Provincial Launch: Strengthening Nepal’s social protection through sustainable financing

ILO Nepal, the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors and UNICEF Nepal have committed to strengthening social protection through sustainable financing at the provincial level

Today marks the provincial launch of “Improving Synergies between Social Protection and Public Finance Management” in Nepal, a critical step towards implementing the innovative project that aims at improving government’s social protection policies and financing strategies through enhanced coordination mechanisms. The project takes on an inclusive approach by reaching out to persons with disabilities, informal sector workers, and people vulnerable to disasters. 

The global project, launched on 17th November 2020 envisages working closely with government  by improving the design, implementation and financing of the social protection systems, and by ensuring social protection systems are gender-sensitive, disability-inclusive and shock-responsive. In Nepal, the project will work closely with Provinces 2 and 6. 

“The ILO Nepal has been working in close coordination with the Social Security Fund (SSF) to advance the government’s agenda on social protection. In the backdrop of how COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the significance of contribution-based social protection in the country, the project hopes to build the capacity of federal and provincial actors for effective and timely implementation of social security systems.” said Richard Howard, Director of the ILO Country Office for Nepal.

Social protection is a human right, and an investment with high social and economic returns– yet more than half the world’s population do not have access to any social protection , and coverage remains particularly low for vulnerable groups such as children, persons with disabilities, women and men who work in the informal economy and migrants. 

To get more people better coverage, to raise more money for social protection and spend it better, social movements like CSOs and trade unions have a key role to play. “Many of us have years of grassroot experiences and insights, strive to represent and advocate to ensure the inclusion of all. Through this programme, social movements can hopefully be involved meaningfully and structurally and ensure that no one is left behind.” stated Bruno Deceukelier from WSM on behalf of the GCSPF.

The event was opened by Hon’able Dr. Ram Kumar Phuyal, National Planning Commission, followed by introductory remarks from representatives of the partner organizations. Over 60 participants attended, highlighting the role of social protection in the context of Nepal and the COVID-19 pandemic.

This project is part of the European Union (EU)’s global Action on improving synergies between social protection (SP) and public finance management in the evolving federalization context. The Action is being implemented in priority partner countries : Angola, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Nepal, Paraguay, Senegal and Uganda. United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), International Labour Office (ILO), and Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF) are key global partners. 

In Nepal, the project is being jointly led by UNICEF, ILO and WSM on behalf of the GCSPF, and is supported by EU and Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO).

Side Event of the UN Commission for Social Development 2021: housing, global fund and other topics

The Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors, of which WSM is a very active member, is organising a Side Event of the UN Commission for Social Development 2021: Building Roofs and Raising Floors Through Inclusive Digital Technologies and A Global Fund for Social Protection. Sulistri from KSBSI Indonesia and Asia Steering Committee member will be speaking.

Date: 12 February, 2021; 8:30am –  9:45am EST

A secure Zoom link will be provided to all registrants. Please register at through this link. 

Context:

Social protection is a human right, and an investment with high social and economic returns – yet more than half the world’s population do not have access to comprehensive social protection. Coverage remains particularly low for marginalized children, people with disabilities, older people, widows, women, people working in the informal economy, migrants, the LGBTQI community, and people who are experiencing homelessness.

COVID-19 has acted as an X-ray to highlight inequalities and as a stress test for access to social protection, basic human rights, income, health security, and such essential goods as housing and food. People who are homeless have been particularly vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic, where “staying home” has been the primary strategy for protection against the virus. Social protection is a means of ensuring those without a roof have one, as countries that have tackled homelessness are proving. Many countries are now realizing both the necessity and the long-term benefits of universal, comprehensive and adequate social protection for all, based on sustainable and equitable financing, robust, adapted and tripartite administration and anchored in law.

Inclusive digital technologies can help to build roofs and raise floors for the most vulnerable among us and will ensure the sustainability of interventions. 

