INSP!R Asia speaks out regarding the Global Accelerator in the Asian Pathfinder countries

INSP!R Asia intervened today on the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions, during its 4th online Steering Group Meeting.

We took the initiative with our own resources to organize Asian Pathfinder meetings regarding the Global Accelerator twice already. The 1^st meeting was held in Jakarta, Indonesia on April 19, and the 2^nd meeting in Kathmandu; Nepal on September 10, 2024. We’d like to thank the GA National leading Ministries in Indonesia and Nepal, the ILO, ITUC, GCSPF and the Belgian embassies of Jakarta and Delhi who participated and supported these meetings. INSP!R Asia plans to organize the 3^rd meeting in the last week of November 2024 in Cambodia.

In Asia, INSP!R Asia works with 54 organizations of Trade unions (affiliated to ITUC or Global Union Federations), member-based CSOs (such as women’s organizations, youth, people with disabilities, migrant workers, health organizations and mutuality, etc.) and National networks on Social protection.  INSP!R Asia has members in 6 countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Nepal and the Philippines; 4 are Pathfinders countries. We actively participate in various international/ continental events such as Labor20-Civil20, ASEAN People Forum, Asia-Europe People Forum, International Labor Conferences, COP, and now regarding the Global Accelerator. 

Trade Unions and Civil Society organizations are important pillars in advocating for state policy making, because they can strengthen accountability, improve the effectiveness and efficiency of programs in its design, monitoring, implementation and evaluation by providing constructive criticism, different perspectives, and alternative problem solving. However, for this to happen, there must be sufficient democratic space for meaningful engagement and social dialogue. What we have observed so far in the 4 pathfinding countries, is that there are differences in the level of democratic space and involvement of trade unions and CSO. While Trade unions involvement is more straightforward because of the existing tripartite mechanism and applying the most representative status of trade unions, this is not the same for the involvement of CSOs. For example, in Indonesia, there are 5 Trade union confederations such as KSBSI which are members of the National committee, but there is no clear representation of CSOs in this committee. However, INSP!R Indonesia/ YPSI (Indonesia Social Protection Foundation) has been invited in the public consultation during the finalization of the GA roadmap, and we’d like to thank BAPPENAS as the leading ministry in Indonesia for this.

2.      From the 2 Asia meetings on GA that we organized, we’d like to convey the following key messages:

1.       In the GA progress report 2023-2024, only 12% of the SDG targets are on track. The GA is a ‘Rescue Plan’ to save the SDGs with the ambitious goal of creating 400 million jobs and extending social protection coverage to 4 billion people by 2030 -just 6 years from now. You can have beautiful dream but even if 100% of GA’s objectives are achieved in 17 pathfinder’s countries -which is not possible, GA initiative will only create 44 million jobs (11% from GA objective to create 400 million jobs) and extend social protection coverage to 962 million people (around 24% of GA objective to extend social protection coverage to 4 billion people). Furthermore, since the GA was launched in Sept 2021, only 21 million USD has been collected from 3 countries: Belgium, Germany and Spain. One third of this budget is allocated for the management of the GA by the UN agencies and World Bank. Please remain realistic.
2.       While GA seeks to expand the coverage of social protection, the new business model of the platform economy is massively leaving millions of workers out of the social security system. For example, in Indonesia of the 20 million workers working in the platform economy, only 1% are covered by social security. We call on GA to pay more attention to the ‘missing middle’ and the ‘non-take-up’ groups, namely the working poor, workers in the informal economy, migrant and domestic workers, caregivers, home-based and self-employed, people with disability, as well as workers adversely affected by climate change, automation and AI. GA does not work in a vacuum, there are changing contexts that we need to adapt to.
3. Our network advocates for Climate reparations based on historical emissions. The Loss and Damage Fund must be able to contribute to the development of Adaptive Social Protection and strengthen people’s resilience. The devastating impacts of climate change are unbearable for countries like Nepal which are vulnerable to avalanches or flash floods -like those that occurred last week in Kathmandu, or 20 typhoons a year in the Philippines, or the impact of slow onset-event such as rising sea-levels in Indonesian archipelago, which makes 90% of Indonesia’s sea areas dangerous for small boats.
4. We also want to see debt cancelation that would provide fiscal space to the poor countries, and progressive and fair taxes for the private sector and the super-rich.

