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

Mainstreaming knowledge on social security - Cambodia context in 2023

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 focused 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 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 pushing to increase 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.

Cambodian garment worker got it covered - Cambodia 2023

Gnil, 38 years old is a Cambodian garment worker, member of CLC. Before Mrs. Gnil was unaware regarding the social security system of Cambodia (National Social Security Fund or NSSF), which covers health insurance, work accidents and pension. So when Mrs. Gnil had a health problem, she would go to the hospital or to the doctor and spend a lot of money on medicines and health checks. But she attended a training from CLC where experts of the NSSF explained the social security law, the benefits workers can avail through the social security system. After the training she had a clear understanding of the NSSF and how to apply for its benefits. Mrs. Gnil got access to the NSSF and if she falls sick now, she can consult a doctor and obtain her medicines for free, so she can save money for her family. When she gave childbirth, she also received financial support from the NSSF for several months.

In the companies where there is a union, it is possible to get access to the NSSF and to save on health spending, because expenses due to sickness or a work accident are covered by the social security.

What happened in Bangladesh regarding social protection in 2023?

Bangladesh saw some measures taken related to social protection in 2023:

• Universal Pension Scheme (UPS)

In August 2023, the Bangladeshi government introduced the Universal Pension Scheme (UPS). Under this program, citizens aged under 50 can enroll by paying a fixed premium for at least 10 years. Upon reaching 60, beneficiaries receive pension payments. Notably, both the deposited premiums and pension disbursements enjoy tax exemptions. Additionally, beneficiaries have the option to withdraw up to 50% of their accumulated funds as a loan.

• Garment Workers’ Minimum Wage Increase

Effective December 1, 2023, the minimum wage for garment workers rose from 8,000 taka to 12,500 BDT (approximately 110€) per month. This was after many protests that met with violent repression and remains far below the trade unions unified demand of 24.000BDT/month.

• 
  Employment Injury Scheme for Garment Workers

Long awaited, this pilot scheme launched in 2023 is addressing occupational safety, the Employment Injury Scheme provides comprehensive support for garment workers. It includes data collection, rehabilitation services, and safety enhancements within factories. See ILO's June 2024 publication on its achievements here.

Climate Change Challenges

Also in 2023, Bangladesh faced climate-related health risks due to rising temperatures, floods, and cyclones. These challenges impact poverty reduction efforts and strain healthcare systems. However, addressing climate change can also yield health benefits, including improved air quality and disease prevention.

Research on Inequality and social security in Asia-Pacific

A very interesting research was done by Development Pathways for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), about Inequality and social security in the Asia-Pacific Region. The paper argues that high income inequality can engender a wide range of negative impacts an that investments in social security (universal schemes where contributory and tax financed mechanism are combined) are one of the most effective means of tackling inequality.  The report demonstrates that, both globally and in the Asia-Pacific region, universal social security systems are much more effective than poverty-targeted systems in reducing inequality. If countries in the region make the move to modern, universal lifecycle systems, the impacts on inequality would be impressive. And, the more that countries invest, the higher will be the impacts on family wellbeing, employment, social cohesion and economic growth.

You can read the full paper here.

Nepal televises a series of debates on social protection issues

WSM partner in Nepal, the Social Protection Civil Society Network SPCSN, made a series of episodes which touch upon various aspects of social protection in Nepal. Produced through Kantipur and some also with the support of UNICEF and Save the Children, each episode lasts about 50 minutes, is in Nepali but often subtitled and can be watched through this playlist here: 

Looking back to look ahead: A rights-based approach to social protection in the post-COVID-19 economic recovery

The UN special rapporteur for Human rights recently issued a report on how the many measures governments have taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic are in line with a human rights based approach. From the two page summary:

"In this report, submitted in response to resolution 44/13 of the Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur argues that the world was ill-equipped to deal with the socioeconomic impacts of this pandemic because it never recovered from the austerity measures imposed in the aftermath of the global financial crisis of 2008-2011. The legacy of austerity measures is severely underfunded public healthcare systems, undervalued and precarious care work, sustained declines in global labour income shares, and high inequality rates coupled with average decreases in statutory corporate tax rates." ... 