The necessity for guaranteeing, financing and delivering social protection to all including the most hard to reach may require, notably in low income countries, the technical and financial support of a Global Fund for Social Protection, which is being explored by the UN Special Rapporteur for Extreme Poverty and the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors. The pandemic is set to push up to 150 million people into extreme poverty, and 150 million children into multidimensional poverty2, and we can expect that homelessness has also increased worldwide.  Homelessness is one of the most visible indicators of failure in any national social protection system, and the cruelest form of social exclusion often of the most marginalized. Yale University estimates “that no less than 150 million people, or about 2 percent of the world’s population, are homeless. However, about 1.6 billion, more than 20 percent of the world’s population, may lack adequate housing.”3  A substantial number of people in the latter group (i.e. more than 20% of the global population) are likely to be permanently vulnerable to homelessness notably in times of crises. The economic impact of COVID-19 is a driver of housing insecurity and pushing ever more people to the brink of homelessness.

To respond to the socioeconomic fallouts of the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries have put in place some social protection responses to support workers, children and families. However, these are, for the most part, ad hoc measures of short duration, and need to be transformed into sustainable social protection measures. In relation to housing, time-limited eviction moratoriums are beginning to end around the world, putting more people at risk of homelessness.

We know that still one fifth of the world lacks guarantees to social protection and homelessness is linked to this. We know what works, and which countries have made it one of their priorities to deal with homelessness as part of their social protection systems. It is time to build on these experiences to turn short-term measures into long- term solutions for all. The COVID-19 crisis has demonstrated that countries with established social protection systems are in a much better position to address the social and economic fallout of crises faster, more effectively, and more efficiently than countries who have to introduce new schemes on an ad hoc emergency basis. Communities that can count on inclusive data and technology systems have also been best positioned to respond to the unique needs of those who are homeless and housing insecure during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is more important than ever to make connections between social protection and the ongoing crisis in homelessness, strengthen and scale up social protection systems with digital systems, as the best way not only to cushion the impacts of the crisis on all those who are the most vulnerable, including families and those who are homeless, but to ensure an inclusive and sustainable recovery for all.

The Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF) and the Global Call for Action Against Poverty (GCAP) invite you to a 75-minute side event with speakers from Governments, United Nations, civil society and academia. We will tackle the diverse and interconnecting perspectives on social protection and homelessness, and consider why the Global Fund for Social Protection is necessary to deliver to all the right to social protection. We will look at how digital technology can extend social protection floors to those who are living without roofs. Examples include the sponsored use of cellphones that ensure a minimum of connectedness and a critical link to society. Insights and conclusions will be inputted into the ongoing work of the Commission of Social Development and the discussions about the Global Fund for Social Protection.

Provisional Program Outline

All are welcome. The following provisional program outline is as of 29 January 2021; an updated flier with all confirmed speakers will be circulated closer to the event.

Moderator - Magdalena Sepulveda, Executive Director of the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR)

Section 1:  Overview of the Topic from Member States and Special Rapporteur

• Saila Ruuth, State Secretary to the Minister of Social Affairs and Health, Government of Finland
• Meryame Kitir, Minister of Development Cooperation, in charge of Major Cities, Government of Belgium
• Olivier De Schutter, Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights

Section 2: Lived Experience and Social Protections for All

• Rob Robinson, Partners for Dignity and Human Rights and Institute of Global Homelessness
• Samuel Obara, Africa Platform for Social Protection
• Roshni K. Nuggehalli, Global Call to Action Against Poverty, Wada Na Todo Abhiyan, Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action
• Sulistri Afrileston, All Indonesian Trade Union Confederation

Section 3: Action for change: Collaboration between civil society and the United Nations

• Nicola Wiebe, Social Protection Policy Specialist Bread for the World, Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors
• Shahra Razavi, Director of Social Security, The International Labour Organisation 

Conclusions and recommendations

• Paul Ladd, United Nations Research Institute for Social Development

Primary Contact: Lydia Stazen, DePaul University, lstazen@ighomelessness.org. A secure Zoom link will be provided to all registrants. Please register at here. 

Publication: a pocket guide on gender equality

 On the eve of 8 March, International Women's Rights Day, WSM is publishing a handbook to share reflections and good practices on gender equality on four continents, in four languages (FR, NL, EN, ES). Mixing theory and practices, it aims to encourage organizations to make a concrete commitment towards greater gender equality.

Gender equality means equal rights and equal opportunities between men and women. Equality between men and women is essential to ensure the sustainability and inclusiveness of development. It is an essential principle that is, however, rarely applied.

It seemed essential to us to propose a practical tool that popularized this thematic, proposes an analysis grid, while highlighting inspiring testimonies and good practices from our network. The objective is to be able to address this issue in a practical way at different levels: at the level of organizations (including our own organizations), but also at the level of networks.

