e-GCSPF Newsletter #91 - September 2023

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e-GCSPF #91 - September 2023

South African court challenge to unfair exclusion of millions from the Social Relief of Distress grant

In July 2023, the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) and #PayTheGrants (#PTG), through their lawyers at the Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI), filed court papers challenging regulations that unlawfully and unconstitutionally exclude millions of people living in poverty in South Africa from receiving the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant. The papers filed in the North Gauteng High Court include 79 supporting affidavits from people directly impacted by these regulations. The respondents named in the case are the Minister for Social Development, and the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA). Read more

Invitation: Convergence Space - Integrated Approaches to socio-economic justice

Extending social protection coverage is recognized as a priority in a number of ASEAN Declarations, however, public expenditure on social protection is low in the many ASEAN Member States, considerably below the average level in the Asia-Pacific region. ASEAN also remains state-centric and lacks resonance with the region’s citizens. A bigger issue is how non-state actors can carve bigger space and effect these policies more substantively.
Collectively organized by AROSP, ASEC, HNSEA, AMRC, AFWA, INSP!R, MFA, WIEGO, KPRI, INFID, BMC, CLEC, ETOs, F2BM, TEAM9, APSD, TF-AMW, YBS, LIPS
You are invited to join ACSC/APF2023 CS5 Workshops on 1 and 2 September 2023 via face to face at the Atma Jaya University, Jakarta and through Zoom. For online participants, register here

Global People’s Assembly 2023

The Global People’s Assembly (GPA) 2023 will be on 17 (Sunday) and 18 September (Monday) in New York – at the UN SDG Summit and the UN General Assembly. The GPA brings people’s representatives together and creates a strong voice at the SDG Summit for the midpoint of Agenda 2030. The assembly will be in-person in the Church Centre of the UN. Participants can also join online. Register hereRead more

“Social Justice: Social Protection and Health, People’s Vaccine”

The hybrid session “Social Justice: Social Protection and Health, People’s Vaccine” coorganized by GCSPF, GCAP Asia, GCAP Africa, PVA and Africa Japan Forum will be held during the GPA 2023 on 17th September at the UN Church Centre from 11.15 am to 12.45 pm New York time. Register here Read more

A trade union guide on the African Union Protocol on Social Protection

This guide, published by ITUC and ITUC Africa, provides an analysis of the Protocol on Social Protection and Social Security, developed by the African Union Commission and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), with the support of ITUC Africa and other civil society actors. It also contains information on various strategies that trade unions, in collaboration with other CSOs, can employ to support the ratification process. The guide is available in English and FrenchRead more

A Global Fund for Social Protection: Lessons from the diverse experiences of global health, agriculture and climate funds

The idea of a global fund for social protection has taken hold over the last decade as a potential solution to structural gaps in the global financial and development architectures.
Based on a study produced by a team of researchers, led by Professor Nicola Yeates at the Open University in the UK, and published by the ILO, this webinar aims to present experiences of setting up global funds across the health, climate and agriculture sectors and the lessons to be learnt from them that can guide further thinking about the implementation of a prospective global fund for social protection.
Webinar 26 October, 2023 - 14:00 - GMT+2 / CEST Read more

Jordan: Experts Call for Developing Insurance Mechanisms to Include Informal Workers in Social Security

Experts unanimously emphasized the necessity of developing effective and sustainable insurance tools to include informal workers in Jordan’s social protection system, allowing them to benefit from the coverage provided by the Social Security Corporation.
This consensus emerged during a dialogue session held by Phenix Center for Economic and Informatics Studies in collaboration with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) on Tuesday 15 August 2023. Read more

UN: Social protection systems essential to building equitable economies

In the study "Inequality, social protection and the right to development" (A/HRC/54/83), the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development examines inequality within and among States through the framework of the right to development. It considers the political economy of development and explores capacities to enhance universal and comprehensive social protection systems.
In assessing inequality-reduction policies and social protection systems, the Expert Mechanism identifies global good practices and practices that are exclusionary or restrictive. It places social protection systems within the context of State obligations, international cooperation and global partnerships, as outlined in the Declaration on the Right to Development, and the new social contract, as outlined in the Secretary-General’s report entitled “Our Common Agenda”.
To conclude, the Expert Mechanism offers recommendations to States and other stakeholders 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. Read more

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e-GCSPF #90 - August 2023

The Relevance of Social Protection Systems for the Loss and Damage Fund and Funding Arrangements

This publication by Markus Kaltenborn, member of the Global Coalition, on the relevance of social protection systems for the adaption to climate change has been submitted to the Transitional Committee (TC) whose task is to prepare the COP28. Read more

Gender IFI Summer School!

