Last month I attended a meeting of the core group of seventeen members of the NGO Coalition for a Social Protection Floor which was facilitated by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung – a German think-tank with a global presence.
As always, it was great to meet with such a diverse range of organisations committed to advancing the rights-based social protection agenda. The two days allowed time to critically reflect on the approaches needed to strengthen the commitment of states to implement Social Protection Floors (SPFs). With a variety of expertise in the room – from human rights organisations to trade unions and network agencies – the Coalition was able to map out some concrete actions to be taken forward over the next twelve months.
What are social protection floors?
“A social protection floor describes a system
that guarantees income security and access to basic services throughout the
life course.”
– Social protection floors and pension systems: the role of a “citizen’s pension”
SPFs have been gaining recognition in recent years as a way of prioritising the extension and reform of social protection systems. Over 150 countries have endorsed ILO recommendation 202 on Social Protection Floors which outlines four social security guarantees:
1. Access to healthcare, including maternity care
2. Basic income security for children (including access to nutrition, education and care)
3. Basic income security for those in active age unable to earn sufficient income (for example, in cases of illness, unemployment, maternity, and disability)
4. Basic income security for older persons.
Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors
In March 2012 fourteen NGOs participated in a workshop on SPFs and decided to come together again to produce a joint statement in support of ILO Recommendation 202. As interest around Social Protection Floors swelled the number of signatories of this statement grew to fifty-nine and the NGO Coalition for a Social Protection Floor was created. Of these fifty-nine members, seventeen – including HelpAge International – are “core” members.
The Global Coalition aims to influence debates on SPFs and raise awareness of ILO recommendation 202. Beyond this, it hopes to promote and create platforms for sharing learning amongst civil society organisations around the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of SPFs.
Human Rights and Beyond-2015: Identifying Next Steps
The meeting focussed on three questions:
1. How should SPFs be articulated in post-2015 debate?
2. How can the Coalition campaign for a rights-based approach to SPFs?
3. How can the Coalition support regional and national civil society efforts to campaign for rights-based social protection?
The meeting was incredibly useful to advance thinking within the Coalition of what our role should be on a global stage and how best to support those advocating for SPFs.
Read More
Read more about the NGO Coalition for Social Protection Floors.
Read more about the link that SPFs have with the pension system and what role a “citizen’s pension” could play in our Pension Watch Briefing.