returns. This means that the economic benefits of social spending increases can partially or completely offset the costs. Read more

The COVID-19 pandemic can be understood as a triple crisis. The publication by WIEGO (Ana Carolina Ogando, Michael Rogan and Rachel Moussié) shows that at its origin it is a public health crisis and government responses to contain the virus through lockdowns, border closures and social distancing have led to an inevitable economic crisis. Along with closing creches and schools, these measures contributed to a care crisis.

Key findings: 1. Women informal workers who report an increase in their care responsibilities—including cooking, cleaning, child care and care for the ill and older persons—are working fewer days and earning less than other informal workers.
2. Men who report an increase in their care responsibilities work fewer days, but do not see a significant drop in earnings as compared to other men working in the informal economy.
3. Both women and men who report an increase in their care responsibilities have resorted to asset-depleting strategies that deepen intergenerational poverty. For women informal workers, this undermines their capabilities in the long term. Read more

Jordan Labor Watch (JLW) has recommended reviewing various strategies and programs aimed at strengthening the women role in the Kingdom’s economic life and the labor market, whether issued by the relevant government, or civil society institutions, targeting women protection in the labor market.
The JLW of the Phenix Center for Economics & Informatics Studies said in a position paper that women have paid a “greater” price in comparison to men in the labor market due to the Covid-19 pandemic as the unemployment rate among them increased by 6.1%, compared to 4.1% among men.
Unemployment rates among women reached 33.6% during the third quarter of 2020, compared to 21.2% among males, warning this situation would lead to their poverty more than men, and thus the spread of the phenomenon of “feminization of poverty,” per the study.
The paper showed that Jordan ranks 140 out of 142 countries on the global indicator of women’s economic participation, and the high unemployment rates for women in Jordan are associated with a very low economic engagement rate of 14.9%. Read more

The digitization of the world of work is fundamentally transforming how refugees can make a livelihood and obtain employment. A rapidly expanding global digital economy harbours countless new opportunities but it also poses a range of challenges and risks. A new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) now explores the growing role of digital economies for refugees, including case studies from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.
Efforts to integrate refugees into the online gig economy should be accompanied by a wider effort to improve conditions within this new form of work, so as not to exacerbate their existing marginalisation and economic precarity. Due to major challenges and risks, low payment levels, and insecurity, the gig economy can only be viewed as one element in a wider range of options, as a complementary form of livelihood provision rather than a stand-alone solution. Read more

The Youth Mentoring Agents for Development Organisation (YOMADO) is a non- government, non-profit organization that works at the grass roots level. It is a volunteer membership organization for young people. It was established in Rwanda in 2014, following the participation of (Young) founding members in a World Vision Rwanda Leadership and Governance program as beneficiaries. YOMADO was legally recognized by the Rwandan Government in 2015.

YOMADO is a youth development Organisation in Rwanda that provides services and leadership to meet the emerging needs of young people and their families in our community.

YOMADO provides an array of academic, social, and emotional development services that respond to the unmet needs of the young people we serve. Those services include academic assistance, life skills education, social skill development, recreational and athletic activities, cultural and artistic activities, parental support, crisis intervention, mentoring, case management, and individual, group, and family counseling.

Contact information: Emmanuel Nshimiyimana (emmyfanfare@yahoo.com)
https://yomado.org/ / Facebook: yomado