"With public services in dire straits, one-off cash transfers are a drop in the bucket for people living in poverty, whether in developed, developing, or least developed countries. Maladapted, short-term, reactive, and inattentive to the realities of people in poverty, the new wave of social protection hype must hold up to human rights scrutiny. This report identifies eight challenges that must be addressed in order to bring social protection in line with human rights standards."

You can read the full report here.

Development cooperation - Wil we keep chasing catastrophies or will we invest in better social protection?

We all know that strong social protection makes a country and its population more resilient to shocks. It is therefore undoubtedly better for people to receive a decent replacement income than to depend on emergency aid. Yet no less than 55% of the world's population does not benefit from any form of social protection and 71% is insufficiently protected throughout their life. COVID-19 and the measures taken to contain the virus make the shortages painfully clear. WSM analysed the development cooperation expenditure in Belgium and the EU for humanitarian assistance and social protection. We notice a lot of good intentions, but in practice (and budgets), the policy seems to have missed the right track with a lot more budget for the short term, (reactive) response than for the long term (proactive), stronger social protection. 

Read the full article here.

International Solidarity in times of Corona - WSM position

On the WSM website, a specific page here is dedicated to news about the Corona pandemic and more specific on the actions taken by the members of the Network on the Rigth to Social Protection all around the world.

The coronavirus is wreaking havoc and makes no distinction in race or class. In Europe, it was brought back by middle-class families returning from their ski trips. It weren't refugees, migrants, or Eastern European workers that brought this pandemic upon the Flemish people. In Belgium, authorities managed to take short-term drastic action with accompanying social measures. In other countries, the population is worse off. International solidarity is needed now more than ever. Today, tomorrow and the day after.

Read the full position of WSM on the need for International Solidarity to curb the effects of the pandemic and its social and economical consequences here, with a specific focus on elderly here.

India: COVID 19 follow up

We all welcome the India government’s announcement of aid package to the unorganized and vulnerable. It is the result of many organizations and movements, including ours, demanding pro-active programs and help to the unorganized and the most vulnerable. Now the entire media and political parties have joined in advocating for more concrete actions to halt economic loss for the unorganized. The Corona pandemic has shaken the world beyond all predictions and so-called progressive economies have almost come to a standstill, with a lot of uncertainty for the future.
We see a change in the attitude of leaders of fundamentalist parties and rightists who have also started demanding more budget to be allocated to meet the needs of the most vulnerable and the daily wage earners. The unpreparedness and the lack of listening to experts have created more problems for the internal migrants and the vulnerable in India. No transport facilities, no safeguards to make these people get back to their homes and no economic backup to meet their daily needs for food etc. The visuals we see in the news and in social media of police brutality and the type of punishments given to the so-called violators of the curfew is are inhuman and one wonders whether these police have been trained to assist and help or to escalate and cause more pain in already exiting sores. We see unorganized workers walking hundreds of kilometers to their homes. The pandemic has taken away almost all the working possibilities for unorganized and they lack safe shelters and food storages forces them to venture out and risk their lives.

Corona virus in India shows need for universal social protection: WSM partners in India address an open letter to Prime Minister Modi

Unfortunately, India has not been spared from COVID-19. But WSM’s partners in India are doing whatever is in their power to prevent its spread and to keep the situation as human as possible. On the one hand, they wrote an open letter to the India Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to ask for comprehensive and adequate social protection support measures, especially in these crisis times. On the other hand, they were already performing a lot of work on health care, which can limit the risks of contamination.

Since Tuesday 25th of March, India has been placed in lock down for a three-week period. This measure should curb the rapid spread of the coronavirus. The question remains how India, with 1.3 billion inhabitants and the second largest country in the world, will manage to enforce such a widespread lock down. As of 26th of March, nearly 500 infections have been confirmed. That number has clearly increased since last weekend and is probably a significant underestimation. 9 people have already died of the lung virus. According to Samy, founder of AREDS, the reply from the government came too late, because there was no screening at all of people coming to India. India still doesn’t have the required capacity to screen people with symptoms. Moreover, some travelers have taken to ingesting medication such as paracetamol to avoid being detected with fever and enter the country.