Designed both to raise awareness and to capitalize on experiences, this "roadmap" is also a tool in which we set out our vision and strategy on gender equality in a very accessible way. Available in four languages (FR, NL, EN, ES) and mixing theory and practices, it is intended to be a guide to launch an in-depth reflection with our partner organizations on the concrete steps to be taken to achieve gender equality. It is not intended to be exhaustive.

We illustrate this with inspiring cases, lessons learned, concrete advice and recommendations, do's and don'ts from our partners in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Belgium.

Nearly 570.000 people reached 2020 in Bangladesh through

For labour standards: over 175.000 garment workers (57% women and 77% youth) reached.

• Over 170.000 garment workers are more aware of their rights through public outreach. 
  
• 2.700 garment workers are newly organized
• Almost 300 workers received basic or advanced training 
• Over 1.000 garment workers received legal assistance. 
• Nearly 1.000 workers were mobilised to demand an increase of the minimum wage. 

141 people got vocational skill training through GK, and they raised awareness regarding women driving.

350.000 workers were made aware of their social security rights and 60 got a basic training. 

Almost 45.000 people improved their access to health because of GK, with 10.000 people getting direct medical attention.

• Partners:             NGWF, GK, OHS Initiative, BSPAN
• Budget 2020:     100.000€
• Donor:                Belgian Development Directorate
• Programme:        2017-2021

Infographics Bangladeshi workers and social protection during lockdown and COVID-19 - BSPAN

The WSM supported Bangladesh Social Protection Advocacy Network BSPAN also allocated 20% of its annual budget to COVID-19 related activities and raised awareness about pandemic and preventive measures among the workers and their community through 5000 awareness raising flyers and delivered emergency health support and telemedicine among 200 workers and relatives. BSPAN also advocated for COVID-19 to be declared an Occupational Disease.

As the pandemic closed their doors on Bangladeshi garment workers, trade unions step up

The Garment Workers’ Federation NGWF focuses on labour standards and social security for the 2 million Bangladeshi textile workers, mostly women. Over 2.600 workers joined the trade union, and almost 250 received training regarding labour rights and collective bargaining. Over 1.000 workers received legal aid and more than 600 publicly advocated for better working conditions in Bangladesh through rallies, hunger strikes, human chains, memoranda handovers to the government, etc.). Over 200.000 workers were sensitized regarding social security schemes through posters and leaflets and 150.000 workers were reached through their media releases regarding the situation and rights of garment workers. 

Khadija, 26 year old, came to Dhaka in 2015 and started work as an Assistant Operator with 5,300BDT salary. She is from an impoverished family and struggled financially during her life. When she joined in her job in 2015, she didn’t know anything about her rights, about her different types of benefits i.e. work hours, overtime benefits, maternity leaves and benefits, workplace health and safety issues, gender violence etc. As a result, she suffered different types of abuse by factory management who used slang and sometimes beat her. When becoming a member of NGWF, she regularly attended the meetings and training programs relating to Gender Training, Workplace Health & Safety Training, Collective Bargaining Training, Labour Rights Training. Afterwards, she started participating in public demonstrations. This not only helped her improve her working conditions and wages, she shared her knowledge with other workers, got more members and formed a factory union which got registered in November 2020. Khadija is now getting her wage properly and can better support her family. She is very motivated to continue organizing and her goal is to strengthen the union to ensure decent wages and also to stop gender discrimination.

Bringing health services to over 10.000 Bangladeshi people amidst a pandemic in 2020: GK

In 2020, besides offering vocational skill courses to 79 people, GK also offered access to health amidst the pandemic. Over 10.000 members (67% women, 69% young workers) received medical advice or health insurance on preventive care with drug essentials, specialized health camps, grants for destitute groups, HIV/AIDS Screening. 162 people (85% women and 93% young) are provided with basic training on traditional birth attendants, rapport building and communication for paramedics, gender workshops and disabilities. 