In a multipolar world where human security is a priority for many countries, we must be more innovative in our approach. How reassuring it is that this GA initiative can reverse the deteriorating situation in terms of employment and social protection, amidst declining respect for international humanitarian and human rights law, as well as a weakening of UN institutions. The GA initiative is a ‘Rescue Plan’ to save the SDGs; therefore, we can’t act like it is ‘business as usual’.

Thanks, Bismo Sanyoto, INSP!R Asia

Adapting to climate crisis and shrinking space: Context in Asia in 2023 related to social protection and the INSP!R Asia issues

Only 33% of people in Southeast Asia and 24% of people in South Asia are protected by at least one area of social protection. Many countries in Asia spend less than 2% of GDP on social protection (excluding health). Advocacy to get more people better coverage at Asian level hence remains very necessary, though the lack of regional cooperation bodies hinders effective regional advocacy by our members, who most often have to through their national policy makers, which isn’t the best strategy for certain global challenges.

Asia is the continent hardest hit by climate change and witnesses increasingly frequent and more severe catastrophes. Adaptive social protection takes an integrated approach of coordination between social protection, climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction to provide longer-term solutions to address the underlying causes of vulnerability and help people prepare for the impacts of climate change. ASP recognizes that social protection measures contribute to fostering households’ absorptive, adaptive, and transformational capacity to climate change with a longer-term vision for resilience. INSP!R Asia plans to have long term actions and policy advocacy to promote Adaptive Social Protection and Climate Justice as a priority in the years to come. INSP!R Asia members consider this an urgent and critically important topic for policy changes at the global, continental and national level. Countries where INSP!R Asia members live are prone to climate disasters, whether it’s fast-onset events such as super typhoons, landslides and avalanches, or slow-onset events, such as sea level rise and depletion of clean water. INSP!R Asia believes that the Loss and Damage Fund as adopted by COP27 in Sharm-El-Sheikh and its follow up discussions during COP28 Dubai, should allocate funds to make Social Protection systems adaptive. INSP!R Asia has developed a solid position paper on this topic which was debated and agreed upon by all member organizations and then shared with policy makers in Asia and South East Asia. Moreover, partner organization are encouraged to include this topic into the existing programs and activities where possible and relevant. 

Shrinking democratic space for CSOs and trade unions is getting more worrisome in Asia region. More and more often, policy makers or economic actors are bypassing or blatantly ignoring social dialogue with CSOs and Trade unions, sabotaging tripartite mechanisms and forums where CSOs usually enter in social dialogue with the government. Therefore, we need to adapt our strategy for policy advocacy and strengthen networking with other CSOs and unions in the region who share our vision and build stronger alliances as partners with the same goals for social justice and prosperity. Meanwhile, INSP!R members have to be more aware of potential surveillance, conduct safer communication, creating safe spaces for physical meetings, be more careful with social media posting and abide by the increasingly more stringent regulations of countries for organising, mobilising but also travel restrictions for international exchanges.

India, Philippines, and Indonesia are categorized as ‘flawed democracies’ with index score of 7,04 for India, 6,73 for the Philippines and 6,71 for Indonesia. Meanwhile Nepal, and Bangladesh have been categorized as a ‘hybrid regime’ with score 4.49 for Nepal and 5,99 for Bangladesh, and Cambodia tends to be more authoritarian with only 3,18, just above China with 1,94 (The Global Democracy Index). Many governments in the regions are displaying increasing authoritarianism traits but maintain procedural democracy like general elections. These governments seldom use physical harassment, killing, imprisoned, disappearance, etc. because it risks international scrutiny or sanctions. Instead, they will deliberately undermine or weaken the functioning of trade unions and CSOs through administrative/ financial/ procedural/ legal restrictions.

Strength in numbers - Achieved by partners in Indonesia in 2023

 Labour rights: More than 90.070 workers, of which 43% women and 25% younger than 35 years old, benefitted from activities pursuing more awareness, a better understanding and knowledge of the regulation on the wage structure and scale, on the Job Creation Law and its impact on workers, on how to negotiate CBA’s and MoU’s, on how to prevent and deal with gender-based violence at the shop floor. In several companies CBA proposals were drafted or agreements were concluded and signed. 