Going global: the next step! Founding meeting of our international network on the right to social protection

As part of its efforts to achieve the decent work agenda and to promote access to social protection, WSM and its partner organizations in Africa, Asia and Latin America have been creating a real network involving different social movements (trade unions, youth organizations, women's movements, social organizations).

Since 2008, this strategy has led to the gradual and progressive development of an international thematic network on the right to social protection. This network is organized first at the national level, in 18 countries, then at continental level, in Africa, Asia and Latin America. And this, through the participation of representatives from each partner organization from the same country, then from the same continent, who meet, work together and reinforce each other during key meetings and sharing. In this way, partner organizations interact, learn from each other and jointly carry out advocacy. The principle of the network is based on a conviction: together, we are stronger!

At the international level, the network partners were already active and collaborated with WSM, ACV-CSC and Christian Mutualities in order to influence different political processes. For many years, they have participated jointly in the International Labor Conferences (ILC), which take place annually, to develop the ILO's normative framework. WSM and its partners have, as such, made a valuable contribution:

• negotiations on decent work for domestic workers (C189 and R201),
• on social protection thresholds (R202),
• on the transition from the informal economy to the formal economy (R204)
• and on workplace violence (C190).

It is within the framework of this dynamic that WSM organized, on 29 and 30 November 2019 in Geneva, the very first meeting of an international thematic network. The delegation composed of 35 partners from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Belgium has thus achieved its objective by reaffirming the desire to work together, globally in solidarity, in favor of the right to social protection. This meeting took place on the sidelines of the ILO's 'Global Social Protection Week' (25-28 November), to which the delegation also actively participated.

Like a true founding meeting, this meeting laid the groundwork for an 'International Steering Committee'. The latter will facilitate the organization, between continents, of effective and concerted international actions designed to create a world that offers more protection to its citizens.

35 people from WSM and its partners in the world take part in the ILO Global week on social protection in Geneva

Four days of high-level conference on universal social protection (# USP2030) allowed to share a lot of key information and to network. Many high-level personalities talked about the importance of social protection and how it will be achieved by 2030. So many changes await us: climate - demography - globalization - growing inequalities – changing labor markets. A transition is needed and social protection must be part of this transition! You can find the outcome document here.

Currently, social protection as a human right is far from being a reality.
Barely 29% of the world's population has access to comprehensive social protection systems, 55% are totally deprived, while the global economy is worth over $ 100 billion. This means there is enough money to send all the children of the world to school, to provide everyone in the world with quality health care, to ensure that everyone in the world has adequate social protection. But, here is the catch: “there are 2.000 billionaires!”, says economist Jeffrey Sachs: “There is enough, it is just not distributed properly." So don’t point your finger at low-income countries, but blame the Donald Trumps, Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerbergs.

For social protection to be possible for all, for it to be affordable, that it is not perceived as a cost but as an investment depends on political priorities. Over and again, the same messages came back during the Global Social Protection Week in Geneva. The International Labor Organization (ILO) brought together over 600 people from governments, private companies and social movements to chart the way to universal social protection. It invites us to accelerate to increase the likelihood of reaching the goal by 2030. That being said, there is still a lot to do!

"It exists on paper, but practice is different!"

The goal of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically number 1.3, is to put in place social protection systems that protect everyone, including the poorest and most vulnerable sections of the population. Social protection starts with social dialogue, a necessary exchange between employees, employers and government. Many social protection systems are based on the labour relationship and their legal status (employed or self-employed). These systems must evolve to adapt to changing contexts around the world.

"There is already a social protection system in the Dominican Republic - at least on paper - the practice is somewhat different, since more than half of the working population is employed in the informal sector, they are not entitled to benefits when they become ill". Altagracia Jimenez, representative of our union partner AMUSSOL, immediately tackles one of the many problems. Setting up an official social protection system is one thing, covering the whole population is another.

Moreover, it should not be forgotten that there is no single universally applicable social protection system, it needs to be adapted to the realities of each country. Therefore, social protection should be seen by states as a global investment and not a cost. Investing in social protection contributes to peace, more equality and more democracy, it is a public investment in social justice. And, when rolled out, it shows a clear multiplier effect for many of the other Sustainable Development Goals.
However, let us not forget that there is a financial gap, namely that the poorest countries alone can’t fund it. Solidarity is therefore needed from richer countries, as well as from the rich, towards the poorest countries. According to experts, "comprehensive social protection" is needed, and goes well beyond the "safety nets" that many countries rely on. The best systems are "universal"!