A month of free learning sessions, featuring experienced speakers teaching about how international
financial institutions (IFIs) impact women’s rights, plus advocacy and mobilizing tactics to rise up against them.
The summer school is free to any activist, scholar and advocate interested in learning about economic justice
and IFI influencing – especially women’s rights groups!
The Gender IFI collective, a group of economic justice, women’s rights and IFI advocacy groups. Read more

New social protection floors in the Philippines to cover CHWS, contractual gov’t employees

Public sector trade unions have welcomed an announcement from the Philippines Government that recently approved social protection floors (SPFs) will cover precarious public services workers including community health workers, known as barangay health workers (BHWs). Read more

Phenix Center panel examines working conditions in platform economy

The Phenix Center for Economics and Informatics Studies held a panel discussion on improving working conditions for digital labor platform workers in Jordan and around the world. The panel discussion featured renowned experts from the global team of the Fairwork project, alongside experts from Jordan and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. It looked into the role of digital labor platforms in the global economy, and overviewed strategies to promote sustainable and fair work environments in the MENA region and around the world. Experts also provided insights on how to best address pressing labor issues within the sector, including the inclusion of platform workers in social security schemes, and improving the “weak” regulatory framework of the sector. Read more

Social protection, the COVID-19 crisis, and the informal economy

Lessons from relief for comprehensive social protection This paper by Laura Alfers and Florian Juergens-Grant considers the implications of COVID-19 relief measures for the building and extension of comprehensive and universal social protection systems. It highlights three key areas emerging from the crisis, which are likely to affect the shape of social protection systems moving forward.
These include the contested meaning of universality, the digitization of social protection systems, and the possibilities for informal worker participation in building a more inclusive social protection. In doing so the paper argues that the terrain of the social protection debate is shifting—it is increasingly uncontroversial that universal social protection is needed and that the state must play a role. Read more

Arab Watch Report 2023 Right to Health

The right to health ranked first among fundamental rights these past few years after COVID-19 caused severe economic and social repercussions worldwide. These repercussions affected the right to work and education. They highlighted the core deficiencies of health, education, and social protection systems and governments' inability to provide for their citizens basic services that are proper and fair. Hence, The Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND) took a significant interest in the right to health, adopting it as the topic for the 6th edition of its Arab Watch Report in an attempt to critically analyze health policies, or rather health systems, in both their institutional and structural dimensions on the one hand and their policy dimensions on the other. Read more

Writing the rules of the game – how international labour standards are created

Podcast. International labour standards - Conventions, Recommendations and Protocols - are at the heart of the ILO’s mandate. They play an essential role in creating a level playing field for business and combatting the exploitation of workers. But the global economy is changing faster than ever, and changes in technology, migration and demographics are constantly creating new challenges for regulators. In addition, different countries, with different levels of development, economic systems and cultures, have a wide range of priorities and requirements. So how are international labour standards created and kept fit for purpose. What topics might they need to address next? Listen to the podcast

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e-GCSPF #89 - July 2023

GCSPF at the “Global Forum on Adaptive Social Protection Protecting lives and livelihoods in times of crisis”

The Global Forum provided an opportunity for policymakers, practitioners and social protection experts to jointly examine and discuss the scope and potential of Adaptive Social Protection (ASP) to foster resilience and promote adaptation.
Dr. Magdalena Sepúlveda spoke on behalf of the GCSPF in the opening session “Towards social protection for all in the face of multiple global crises”. The video of her intervention is here.
The German NGO association VENRO released a statement on the Global Forum on Adaptive Social ProtectionRead more

2023 International Labour Conference

A centrepiece of this year’s International Labour Conference (ILC) at the ILO was the World of Work Summit: Social Justice for All, led by the ILO Director General Gilbert F. Houngbo, where governments, as well as union and employer representatives, expressed strong support to establish a Global Coalition for Social Justice. Read more

Questions and Answers on the Right to Social Security

This question-and-answer document by Development Pathways and Human Rights Watch examines the human right to social security, and how universal social security can help protect people from economic shocks and other emerging threats, including climate-related hazards, while building just societies where all rights are realized. It also explains why policymakers should orient their policies toward establishing universal social security systems and avoid narrowly means-tested programs. Read more