Social security: 62.469 people, of which 30% women and 11% younger than 35 years, were reached through actions focussing on giving access to better social security. 

INSP!R Indonesia mobilised 1766 of its members (81% women, 41 under 35 y/o) to advocate during the drafting of two new regulations regarding health and SP for migrant workers, as well as on adaptive social protection and other social protection issues. INSP!R Indonesia also raised the awareness of 5.140 people on these matters through leaflets and videos (accessible to people with disabilities).

Since 2023 was an election year, INSP!R Indonesia analysed the positions of the various candidates on social protection and submitted policy recommendations to 19 policy makers.

A blind woman gets new inspiring insights - INSP!R Indonesia 2023

Rina is 47, from Indonesia and a member of the Indonesian Association of Women with Disabilities (HWDI), member of INSP!R Indonesia:
 “As someone with a disability, INSP!R Indonesia has given me new insights. Before, I mostly talked to other disabled people. But with INSP!R Indonesia, I learned that many organizations discuss disability issues, especially social security rights. I work in a hotel and know about social security, but many of my disabled friends don’t. Some can’t hear or speak, and few go to school. 

I hope INSP!R Indonesia can create schools for people with disabilities. Education is essential not only for disabled kids but also for their parents to understand its importance. With support, people with disabilities can be independent.”

Strength in numbers: achievements by the Nepali partners in 2023

Labour rights: In total over 80.000 people, of which 32% women and 16% under 35 years, were reached by services from the Nepali partners to promote labour standards.

NTUC reached 73.645 (30% women and 11% younger than 35 years) and GEFONT ensured 6.436 workers (50% women and 67% younger than 35 years) became more aware of their rights though campaigns and public outreach. Empowering young workers, GEFONT also organised 14 one day trainings for 1516 new members (657 female and 1351 under 35 years) in all 7 Nepali provinces.

Social Security: nearly 57.906 workers (46% women and 64% under 35 years) were reached by the services of the trade unions to ensure coverage of workers in the contributory Social Security Fund.

Vocational training: 72 people received vocational skill training on tailoring and embroidery, and self-employment from NTUC.

INSP!R Network
Advocacy: Over 99 policy makers were met , CSOs and trade union members showed their public support for 11 policy documents and position papers, as well as one research on the Integrated Social Protection framework. 

INSP!R Nepal and its CSOs and trade unions members contributed to two key regulations being passed:

1. New Social Security working procedures were passed to cover self-employed, informal and migrant workers.

2. Integrated Social Protection Framework: developed by the National Planning Commission, which tackles Shock Responsive Social Protection aspects, determines provincial and local level roles in social protection and ensures more harmony among the schemes and ministries involved. During the drafting, WSM partners were actively involved and beginning 2024, the Framework was endorsed by the Nepali Cabinet of Minsters.

Learning: In 2023, 471 CSOs and trade union leaders were trained to promote social protection, including through steering committee meetings.

What INSP!Ring happened in Nepal in 2022?

Two major regulations were passed or published by the Nepali government regarding social protection for which CSOs and  trade unions had been advocated since several years:

1. the working procedures and guidelines for the Social Security Fund, that allow to enroll informal, self-employed as well as labour migrants. Pilot project under the SSF targets 4 sectors: transport, construction, home based, agricultural. These would be funded by contributions for the informal workers by contributing 11% of the salary from workers and 9,37% from the government. From April 2023, the guidelines also will include migrant workers. Trade union advocacy was very instrumental in achieving this result. They had consistently called for the inclusion of all workers under the Social Security Fund (SSF) since it launched in 2017.  On Nepal Social Security Day (27 November 2022), Nepali trade unions announced their goal of enrolling 2 million people over the next four years. 

2. the Integrated Social Protection Framework was formalized by the Nepal Planning Commission but is yet to be endorsed by the Cabinet. 

Some results of INSP!R NEPAL...

