27 October 2011: The International Labour Organization (ILO) has released a report, titled “Social Protection Floor for a Fair and Inclusive Globalization,” which outlines the conclusions and recommendations of the Social Protection Floor Advisory Group, chaired by Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UN Women, and convened by the ILO with the collaboration of the World Health Organization (WHO).
According to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, as quoted in the report, a social protection floor ensures that no one lives below a certain income level, and everyone has access to essential public services, such as water, sanitation, health and education.
To this end, the report focuses on providing income security and scaling up essential health services even in the poorest countries. It highlights the role in poverty reduction of the extension of social protection, drawing on social protection floors. It adds that a social protection floor can help people adapt their skills, thereby facilitating their full participation in a changing economic and social environment, contributing to improved human capital development and stimulating greater productive activity. The report also illustrates how social protection has contributed in stabilizing aggregate demand in times of crisis and increasing resilience against economic shocks, thereby contributing to accelerated recovery towards more inclusive and sustainable development paths.
During the discussion of the report at a joint meeting of UN General Assembly’s (UNGA) Second Committee (Economic and Financial) and the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), participants voiced concern over how the social protection floor could be integrated into previously determined development goals in the current changing economic environment. Many speakers asked how its recommendations could be implemented in Least Developed Countries (LDCs), pointing to capacity constraints and limited resources.
According to the ILO, social protection and in particular the concept of a social protection floor have been increasingly recognized as key development instruments, including at the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Summit in September 2010. The ILO’s 2012 International Labour Conference is expected to consider a new international labour standard on social protection floors. [Publication: Social Protection Floor for a Fair and Inclusive Globalization] [UN Women Press Release] [UNGA Press Release] [ILO Press Release]