Call issued for involving persons with disabilities in social protection policymaking in Lebanon

Eight Organizations of People with Disabilities (OPDs) in Lebanon, in partnership with the ILO, joined forces to call on national and international, governmental and non-governmental stakeholders to proactively involve OPDs in policymaking and programming related to Social Protection. Read more

“‘Automated Neglect’: How The World Bank’s Push to Allocate Cash Assistance Using Algorithms Threatens Rights”

The report by Human Rights Watch details how an algorithm developed by the Jordanian government and the World Bank profiles and ranks the income and well-being of Jordanian families to determine who should receive cash assistance. The research funds that this form of algorithmic decision-making is depriving many people of their right to social security even as they go hungry, fall behind on rent, and take on crippling debt. Despite the exclusionary effects of this approach, the World Bank is financing similarly automated systems in seven other countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Sixty countries in total have adopted this technology, in part because of the Bank’s promotion of poverty targeting. Read more

Global: Amnesty International calls for universal social protection, as overlapping crises leave hundreds of millions facing disaster

Amnesty International is today calling for social security to be made available to everyone worldwide after a series of crises exposed huge gaps in state support and protection systems, leaving hundreds of millions facing hunger or trapped in a cycle of poverty and deprivation.
To guarantee the right to social security, Amnesty International supports the establishment of an internationally administered Global Fund for Social Protection, a concept supported by UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, the UN Secretary-General and the ILO.
The creation of a fund would offer states technical and financial support to provide social security and would aim to build the capacity of national social protection systems to scale up their responses in times of crisis.  Read more

Smoke and mirrors: the role of World Bank and IMF in shaping social security policy in the MENA region

By Sarina D. Kidd
This working paper highlights how the international financial institutions (IFIs) shape social security policy in the MENA region.
The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank are two of the most significant IFIs in the MENA region. They have played a critical role in influencing social security policy. Read more

UDHR75: Short stories on social protection: call for submissions

As part of the Human Rights 75 Initiative, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has launched a call for submissions for short stories on social protection.
How has your life, or the lives of those you know, been positively changed by social security laws, policies, measures or practices? Share your experience and be part of our Short Stories on Social Protection call!
Send a brief description by 31 July 2023 to ohchr-socialprotectionHR75@un.org. Your contribution, if selected, will be included as part of the Human Rights 75 spotlight in September. Read more

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e-GCSPF #88 - July 2023

International symposium: Improving synergies between social protection & public finance management

The International symposium "Improving synergies between social protection & public finance management" co-hosted by the ILO, UNICEF, the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors, and the European Union brought together policymakers, social partners, civil society, and development partners from 24 countries to discuss innovative practices and strategies for building sustainable and rights-based social protection.
Many members of the GCSPF participated in the Symposium online, whereas Uzziel Twagilimana (WSM) and Beatrice Di Padua (ITUC)  attended physically. As representatives of the GCSPF, Uzziel Twagilimana moderated the Opening and Panel 1: “Extending social protection to all” and Beatrice di Padua spoke at Panel 5: “Joining forces for universal and sustainable social protection and closing remarks”Read more

Age-Friendly Cities and SDG 11 – A Template for Everyone

Virtual event at the HLPF. The Age-Friendly Cities approach offers a framework to provide adequate and affordable housing, basic services as well as to upgrade slums. Spearheaded by the World Health Organization, approximately 1500 cities and communities already use these principles. The right to live in safety and dignity is at the heart of Age-Friendly Cities.
July 13, 2023 - 13 - 14:30 NY Time. Register hereRead more

A Unitive Approach to the SDGs

This hybrid event at the HLPF will address the role of consciousness in establishing our post pandemic world and in SDG fulfillment with expert speakers and interactive processes that will explore actionable operationalization of the emergent unitive perspective.
Friday, July 14, 11:30am-12:30pm EDT Register here

'Halfway there and no where near - taking stock at the mid term of the 2030 agenda'

Virtual event at the HLPF Halfway there, nowhere near in the ECE Region. Taking stock at the mid-term of the 2030 Agenda.
July 17, 2023 - 8 - 9:30 am EST. Register here

Invitation webinar: Ending Austerity: Ideas for Funding Social Protection

Austerity has made millions vulnerable. How can we fund social protection? Listen to international experts in this webinar.
Date: 13 July, Thursday - Time: 11am CET
Speakers: Isabel Ortiz (Director, Global Social Justice Program at Joseph Stiglitz's Initiative for Policy Dialogue) and Professor Ravi Srivastava (Director center for Employment IHD, Delhi) and Rekson Silaban (Employment BPJS Supervisory Board, Indonesia)
Moderators: Tabitha Spence and Chandan Kumar - Organized by AEPF Social Justice cluster Register here

