- Target:
- United Nations
- Region:
- Ethiopia
SIGN-ON LETTER IN SUPPORT OF SOCIAL PROTECTION FLOOR FOR ALL in Arfica
We, as members of civil society, strongly support the Social Protection Floor Initiative – a joint UN effort coordinated by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) and supported by numerous UN agencies, international NGOs, development banks and other development partners.
About 75 percent of people in the world are still not covered by adequate social security. This lack of protection is a social liability that undermines social cohesion and economic performance and creates political and institutional instability. In a world of growing inequality this floor is a necessary tool for eradicating poverty. It helps governments to build more inclusive national development plans which put people at the center.
The concept of a social protection floor is very clear. No one should live below a certain income level and everyone should be able to access at least basic health services, primary education, housing, water, sanitation and other essential services. The two necessary elements are social transfers, whether in cash or kind, to guarantee income security, food security and adequate nutrition and universal access to essential services.
The Social Protection Floor (SPF) is a policy which must be tailored to the needs of each country and builds on that country’s existing social protection mechanisms. It aims to make it possible for every citizen to enjoy the human rights expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (par 22) “Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security”. So it is universal!
When people stand on a solid floor, they are able to live with dignity and invest in their skills and development to move to higher levels of wellbeing.
Experience shows that a Social Protection Floor can be afforded by all countries if integrated incrementally. A number of low and middle-income countries have already successfully taken measures to build their national Social Protection Floor or have introduced some elements of it. The results show us that the impact of the SPF on poverty, vulnerability and inequality can be dramatic . It is affordable!
Building a policy for a Social Protection Floor into the national plan for development is the responsibility of governments. However, it will become a reality only with the active engagement of civil society at all levels – local, national, regional and international. So we call on all - civil society, development partners, UN agencies and individual citizens – to take an active part in promoting this strategy to eradicate poverty and ensure the human rights of all citizens.
SIGN-ON LETTER IN SUPPORT OF SOCIAL PROTECTION FLOOR FOR ALL
We, as members of civil society, strongly support the Social Protection Floor Initiative – a joint UN effort coordinated by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) and supported by numerous UN agencies, international NGOs, development banks and other development partners.
About 75 percent of people in the world are still not covered by adequate social security. This lack of protection is a social liability that undermines social cohesion and economic performance and creates political and institutional instability. In a world of growing inequality this floor is a necessary tool for eradicating poverty. It helps governments to build more inclusive national development plans which put people at the center.
The concept of a social protection floor is very clear. No one should live below a certain income level and everyone should be able to access at least basic health services, primary education, housing, water, sanitation and other essential services. The two necessary elements are social transfers, whether in cash or kind, to guarantee income security, food security and adequate nutrition and universal access to essential services.
The Social Protection Floor (SPF) is a policy which must be tailored to the needs of each country and builds on that country’s existing social protection mechanisms. It aims to make it possible for every citizen to enjoy the human rights expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (par 22) “Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security”. So it is universal!
When people stand on a solid floor, they are able to live with dignity and invest in their skills and development to move to higher levels of wellbeing.
Experience shows that a Social Protection Floor can be afforded by all countries if integrated incrementally. A number of low and middle-income countries have already successfully taken measures to build their national Social Protection Floor or have introduced some elements of it. The results show us that the impact of the SPF on poverty, vulnerability and inequality can be dramatic . It is affordable!
Building a policy for a Social Protection Floor into the national plan for development is the responsibility of governments. However, it will become a reality only with the active engagement of civil society at all levels – local, national, regional and international. So we call on all - civil society, development partners, UN agencies and individual citizens – to take an active part in promoting this strategy to eradicate poverty and ensure the human rights of all citizens.
You can further help this campaign by sponsoring it
The Stop the land grab in Africa petition to United Nations was written by ferew and is in the category Human Rights at GoPetition.