During any national and international calamities, GK always tries to respond as early as possible through medical services, reconstruction of damaged houses, and food distribution, including safe drinking water. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, GK was working 24/7 across the board. Efforts included various preventive measures in the hospitals and at the community level, including the development of a rapid test kit to detect COVID-19 named GR COVID-19 Rapid Dot Blot, raising fund for an Emergency Food Distribution Program, taking steps to increase social awareness about COVID-19 using social media and distributing leaflets to the general public, establishing a Designated Flu Corner at the Savar hospital and organizing a COVID-19 Call Center to provide telemedicine support and advice (report here).

WSM partner in Bangladesh, Gonoshasthaya Kendra (GK), the largest health provider after the Bangladeshi government, is one of the oldest non-profit, non-governmental, and national-level organizations in Bangladesh. GK is a people-oriented healthcare-based organization that provides services in health care, women's empowerment, education, disaster management, emergency relief, nutrition, water & sanitation, agriculture, basic rights-based advocacy, and research. Over the past five decades, GK has expanded its services to cover approximately 1.67 million people in 1,017 villages. GK serves mostly vulnerable and low-income groups in rural areas, mainly through its 44 rural sub-centers and six referral hospitals.

2020 COVID context in Bangladesh

In terms of COVID-19, Bangladesh is the second most affected country in South Asia, after India. The Bangladeshi government declared a lockdown from 23 March to 30 May. Throughout 2020, routine testing was never adopted in Bangladesh. Even though garment factories were allowed to continue operating under the country's lockdown, an estimated one million garment workers, or one-quarter of the workforce, were laid off due to declining orders for export. In April, hundreds of garment workers marched in Chittagong demanding factory owners pay them last month's wages following delays after over 500 garment factories in Dhaka and Chittagong had been shut down for a month. In 2020, a total of 7.781 deaths were registered in Bangladesh because of COVID.

Call for action: support the demand for an HRDD instrument from the EU Commission: A law to protect workers, people, and planet from bad business

The European Commission is finally ready to consider a new law to hold businesses accountable for their impact on people and the planet. These rules on mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence should require all companies, from fossil fuel giants and agribusiness to fashion retailers and electronics makers, to establish effective policies to make sure human rights and the environment are not being harmed in their global operations and supply chains.

The EU Commission announced last year that they would come with a proposal on mandatory Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD), including corporate liability, access to remedy for victims etc. We feel the EU can and must use its power to set ambitious standards in the fight to hold business accountable for things like union busting, forced labor, land grabbing or toxic waste dumping.

The proposal would be published around June 2021 and until 8th of February, the Commission runs a consultation to collect the input from citizens and stakeholders. INSP!R Asia and its members also contributed since the consultation is open to people across the world that are affected by problems in the global value chains. Since the official submission for an EU consultation is often quite complex (find it here), a coalition of organisations (ETUC, Friends of the Earth, ECCJ etc.) have developed a ‘citizen tool’, to join the consultation by signing their submission here. 

What is “human rights and environmental due diligence”?

It is generally understood as the process for businesses to identify, prevent, reduce and account for the negative impacts of their activities or relationships, which often involve subsidiaries, subcontractors, suppliers and other economic transactions.

Trade unions at work in Nepal during 2020

 WSM trade union partners continued their focus on the contributory social security fund and trying to ensure informal workers are covered. They joined a task force established by the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security to address the pandemic’s impact on the labour market. All three trade unions also established disaster management committees during the lockdown to monitor the impact of the pandemic among their members, and offer assistance where possible. GEFONT’s rapid assessment study found 42% of enterprises did not pay out any form of remuneration from March 16 to April 15, contrary to the commitment made by the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI).

Trade union support helped to survive lockdown

Hari, a taxi driver in Kathmandu: “I hardly made €10 or 1,500NPR a month with which I had to manage for my family of four to live. Due to the never-ending lockdown, the owner of my taxi couldn’t give me my salary. Life went from how to live on my salary to how to survive without it. I felt devastated. The first month we managed with some savings, but from the second month onwards, we had no money, no food to eat. As my son has tuberculosis, all our money went to his medication. Then, my mother got glaucoma and went blind…My trade union, NTUC, provided us with enough food to survive and also some medical facilities to my son. If they hadn’t helped us in this time of need, my entire family would have starved to death.”

INSP!R Nepal working on both contributory and non-contributory social protection in 2020

The trade union umbrella ITUC-NAC focused on better Occupational Health and Safety through advanced training in six sectors. They also promoted the contributory social security through training, advocacy and awareness-raising of over 25.000 workers. This contributed to an increase in enrolment in the Social Security Fund from less than 140.000 to 184.000 workers by end 2020.