National level: The work of INSP!R Nepal and the other efforts by UNICEF and ILO Nepal contributed to a total of 386.695 workers registered end of 2022 with the Social Security Fund (SSF) and 17.581 employers. Compared to the 2019 baseline of the project with only 147.643 employees, this is a 160% increase and with 12.157 employers, an increase by 45%. Over 185 million € in contributions had been collected. 

Learning: In 2022, 76 CSOs and trade union leaders were trained to promote social protection, including through steering committee meetings. Over 81 policy makers were met and over 4.182 CSOs and trade union members showed their public support for 15 policy documents and position papers, as well as one research for better social protection and public finance management. Through traditional and social media over 725.000 citizens were made more aware of social protection schemes with a right-based approach. 

In October, a cross-country learning exchange was organized between Cambodia, where Oxfam facilitates a similar network of SP4ALL, and ten members from INSP!R Nepal on how to build inclusive national networks advocating for social protection floors and Public Finance Management.

What INSP!Ring happened in India in 2022?

India has a labour force of 488 million workers (2021), of which according to some estimations 86,8% or some  423 million are working in the unorganized sectors, mainly doing agricultural work in rural areas, or working in micro-, small, and medium enterprises, mostly in urban areas.  The remaining 65 million workers are designated as being workers in the formal sector, but that doesn’t mean they are all formal workers. Only about 32 million workers in India are considered to be formal workers, which means their terms and conditions of work should be regulated and protected by labour laws and employment contracts. Overall, it is estimated that more than 90% of the workforce in India or about 450 million workers are informal workers, having no written contract, no regular pay, no protection by the labour laws, no access to social security. 

New WSM – program 2022 - 2026

2022 saw the beginning of a new 5-year program, funded by the Belgian development cooperation agency DGD, for WSM’s five partner organizations in India, with a focus on defending existing labour rights, developing new labour standards, giving access to social security and developing social economy initiatives for mainly groups of informal workers. A particular feature in the programs with the informal workers is that before the organizations can really empower them, developing their capacity to avail their legal rights and to negotiate better working conditions, wages and access to social security schemes, these workers need to build the necessary self-confidence to speak up for themselves and become aware of their own working and living situation.

National Domestic Workers Movement (NDWM) and National Domestic Workers Federation (NDWF), a federation of state-level domestic workers unions that was established in 2013, are both raising the awareness of the domestic workers in 14 states across India, to ensure that they can assert their labour rights and have more respect from their employers. The focus of the movement is on creating better working conditions for 25.000 domestic workers, with a decent and regular pay and a working day of maximum 8 hours, and on countering the day-to-day exploitation of women and children domestic workers. By further developing cooperatives in 8 states, NDWM also invests in empowerment of 15.000 domestic workers by giving them vocational training to earn an additional income so that they can ensure a secure and sustainable employment. In some states like Bihar, the movement will also organize a job placement agency so that the domestic workers can better exercise collective labour rights. The establishment and development of these cooperatives was already initiated in the years 2019 to 2021, with the financial assistance of the organization Familiehulp, and is now continued with financial assistance of the Alimentation Fund. 

The NDWF, aside from giving capacity building to their local, state level and national union leaders on the labour law and social security, will try to affiliate 23.000 more members and facilitate access to social security schemes or welfare boards for 30.000 domestic workers by the end of 2026. Another goal for NDWM and NDWF is for the Indian Central Government to ratify ILO Convention 189 on the protection of domestic workers and to enact a comprehensive legislation to protect domestic workers in 8 states.

Christian Workers Movement India (CWM India) is working with groups of (women) agricultural labourers and construction workers, women workers in different trades such as beedi workers (rolling cigarettes), dhobi workers (informal workers doing the laundry), training them to understand what are their labour rights and how to increase their negotiating abilities to either receive a just and fair price for their products or a higher wage and working conditions according to what is foreseen by the law. 

The Confederation of Free Trade Union India (CFTUI) is mainly trying to ensure or – when possible – to increase the legal minimum wage for informal groups of workers, such as domestic workers, asha (health) workers and anganwadi (childcare) workers, agricultural workers and for formal workers in the shops and establishments sector in Delhi and workers in the public sector (teachers, port and dock workers, workers in the metal, coal or electrical engineering industry). Both CWM and CFTUI will try to ensure their members and beneficiaries to get access to different social security schemes and health insurance. 