UDHR75: Short stories on social protection: call for submissions

As part of the Human Rights 75 Initiative, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has launched a call for submissions for short stories on social protection.
How has your life, or the lives of those you know, been positively changed by social security laws, policies, measures or practices? Share your experience and be part of our Short Stories on Social Protection call!
Send a brief description by 31 July 2023 to ohchr-socialprotectionHR75@un.org. Your contribution, if selected, will be included as part of the Human Rights 75 spotlight in September. Read more

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e-GCSPF #87 - June 2023

General Assembly: Informal Consultations on the High-Level Dialogue on Financing for Development

Winifred Doherty, Main NGO Representative, made an oral statement at the General Assembly: Informal Consultations on the High-Level Dialogue on Financing for Development, mandated by the Addis Ababa Action, on May 22, 2023 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

International symposium: Improving synergies between social protection & public finance management

The International symposium "Improving synergies between social protection & public finance management" co-hosted by the ILO, UNICEF, the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors, and the European Union will take place on 27 - 28 June, 2023 - 13.30 – 17.30 CEST at the ILO Headquarters, Geneva and Online. Interpretation will be provided in English, French and Spanish. Read more

Exploring a fairer and more inclusive social protection paradigm for the world’s informal workers

By Laura Alfers and Florian Juergens-Grant, WIEGO
Global frameworks and the widely recognized importance of social protection during the COVID-19 crisis have generated momentum toward the realization of Universal Social Protection (USP).  Despite these frameworks and important improvements over the last few years, substantive coverage gaps remain, especially for the world’s two billion workers in informal employment who remain largely excluded from social protection. Read more

Global Forum on Adaptive Social Protection

Protecting lives and livelihoods in times of crisis. The Global Forum will provide an opportunity for policymakers, practitioners and social protection experts to jointly examine and discuss the scope and potential of Adaptive Social Protection (ASP) to foster resilience and promote adaptation. Focused on ASP’s four building blocks – programmes, data and information systems, finances and partnerships – the Forum aims to strengthen alliances for the expansion of social protection to more people around the globe.
13-15 June 2023 in Berlin. OnlineRead more

The employment effects of public spending in infrastructure, the care economy and the green economy: The case of emerging economies

Özlem Onaran* and Cem Oyvat, ITUC.
The paper demonstrates the employmentcreation potential of renewable energy, public transport, other infrastructure, and the care economy. In doing so, it highlights the potential of strengthened policies to facilitate a just transition to a zero-carbon economy. In addition, the gendered employment effects of the three types of public spending are considered, and the importance of a policy mix to ensure that a just transition is gender equitable is highlighted. The paper further calculates the associated fiscal multipliers of public spending in care, the green economy, and infrastructure based on the estimated effects on GDP. Read more

UDHR75: Short stories on social protection: call for submissions

As part of the Human Rights 75 Initiative, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has launched a call for submissions for short stories on social protection.
How has your life, or the lives of those you know, been positively changed by social security laws, policies, measures or practices? Share your experience and be part of our Short Stories on Social Protection call!
Send a brief description by 31 July 2023 to ohchr-socialprotectionHR75@un.org. Your contribution, if selected, will be included as part of the Human Rights 75 spotlight in September. Read more

Welcome to new members

Centre for Social Sciences Research & Action (CeSSRA)

The Centre for Social Sciences Research & Action (CeSSRA, Cyprus, Lebanon) is an action-oriented research centre, with the motto "social sciences for change". It is a multidisciplinary space creating synergies and bridging between the scientific, practitioner, and policy spheres. The Centre aims to foster social change through innovative uses of social sciences digital technologies, and publication and exchange of knowledge. The CeSSRA has published extensively on social protection in the region, notably several reports, papers, infographics, and timelines focusing on Jordan, Tunisia, and Lebanon, and regularly organizes webinars and round table discussions, as well as participates to various fora to discuss these issues. Read more

Action pour les Femmes et Enfants Marginalises (AFEMA-RDC)

L’AFEMA-RDC c'est une organisation chrétienne pour le développement et la défense des droits de la femme et de l’enfant en RDC. L’idée fondamentale de l’AFEMA-RDC c’est le développement est très complexe, car on n’est peut pas développer un pays sur base de discriminations des genres, et pourtant aux yeux de nos cultures, coutumes voir même nos lois traitent la femme et l’enfant avec beaucoup de méfiance. Read more