Social Protection Civil Society Network (part of INSP!R Nepal) worked to ensure delivery of non-contributory social security schemes to citizens. After years of continuous advocacy by UNICEF and civil society, the Government of Nepal increased their universal child grant districts from 14 to 25 districts, out of a total of 77 districts.

Universal child grant helps family save

Devi, 27, mother of Arian: “We didn’t know about any grants or support from the government. I can sign my name but not much else. When we managed with support to register, we opened a bank account in my son’s name, and so the money gets sent there every four months. It’s good that the account is in his name, because that way we are reminded that the money is for things he needs. My husband works with heavy machinery, but it isn’t easy to find work nowadays. He spent three years working abroad in Malaysia as a driver. He made good money there but, during lockdown, he had to come back, and since his visa had expired, he had to pay for his flight back himself, which was expensive. He is looking to leave again, and I have to support him to do so, even though I will miss him. We also have to help our parents, since they need money to get by. My husband’s parents aren’t getting any support from the government, because they are still five years away from getting the old-age allowance. My father had a stroke, so he receives a disability allowance. I think our government gives these allowances to people in need to ensure a good life for Nepali citizens, which is the right thing to do. But I think the politicians make these schemes so people will vote for them again, so they can get re-elected.”

2020 Nepal output in numbers

In 2020, over 400.000 people were reached with WSM support through:

Labour standards:

1. Close to 200.000 workers, of which 16% women and 8% under 35 y/o, are made more aware of their rights through campaigns and public outreach.
   
2. 1.236 workers, of which 32% women and 55% youth, received basic training and 1.200, of which 25% women and 12% youth, advanced training (of leaders or of Trainers).
3. 270 workers, of which 15% women and 9% youth, benefited from legal assistance.
4. Advocacy: over 200.000 workers (70% women and 4% young workers) are mobilized at grassroots level to publicly demand their rights through demonstrations, petitions, May Day rallies etc.

Vocational skills:  55 people got skill training (82% women and 78% youth) in embroidery, tailoring etc.

• Nepal partners: GEFONT, NTUC, ITUC-NAC, SPCSN        
• Budget 2020: 87.813€
• Donors: DGD, EU INTPA
• Programme: 2017-2021

Context in Nepal in 2020

COVID-19 marred 2020 in Nepal, with 264.000 confirmed cases and 2.800 registered deaths. Strict lockdown rules from March 24 to July 21 wreaked havoc with the economy, causing much distress among workers, particularly in the informal sector. With land borders with India and China closed, and international flights suspended for parts of the year, remittances and tourist incomes (usually 33% and 8% of GDP respectively) dropped sharply. By year end, GDP growth was at 1.8%, compared to 7% in 2019. To cap off a stressful year, Prime Minister Oli dissolved Parliament in December 2020, prompting protests and instability.

The social protection response by the government of Nepal to the COVID-19 crisis was mainly through delivering relief packages to vulnerable households during the initial peak (March-May). These relief package included food aid, a 10% reduction on essential food items, and a 25% reduction on electricity bills. Informal sector workers who lost their jobs were offered positions in public employment programmes for minimum wage, or provided with 25% of the local minimum wage if they chose not to participate.

India 2020 in numbers

 Over 1,17 million Indians were reached in 2020:

• 452.000 people (49% women and 44% youth) are more aware of their labour rights through campaigns and outreach. Trade unions organized over 112.000 workers, of which 91% women and 52% youth.
• Almost 6.700 people, of which 84% women and 55% youth, received basic training in labour standards, social security and health. 6.200 Indians, of which 87% women and 41% young workers, received advanced training (of leaders or of trainers).
• Over 10.000 workers, majority of which were women (82%) and 40% young workers, benefitted from legal assistance for labour rights.
• Advocacy: More than 539.000 people (32% women and 44% young workers) were mobilized at grassroots level (ex. demonstrations, petitions…).

Partner organizations:      CWM-India, AREDS, NDWM, NDWF, CFTUI, SEWA

Budget 2020:              328.230€

Donor:              DGD, Brussels Region International, Familiehulp, ACV Food and Services

Program:              2017-2021 (DGD)