Will we solve this problem simply by organizing an International Conference?
In the end, it seems difficult to formulate a global answer while each continent, each country, each region has its own realities. According to Koen Detavernier, Advocacy Officer at WSM, such a conference is still relevant: "A conference like this can reinforce the belief that it is possible. If a country like Mexico in one year is able to provide pensions in one year and thus make a great leap for universal social protection, other countries will be convinced that they, too, can make it happen. This conference really encourages countries to invest in social protection and prioritize it in their international cooperation."

The network supported by WSM
WSM was very present at this Social Protection Week in Geneva. Our delegation of 35 people was mainly composed of representatives of our many partner organizations from Africa, Asia and Latin America. According to Koen Detavernier, there are two main reasons for being here. "On the one hand, we are here to learn more about the topic: experts present their points of view, explain future strategies, give concrete examples and share the results of their research." But the idea is also to do and achieve things. "We are looking for new collaborations, for example, to work on very concrete aspects of social protection on the ground, through informal conversations, meetings in the corridors, etc. Being seen and heard in this conference makes a difference and helps get things moving."

India partners show in a video why social protection is so important for agricultural workers

A short video made regarding the importance of social protection for the agricultural workers in India, by the WSM partners.

Garment Workers Rally Demand for ratification of ILC102 and 190

From the National Garment Workers Federation (NGWF) 
Bangladesh is transforming from LDC to middle income country and at the same time the rate of GDP and average life expectancy of people have increased tremendously. Currently the total GDP is 317.47 Billion USD, the average income is 1.909 USD and GDP increases by 7.2%. Much of this comes from the hard work of the garment workers. Unfortunately, the government of Bangladesh has yet to ratify the ILO Convention 102 regarding Social Security of Workers and workers, including in the garment sector, are deprived of social security system.
Next to the need for social protection, women workers are the victim of different violence, including sexual harassment in the workplace. The government of Bangladesh also still has to ratify the ILO Convention 190 regarding Violence and Harassment.
On Friday 8th November  2019, NGWF arranged a garment workers’ rally demanding the ratification of the ILO Convention 102 and 190 which started with a brief assembly in front of the national press club. The rally then headed to the High Court, and ended at the central office of the Federation.

Indonesia moves toward universal system of social protection

After many years of focusing on pro-poor and targeted approach of fighting poverty, since 2004 Indonesia is shifting its SP system towards universalism of social protection. The umbrella law number 40/2004 on SJSN (Indonesian National Social Security System) was adopted to provide five benefits programmes : Universal Health care, Accident at work insurance, Old age insurance, life insurance and pension fund.

After joint pressure from the trade Unions, in 2014, 10 years after its adoption, the government started to implement the Universal health care in 2014, and other labor related programmes and pension fund in 2015. The management of SJSN will be under two non-for-profit social security administrating bodies for Universal health care (BPJS health) and other Labor related programmes (BPJS Labor). It is monitored by a national board of social security (DJSN), also responsible to formulate general policies of the system. All these three bodies include representatives from government, employers, trade unions and academic/experts.

Sustainable Development Goals 1.3 focuses on implementing nationally appropriate social protection systems and measure for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and vulnerable. In 2016, the World Bank, the ILO and world leaders launched the Global Partnership for Universal Social Protection (GP-USP 2030) aimed to help countries to reach SDG 1.3. The Global Partnership created an interim steering committee composed out of two representatives from high-income countries, two representatives from Middle-income countries (Indonesia and Mexico) and two from representatives of Low-income countries. 

Prior to the ILO Global Social Protection Week, 25-28 November 2019, Indonesia partners KSBSI with WSM took the initiative to organize a national forum on Social protection, on 6th of November 2019 in Jakarta. The key resource speakers and their topics: Mr. Maliki (Interim Steering Committee in the GP-USP2030) on Indonesia Roadmap for USP, Mr. Rekson Silaban (KSBSI/ workers’ reps in BPJS) on CSO/TU Agenda setting on SP, Mr. Subiyanto (KSPSI/ workers’ reps in DJSN) on 15 years of SP and Mr. Irham Saifuddin (ILO Jakarta) on SP Floor.
Also attending were all trade union confederations; KSBSI, KSPSI, KSPI, migrant workers organizations; SBMI and JBM, Wage Indicators, Japbusi-Plantation workers alliance, and many national federations, from garment sector to informal workers.