In the district of Karur, in Tamil Nadu, the Association of Rural Education and Development Services (AREDS) is working with the unorganized workers, mainly from the dalit communities, such as sanitary and agricultural workers, to improve their working conditions. In addition, the AREDS health workers are raising the awareness of adolescent girls and adult women about better health practices and how to use native medical practices and medicines. With the support of the Alimentation Fund AREDS has also started up four ‘Food Production Companies’ (FPO’s), which aim to give farmers more leverage on the price they receive for their products. There is one FPO selling goats and sheep, one selling flowers, one selling milk and grains, one selling sesame seeds and rice. These FPO’s are being organised as cooperatives: after becoming shareholders of the cooperative, the farmers benefit from the joint purchase of fodder for their animals and of pesticides and fertilizers and from the elimination of middlemen in the process of selling their products. The farmers directly sell their products through regular markets, which are organized by the cooperative. Over time they will also acquire more expertise on how to do organic farming and increase their production. 

In their action plans, the partner organizations for the first time have also integrated small objectives concerning women empowerment and the struggle for gender equality, awareness raising on a cleaner environment and occupational health hazards.

2022: Exit from the pandemic and adoption of the labour codes

Early 2022 India, as the rest of the world, was still suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, informal economy workers went through a lot of economic hardship, as they couldn’t go to their usual workplaces. They were dismissed by their employers and had to survive without any income or proper compensation from the government. When health restrictions were lifted many domestic workers were not able to find employment in two or three households per day again, as before the pandemic, so they lost a part of their daily income. On top of that came the rise of inflation as fuel and energy prices rose significantly worldwide, making it even harder for the unorganized sectors to pay for food, housing and other basic needs. The four controversial new Labour Codes (code on wages, industrial relations, occupational health and safety and working conditions, social security), which have been rejected by the labour movement in India for being ‘anti-worker’ and ‘anti-labour’, came into effect in July 2022.  The codes will increase the number and type of companies that can fire workers without government approval, enforce new norms on how unions can call strikes, discard rules that bar women from working night shifts and introduce a new social-security regime. However, for the codes to be implemented it is up to the different states to put them in state level legislation, a process which has stalled in many states over the past months and which is not expected to take place before the general election in 2024. 

Some results of the Indian partners working in synergy... 

National level: On 20 and 21 September WSM and the Indian partner organizations organized a national dialogue on social protection, while inviting other Indian trade unions and organizations such as SEWA, as an event to learn from the Indonesian experience in the Labour 20 and as a way to prepare for a dialogue with the Indian government and engage with other civil society groups in the framework of the G20 in India in 2023. Unfortunately, for the organization of the L20 in 2023, the Indian government was not willing to work with the independent trade union organizations and with the ITUC.

What INSP!Ring happened in Cambodia in 2022? Mainstreaming knowledge on social security

The development of the social protection system in Cambodia has progressed rapidly in the last decade, especially since the Royal Government of Cambodia approved and implemented the "National Social Protection Policy Framework 2016-2025". This policy document is a long-term roadmap of the Government to lead the implementation of the social protection policy in Cambodia under the common vision of ensuring citizen's income security, reducing and preventing poverty, vulnerability and social inequality, as well as contributing to the wider development of human resources, including promoting sustainable national economic growth. To develop the social protection system and to ensure better harmonization of the different strategies, policies and other social protection activities, the Royal Government has established the “National Social Protection Council” (NSPC). The NSPC is the key actor responsible for the overall coordination and steering on the development of various social protection strategies and policies. 

The National Social Security Fund or NSSF consists of 3 schemes: Occupational Risks Scheme (2008), Health Care (2016), Pension (2022). The Law on Social Security Schemes, which dates from 2019, also foresees the development of an unemployment benefit scheme. Until 2021, 17.355 companies had registered in NSSF, with a total number of 4.335.501 members: 2.723.837 men and 1.633.583 women. 