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e-GCSPF #86 - May 2023

Statement on the development of a new international financing mechanism for social protection

The GCSPF 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. Read more

Webinar "Global Social Security and its Links to Active Labour Market Policies in a Post-COVID World"

The Social Policy Initiative (SPI) Virtual Webinar "Global Social Security and its Links to Active Labour Market Policies in a Post-COVID World" will take place on May 23, 2023 at 11:00am – 12:30pm (SAST).
SPI is launching an international comparision of social security initiatives and measures developed by countries in response to Covid-19. Speakers: Nicola Yon (NSSA), Laura Alfers (WIEGO), Gunnel Axelsson Nyacander (ACT Church of Sweden).

USP2030 & SPPFM technical exchange on extending social protection to the informal economy

The SP&PFM Programme and the Global Partnership for Universal Social Protection to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (USP2030) hosted an online technical exchange on extending social protection to workers in the informal economy.
The event featured interactions between practitioners and experts on policy orientations, lessons learned and country experiences in designing strategies and lifting barriers to extend coverage to the 2 billion workers currently in informal employment. Read moreWatch the video

Pune Waste Pickers’ Innovative Efforts to Fund the Extension of Decent Work and Social Protection

Underinvestment and structural exclusions in social protection have never been more evident than during the COVID-19 pandemic. A challenge is the belief that employer contributions to the financing of social protection are not possible in the informal economy.
Taking inspiration from India’s long experience with welfare boards, which provide social protection for self-employed workers and are generally financed by economic actors who benefit from their labour, informal workers’ organizations in Pune are exploring innovative approaches to forging relationships with entities outside the typical frameworks of employment to gain additional financing for social protection.
This report by Poornima Chikarmane was published by WIEGO. Read more

2023 SASPEN International Annual Conference - Call for Abstracts

The Southern African Social Protection Experts' Network in collaboration with the University of Mauritius and the Ministry of Social Integration, Social Security and National Solidarity and other cooperating partners, will be hosting the 2023 International Annual SASPEN Conference themed, "A Decade of Social Protection with SASPEN: Taking Stock to Inform Social Protection Systems' Strengthening in the SADC. The conference will be held in Mauritius from 24 - 26 October, 2023. SASPEN invites abstract submissions and the deadline is 30 June, 2023. Read more

The Rise of Social Protection in the Global South: The Role of Foreign Aid

Aid targeted at supporting social protection has historically captured a very small fraction (about 2 per cent) of total global aid budgets, although in absolute terms they increased by approximately 60 per cent between 1995–99 and 2015–19. This EBA Report (by Miguel Niño-Zarazúa, Ana Horigoshi, Alma Santillán Hernández and Ernesto Tiburcio) demonstrates that, while international aid has contributed to the expansion of social safety net programmes in poor countries, the share of aid that is targeted towards social protection has decreased globally. Furthermore, it has not always been allocated to countries with the greatest needs. Read more

Welcome to new members

Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ)

The IEJ is a progressive think tank based in South Africa that provides rigorous economic analysis designed to arm policy-makers and the public with progressive policy options to combat the scourge of poverty, underdevelopment, and inequality in South Africa, the region and the continent. Read more

Lutte Nationale Contre la Pauvreté (LUNACOP)

LUNACOP aims to create a more just society in which the rights of children and young people are fully respected. It works through community sensitization, advocacy, capacity-building and socio-economic support to reach its objectives. LUNACOP was founded in 2005 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Read more
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e-GCSPF #85 - April 2023

Video of the session “IMF's strategy on social spending facing austerity: new direction or bandaid?”

The video of the session “IMF's strategy on social spending facing austerity: new direction or bandaid?” is now online. The session took place during Civil Society Policy Forum (CSPF) during the 2023 International Monetary Fund - World Bank Group Spring Meetings.
The event was moderated by Alex Cambpell (International Trade Union Confederation - ITUC). And the speakers were Rodrigo Cerda (, Division Chief, Expenditure Policy Division, Fiscal Affairs Department, International Monetary Fund - IMF), Shahra Razavi (Director, Social Protection Department, International Labour Organization - ILO), Alexander Kentikelenis (Oxfam International) and Ahilan Kadirgamar (Senior Lecturer, Department of Sociology, University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka).
The event was co-organized by the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF), Bretton Woods ProjectHuman Rights WatchInternational Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)Kvinna till Kvinna FoundationNGO Committee on Financing for DevelopmentOxfam InternationalSocial Justice in Global DevelopmentSocial Policy Initiative (South Africa)Watch the video

IMF Social Spending Floors: A fig leaf for austerity?