The forum agreed on a common national agenda:

1.  Harmonization of laws and regulation on SP; Revision of Law nr. 40/2004 and other regulations;
2. Expansion of coverage on ‘missing middle’, informal workers, migrant workers, domestic workers, workers in plantation sector, and workers in  a micro-small enterprises (who can’t afford a whole package of social security);
3. Unemployment Insurance: insurance for workers whose job are terminated or as an impact of Industrial revolution 4.0 by providing re-skilling, up-skilling and vocational training;   
4. Increasing benefits for workers on accident and life insurance and housing for workers.

With the parliament and presidential elections finished and new cabinets were established by accommodating competitors, political tensions are rapidly decreasing. It opens the possibility for various trade union and civil society organizations to jointly work and advocate for Universal Social Protection.

Social Security Coverage for all Nepali workers

Another major issue we have been working on with WSM support is social protection, where we were able to draft a position paper on behalf of all the trade unions, which was used as the main tool while bargaining with the employers and the government, and that I think led to a milestone for social security in Nepal.  Ramesh Badal, GEFONT and Steering Committee member for Nepal.

New historic social security legislation was passed in July 2017, after 18 years of lobbying by the trade unions, WSM partners. A universal social security bill was passed which has paved the way for the government to four main social security schemes. For the very first time, all those working in formal and informal sectors will be covered by unemployment, maternity, health, accident, old age and disability benefits. Workers will contribute 11%, while employers 20% and the government will ensure the management of the system. The 27th of November was declared National Social Security Day, to be celebrated yearly and offering an opportunity to yearly remind the government of its now very public commitment. And of course, WSM partners as trade unions gathered many of their members across the country to celebrate and inform workers of these new rights, and they'll be there to help ensure the government rolls out all these schemes and doesn't just stop at these four basic schemes.

100-year-old ILO prepares for the future

Geneva, January 22, 2019 - The International Labor Organization (ILO) officially launched its centenary with the presentation of the final report of the Global Commission on the Future of Work. As the name suggests, this Commission focused on the Future of Work. Former World Solidarity Chairman and until recently, chairman of the Board of Directors of the ILO, Luc Cortebeeck, also participated in this Committee.

The ILO, when blowing its 100th candle, aims to do 2 things. On the one hand, it looks back on the past as the only tripartite organization in the UN system, where governments, trade unions and employers jointly set out guidelines for social policies worldwide. On the other hand, it wants to look ahead: what challenges do we face in the world of work and what answer can the ILO offer? The Global Commission has focused on this key question since October 2017. Its analysis and recommendations can be found in the report 'Work for a brighter future'.

Video on the Global Charter for Social Protection Rights

The Social Justice Cluster of the Asia Europe People's Forum presents this video on social protection and on the Global Charter for Social Protection Rights. The video was made with the help of the NGO Forum on ADB. 

The Steering committee of our Asia Network on the Right to Social Protection (ANRSP) has decided to support the charter which will also be discussed at our Asia Seminar in Kathmandu in February 2019.

Please watch the video and distribute it if you can. You can access it by clicking on this link.

ILO paper on social protection for older persons

The ILO has published a paper on Social Protection for older persons: Key policy trends and statistics 2017-19 (link). This policy paper: (i) provides a global overview of the organization of pension systems and their contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); (ii) monitors SDG indicator 1.3 for older persons, analyses trends and recent policies in 192 countries, including the extension of legal and effective coverage in a large number of low- and middle-income countries, through a mix of contributory and non-contributory schemes; (iii) looks at persisting inequalities in access to income security in old-age; (iv) presents lessons from three decades of pension privatization and the trend to returning to public systems; (v) calls for countries to double their efforts to extend system coverage, including the extension of social protection floors, while at the same time improving the adequacy of benefits.