Before 2017 WSM has also worked with the Cambodian Labour Confederation (CLC) and its main federation C.CAWDU, which is organizing the workers in the garment industries of Cambodia. While contacts with CLC have remained between 2017 and 2022, as they were also part of the continental network on the right to social protection in Asia, WSM has decided to return to Cambodia to put up a program with CLC to mainstream and increase the knowledge of union leaders and workers in factories on the national social security system. In the past, actions were quite focussed on further developing the NSSF, through advocacy by CLC to the Cambodian government. This time the goal is to ensure that within the organization of CLC knowledge and expertise on social security is more widely shared, also at the local levels of the organization, as well in the federations organizing the formal as the informal sectors. By the end of 2026 1.725 union leaders, members and workers should have an in-depth knowledge on the Cambodian social security system and have the ability to raise awareness and advocacy for better policies on social security. 

Aside from that, CLC keeps on pushing for increasing the coverage of the NSSF to an additional 300.000 workers (of which 60.000 in the informal sectors) and for improving the quality of the existing system, in particular the health care scheme and the occupational risks scheme. The union propagates that all Cambodian workers should be able to have health insurance and that it should similarly be available to their family members. At the same time the quality if the health facilities should improve and more diseases should be covered by the health insurance. CLC also advocates for the new pension scheme to apply to all Cambodian workers and for the creation of an unemployment benefits scheme.

Some results of SP4ALL, the Cambodian INSP!R network... 

National level:  CLC decided to join in 2023 SP4ALL (Social Protection for All), a platform to raise awareness on social protection and reduce citizen's concerns to the duty bearers, that was established by Oxfam and partners. The Oxfam – project, which runs to January 2024, has the objective to ensure a more inclusive, rights-based and shock-responsive social protection system. By promoting the active participation and consultation of Cambodian civil society organisations (CSOs), the project will contribute to building trust and cooperation between rights holders and duty bearers. The project intends to reach approximately 1.750.000 individuals, comprising of formal and informal economic workers (street vendors, market sellers, domestic workers, waste collectors, tuk-tuk driver, service workers, construction workers, farmers), people with disabilities, elderly people, women and children and ID poor households who are prone to risks and economic shocks.

Statement from the INSP!R Network for the International Women's Day: For a future of equality and access to the right to Social Protection

Under the slogan: For an equal future with access to the right to Social Protection, the International Network for Social Protection Rights - INSP!R demands on International Women's Day that women deserve an equal future without stigma, stereotypes or violence; a future that is sustainable, peaceful, with equal rights and opportunities for all.  

In these years, the COVID-19 pandemic provoked an unprecedented global crisis in the world of work, reflecting marked reductions in employment and labour participation, which translated into historic increases in unemployment (125 million jobs lost, according to ILO data), affecting women, young people and informal workers the most.  

The negative effects have contributed to the increase of multiple inequalities such as ethnicity, age, socio-economic status, disability or geographical location, further impacting women in precarious conditions and increasing their risk of social exclusion. This is a setback in social rights worldwide (UN Women).  

The INSP!R Network, present in Latin America & Caribbean, Asia, Africa and Europe, noted that women are placed in more precarious jobs, not only in terms of salary, but also in terms of working conditions, instability or violation of rights, as well as a greater probability of being employed in the informal economy.   

In 2020, only 46.9% of the world's population had access to at least one social protection benefit, and only 44.9% of mothers with new-born children had access to maternity cash benefits.  Even with women's greater vulnerability to poverty, only 23 per cent of the social protection and labour market measures adopted in response to COVID-19 are demonstrating gender sensitivity. The strain on health systems led to the disruption of essential services, including maternal health services, with an estimated 12 million women in 115 low- and middle-income countries experiencing difficulties with family planning services, resulting in 1.4 million unintended pregnancies according to UN Women (2022).  

This social crisis continues despite the economic recovery in some parts of the world, with unemployment rates and levels of poverty and extreme poverty higher than before COVID-19. The loss of employment and the reduction of labour income during the pandemic have particularly affected the lower income groups; it has also highlighted the vulnerability of a large part of the population in the medium-income groups, characterised by low levels of contributions to contributory social protection and very low coverage of non-contributory social protection.  