The International Monetary Fund has said that it protects spending on education, health and social protection from cuts in its loan programmes through social spending floors. These measures are a welcome step forward, but are they effective?
New analysis by Oxfam finds that the IMF’s ‘Social Spending Floors’ —targets designed to help borrowing governments protect minimum levels of social spending— are proving largely powerless against its own austerity policies that instead force countries to cut public funding.
They are little more than a fig leaf for harmful austerity, which is driving inequality, poverty and suffering. Read more

Challenging Global Social Protection Orthodoxies

In 2021, WIEGO has launched the project “Challenging the global orthodoxies which undermine Universal Social Protection”. In a nutshell, the project aimed to examine some of the dominant ideas in the field of social protection that were hindering the concrete inclusion of informal workers in these schemes. And now Florian Juergens-Grant, the coordinator of this project, talks about the main findings of this project, to unpack how these dominant ideas operate and to bring some cases where alternatives have emerged to challenge the premises of these ideas. Listen to the Podcast

USP2030 East African learning journey

The learning journey consisted of an introductory Sub-regional conference; two Workshops for an in-depth discussion on social protection issues relevant to the sub-region; a Training course on Advocacy and communication for social protection; and Individual e-coaching sessions. The March 23, 2023 Closing conference aimed to re-connect representatives from governments, employers, workers and civil society organizations, within and between countries, thus stimulating peer-to-peer learning and provided highlights from the participants’ experiences during the learning journey. The final conference of the 22/23 East Africa Journey on Social Protection organised by the ILO/ITC for USP 2030 was held in March, and featured excellent panellists - including Priscilla Gavi, chair of the Africa Platform on the Africa Union Protocol of Social Protection. Watch the recording

Efforts of Argentina’s Informal Waste Pickers to Finance Decent Work and Social Protection through Extended Producer Responsibility Legislation

Argentina’s draft Packaging Bill requires packaging-producing companies to directly contribute to the financing of inclusive recycling systems, which should ensure improved working conditions and access to some social protections for informal waste pickers. The principle of packaging-producing companies directly financing improved working conditions and social protection for self-employed informal waste pickers can set an important precedent in the recognition of firms’ responsibility to ensure decent working conditions and social protection for workers in their value chain, even in the absence of formal employment relationships. This case study is a collaboration among WIEGO, the Federación Argentina de Cartoneros, Carreros y Recicladores (FACCyR) of the Unión de Trabajadores y Trabajadoras de la Economía Popular (UTEP), and the Observatorio de Coyuntura Económica y Políticas Públicas, an Argentinian think tank. Read more

Financing Universal Social Protection: Opportunities for Action at the National and International Levels

On 23 January 2023, the ITUC and WSM’s INSP!R Network organised a meeting that brought together trade unions and civil society organisations to discuss their priorities and campaign strategies for financing universal social protection at the domestic, regional, and international levels. Read more

ILO World Social Protection Report in 2024

The ILO will publish the next issue of the World Social Protection Report (WSPR) in 2024. Your feedback on previous issues of the report will help them to improve it further, promote a deeper understanding of developments and trends and better support the needs of #socialprotection practitioners and advocates.
Please take their survey and helps them improve the report  at http://bit.ly/3K3OiAn
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e-GCSPF #84 - March / April 2023

Video of the Webinar: “Be an expert universal social security advocate”

The video of the Webinar: “Be an expert universal social security advocate” is now online. The webinar was moderated by Lena Simet, Senior Researcher and Advocate, Human Rights Watch. Stephen Kidd, CEO, Development Pathways, and Holly Seglah, Social Protection Officer, Development Pathways were the speakers. Richard Obiga (Programme Officer, Social Protection Secretariat, Kenya) and David Tumwesigye (Global Advocacy Manager, Save the Children International) shared their comments and there was a rich discussion with the audience.
The webinar was co-organised by Development Pathways and Act Church of Sweden and the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF) and was held on March 21st, 2023. Watch the video

GCSPF at the LDC5 Civil Society Forum

The side event “Progress through Social Protection - Current initiatives and financing at national and international level” took place on Monday, March 6th 2023 during the Civil Society Forum of the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) that was held in Doha, Qatar.
Speakers at the event were Massimiliano La Marca (Senior Economist, International Labour Office - ILO), Elibariki Msengi (Christian Council of Tanzania), Martha Bekele (Development Initiatives, Ethiopia) and Ana Zeballos (GCSPF).
The event was co-organised by the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF)Africa Platform for Social Protection (APSP)Development Initiatives, Christian Council of Tanzania, Act Church of Sweden and Brot für die WeltRead more

Discussion Paper “Should Global Public Investment finance social protection?”

