How To Accelerate: Universal Social Protection, Human Rights – and a Global Fund?

Social protection systems have demonstrated their value during the COVID-19 pandemic, saving lives and backstopping economies at large. This timely discussion was moderated by our ED, Magdalena Sepúlveda Carmona.

A plea was made not to lose this momentum in terms of a surge in State-provided social protection to stave off economic damage, and to lay the foundation for peaceful societies and other measures to leave no one behind and eradicate extreme poverty. Achieving universal social protection coverage would include the roughly 4 billion people who are currently unprotected.

According to the UN Secretary-General, countries could be supported in gradually increasing levels of funding devoted to social protection through the establishment of a Global Fund for Social Protection, explored by the International Labor Organization (ILO) in a recent resolution and conclusions submitted for adoption by the International Labor Conference on 18 June 2021.

Earlier last year, The Global Fund for Social Protection: International Solidarity in the Service of Poverty Eradication was the title of a report by the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, discussed during an interactive dialogue during the 47th session of the Human Rights Council on 29-30 June. In it, the Special Rapporteur invites all states, as well as international agencies whose mandate includes social protection, unions, and civil society organizations, to contribute to making the universalization of social protection floors, ten years after a similar recommendation by the Social Protection Floor Advisory Group.