The high levels of informality facilitated the termination of employment relationships without compensation, for example, domestic workers found themselves in irregular situations in which they were exposed to contagion and forced to carry out tasks outside of those agreed.  Of these workers, only 25.5% were covered by or paid social security contributions. Although progress has been made in some countries with regulations governing the sector, based on ILO Convention 189, 11.2% of them are living in poverty. In addition, women's workload in the home has intensified, with data from 16 countries showing that women spent 31 hours a week on care work.  (UN Women) This increase in domestic responsibilities resulting from crisis confinement has raised the risk of a "return to the conventional" with regard to gender roles.  

Moreover, reports of violence against women and femicides increased in many parts of the world. Even before the pandemic, it was estimated that 245 million women aged 15 and over had experienced domestic, physical, sexual and workplace violence.    

In light of this, the INSP!R Network and its partners demand that:   

-Public policies should focus on the real situation of women in all spheres and put an end to the dynamics of social exclusion. If we do not broaden our vision, if we do not incorporate the gender approach in the fight against poverty and social exclusion at a time as important as the present, we will be perpetuating and reinforcing the inequality of our system. And instead of moving forward, we will be moving backwards. The current crisis cannot but be an opportunity to transform our global care system and to guarantee real access to gender responsive social protection systems.  

-Public administrations, policy makers, economic and social actors and society as a whole should promote and implement response plans to the current health, social and economic crisis that address the gendered impact of the pandemic. They should promote education for equality with the aim of eradicating the intergenerational transmission of gender inequality on which our current system is based.  

-States should orient development processes towards guaranteeing the full exercise of all human rights, including the right to social protection and labour rights for all women. This entails addressing:  

1. the indivisibility of women's rights, including sexual and reproductive rights, economic, social and cultural rights,  
2. the importance of dismantling the unjust social organisation of care, patriarchal cultural patterns and male-centred biases in economic, social and cultural systems,   
3. Promote the adoption and implementation of laws, policies, comprehensive and multisectoral action plans, international standards such as conventions 189 and 190 of the ILO to prevent, address, punish and eradicate different forms of gender-based violence and discrimination against women.  

The INSP!R Network recognises that there can be no progress and equality without women's equal rights and full participation; and there can be no gender equality without women's enjoyment of their human and labour rights, essential for women's empowerment and an equal future with the right to social protection for all.

Launching INSP!R video and brochure

Everyone needs social protection along their life!

More than half of the world population has no access to social protection. These people are left to their own devices when they are ill, unemployed, pregnant or old. However, social protection is not a privilege, but a human right. It is also the best insurance against inequalities, poverty and exclusion.

To guarantee this right to social protection for all, close to 100 social movements mobilize across 24 countries in Africa, Latin America, Asia and Europe. They join their forces in the global network INSP!R, the International Network for Social Protection Rights.

Current social protection policies leave too many people unprotected and need to be transformed, to include all working women and men in both the formal and informal economy, those in precarious employment and those unable to perform paid work.

INSP!R claims its role as a key actor for structural social changes. Our network provides a rich source of experiences and expertise, allowing us to learn from each other, strengthen our actions and develop a common strategy to enforce our social protection rights at international, continental and national level. WSM is proud to be part of this global network. Let’s discover together our presentation video and our vision.

The brochure detailing experiences and our vision can be found here. 

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.

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.”

Indian partners advocating together in 2020

During 2020, union protests against the reform of the labour codes continued and took a sharper tone. The partner organizations mobilized their members in collaboration with other recognized trade unions of India. They looked at issues like informal workers’ registration procedures into a database. In September 2020, a nationwide protest held by NDWM, NDWF and CFTUI under the National Platform Domestic Workers demanded National Legislation for Domestic Workers, cash transfers to domestic workers affected by the corona crisis and the implementation of the Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme. 

Memoranda were submitted to the Members of Parliament, Labour Ministers, Labour Commissioners and District Collectors in different states. The partner organizations jointly mobilized over 30.000 workers and provided training to 700 workers, of which two thirds were women.

With the support from Brussels Region, our partners also jointly conducted a study in different states on how informal workers had access to social security schemes during the COVID pandemic, in collaboration with Working People’s Charter. WSM also supported the self-employed women’s trade union SEWA in Kerala to support intra-state migrant workers in getting access to social security schemes.