The discussion paper “Should Global Public Investment (GPI) finance social protection?” proposes applying a new approach to international cooperation called ‘Global Public Investment’ to help design the proposed global fund for universal social protection. The proposed approach is applicable to this and other global social goods and global public goods.
The paper argues there is a solid case for contribution by all to a social protection global fund that strengthens ownership and commitment and ensures sustainable financing. As such, GPI offers a strong and appropriate alternative to the current mode of thinking about development cooperation.
This discussion paper is a collaboration between Martha Bekele (Development Initiatives), Jonathan Glennie (Global Nation) and Barry Herman (Social Justice in Global Development). Read more

Advocating for universal social security: how to win hearts and minds

Development Pathways and Act Church of Sweden have presented a new report, or rather a guide for advocators: Advocating for universal social security: how to win hearts and minds (pdf format).
The document builds on evidence presented in earlier research, and suggests how advocacy for universal social security can be carried out in the most effective way: the words and arguments to use and who to approach.  Read more

Did Mexico’s Seguro Popular Universal Health Coverage Programme Really Reduce Formal Jobs?

WIEGO worked with an outstanding group of Mexican economists and policy makers, Enrique Seira, Isaac Meza, Eduardo González-Pier and Eduardo Alcaraz Prous, who revisited the question: Did Mexico’s Seguro Popular universal health coverage programme really reduce formal jobs?
This study aims to contribute to a more nuanced conversation on whether or not social protection programmes generate informality. Another, probably more important question, is whether small incentives effects, if they do exist, matter at all when compared to the well-documented benefits of social protection for workers in informal employment, as well as the human right to social protection. Read the publication

ILO Development Partners Meeting: ITUC calls for stronger international financing of social protection

The ILO Development Partners Meeting, organised by the ILO, brings together governments, social partners, and major development donors, to look at progress made under the ILO’s Global Flagship Programme on Building Social Protection Floors for All, which provides technical assistance and financial support to countries for the development and extension of social protection systems.
At the opening, ITUC Deputy President Antonio Lisboa highlighted that extending social protection is a key priority for the labour movement, as more than half of the world’s population lacks any form of protection.
The global labour movement calls for greater international coordination in financing through: The establishment of a Global Social Protection Fund. A substantial increase in the share of overseas development aid allocated to social protection to at least 7% by 2030.  Assistance that goes beyond technical support to countries. In order to develop adequate, sustainable social protection systems in the long term, development partners must provide financial assistance to states themselves, as key actors for implementation and extension of national social protection systems. Read more

 

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e-GCSPF #83 - March 2023

GCSPF at the Development Cooperation Forum

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.

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." Read the statement

Report “Expanding Global Social Protection. Options for the Design of an International Financing Mechanism”

The Report “Expanding Global Social Protection. Options for the Design of an International Financing Mechanism>” by Markus Kaltenborn was published by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung e.V. on February 2023.

A solidarity-based Global Fund for Social Protection must meet certain criteria to respond adequately to the challenges of global poverty and inequality. Key requirements include compliance with the country-ownership principle in the allocation of funds and a governance structure oriented toward equal decision-making power for the partner countries. Both Financial Intermediary Funds and UN Multi-Partner Trust Funds are suitable in principle for such a new financing mechanism, whereas the World Bank Trust Fund model is not to be recommended in this respect.  Read more

Webinar on Taxing the Informal Economy: Policy, Evidence and Lessons for the Future

In the wake of the pandemic, low- and middle-income countries are facing increasing pressures to improve domestic resource mobilisation. Since many of these countries have large informal economies, increasing the tax contributions of the informal sector has become a popular policy choice. Many of these taxes fall within the category of ‘presumptive taxes’ since the earnings of informal sector workers are not easily identifiable. However, there are many unanswered questions about presumptive tax regimes but little data.
This webinar presents the results of two recent studies on presumptive tax regimes and on the tax contributions of informal sector workers in Accra, Ghana.
Date: 4 April, 2023 - Time: 3 pm CET - Registration link - Read the publication

More than a billion reasons: The urgent need to build universal social protection for children

This second joint ILO-Unicef report on social protection for children outlines the devastating impact of a lack of social protection on child poverty, health, education, nutrition, child marriage and child labour.
This new joint report provides a global overview of recent developments in social protection systems for children, including social protection floors, and covers the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more

Report "World Employment and Social Outlook 2023: The value of essential work"

The report "World Employment and Social Outlook 2023: The value of essential work", underscores the extent to which economies and societies depend on key workers, and also how they are undervalued. The poor working conditions of key workers exacerbate employee turnover and labour shortages, jeopardizing the provision of basic services. Improvements in working conditions and greater investment in food systems, health care and other key sectors are necessary for building economic and social resilience to shocks, the report says. Read more

SP&PFM e-News - February 2023

Welcome to the February 2023 SP&PFM e-News! This newsletter communicates about ongoing activities and results from the Improving Synergies Between Social Protection and Public Finance Management programme (SP&PFM). SP&PFM is a joint collaboration between the EU, ILO, UNICEF and the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF), which provides medium and shorter-term support to 24 countries aiming to strengthen their social protection systems and ensure their sustainable financing. Read more
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e-GCSPF #82 - February 2023

Video of the Virtual Side Event
On the Road to 2025: A New Social Contract with Universal Social Protection and Full Employment and Decent Work for all

The video of the virtual Side Event is now online The event tackled the diverse and interconnecting perspectives on social protection and the urgency of a “renewed” social contract anchored in human rights for a new era and consider why the Global Fund for Social Protection is necessary to deliver to all the right to social protection.
The event was dedicated to the memory of Prof. Michael Cichon. Michael was the inspiration behind and driver of Recommendation 202, founder of the GCSPF and he has been an inspiring example to so many people around the world.
The side event was held on Wednesday, February 8, 2023, during the 61st Session of the Commission for Social Development CSocD61.
The side event was organized by the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF) and co-organized by Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP)Gray PanthersAfrican Platform for Social Protection (APSP)Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd. Read more

Is social protection to blame for informality?

The opinion that certain forms of social protection lead to a significant increase in labour market informality poses a specific challenge to governments willing to invest in social protection for informal workers.
This session will present novel evidence regarding the claim of whether social protection is a key driver of informality. Following brief expert-led presentations, the ILO and the Inter-American Social Security Conference (CISS) will discuss these claims, their impact on social protection policymaking and how to address such concerns on the path to universal social protection.
16 February, 2023 - 10:00 GMT-6 Read more

Social security systems for informal workers: let Africa lead the way

By Isobel Frye
Ninety percent of global Small and Micro Enterprise (SMEs) business and more than fifty percent of all employment happens in the informal economy.
Often dismissed by the establishment due to its fluid and amorphous nature, it is clear that as South Africa and the continent battles high unemployment, especially youth unemployment, there is a huge opportunity for state and private sector support and investment into this sector. Read more

Social Security Law in Jordan

The Phenix Center for Economic and Informatics Studies calls for the urgent reconsideration of some of the proposed amendments to the law, contemplating the expansion of social protections and insurances in ways conducive to legislative and social cohesion, the strengthening of social protection systems in Jordan, and the promotion of social, economic, and political stability. The Center presented to the Labor Committees at the Parliament with a set of observations and recommendations concerning some of the amendments currently under deliberation, in the interest of ensuring access to a balanced a fair Social Security Law—one which provides basic social protections to all members of society, based on internationally recognized best practices and standards. Read more

Our Future is Public: Santiago Declaration

The conference Our Future is Public (#OFIP22) gathered 900 representatives of social movements, unions and civil society organisations from 113 countries in Santiago, Chile and virtually for a 4-day Conference to discuss the critical role of public services for our future, to develop strategies and narratives to strengthen public services for the realisation of economic, and social and cultural rights and tackle the effects of climate change. Read the Santiago Declaration

SP&PFM e-News - January 2023

Welcome to the January 2023 SP&PFM e-News! This newsletter communicates about ongoing activities and results from the Improving Synergies Between Social Protection and Public Finance Management programme (SP&PFM). SP&PFM is a joint collaboration between the EU, ILO, UNICEF and the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF), which provides medium and shorter-term support to 24 countries aiming to strengthen their social protection systems and ensure their sustainable financing. Read more
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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.

Read the Call

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.

Read more

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