Event commemorating the World Day of Social Justice

UNITAR/ILO Seminar Series on Advancing Social Protection Floors: Module I

This seminar series aims to provide delegates with a better understanding of the structure and elements of social protection floors.

UNITAR/ILO SEMINAR SERIES ON ADVANCING SOCIAL PROTECTION FLOORS:  MODULE 1
25 March 2013 - United Nations North Lawn Building, New York

Background:
Access to adequate social protection is recognized by the international community as a human and social right. It is also widely considered to be instrumental in promoting social inclusion on a broad scale, and to be conducive to and indispensable for fair growth, social cohesion and economic performance, contributing to competitiveness.

However, today, only 20 per cent of the world’s population has adequate social security coverage, and more than half lack any coverage at all. The situation reflects levels of economic development, with fewer than 10 per cent of workers in least-developed countries covered by social security. In middle-income countries, coverage ranges from 20 to 60 per cent, while in most industrial nations, it is close to 100 per cent. Social protection floors are nationally-defined sets of basic social security guarantees which secure protection aimed at preventing or alleviating poverty, vulnerability and social exclusion, in particular with regard to access to essential health care and basic income security throughout the life course.

The International Labour Conference (ILC), at its 101st session in 2012, adopted a Recommendation on national floors of social protection (No. 202). Reflecting the ILO's two-dimensional strategy for the extension of social security adopted during the ILC 2011, the Recommendation provides guidance to Member States to establish and maintain social protection floors as a fundamental element of their national social security systems, and to implement these floors within strategies for the extension of social security that progressively ensure higher levels of social security to as many people as possible, guided by ILO social security standards.

In order to build greater support with UN Member States and move forward with the development and establishment of social protection floors, the ILO and the UNITAR New York Office are organizing a three module seminar series on “Advancing Social Protection Floors”.

Event Objectives:
The seminar series aims to:
•provide delegates with a better understanding of the structure and elements of social protection floors
•increase awareness for the need and the benefits of national floors of social protection
•understand the importance of promoting social protection floors in the multilateral system
Learning Objectives
At the end of the seminar series the delegates will:
• have gained substantial knowledge on the elements of social protection floors,
• be able to understand the effects of social protection on economic and social development,
• understand the ILO recommendation 202 on national floors of social protection
• have acquired knowledge on how to promote the social protection floor approach in the multilateral system


Content and Structure:
The first module of the seminar series will cover the following topics:

Session 1: The Social Protection Floor and Sustainable Development
Session 2: Social Protection Floor, Economic Resilience and Inclusive Growth
Session 3: Realizing the Right to Social Protection
Session 4: Population Dynamics and Social Protection
Methodology
The three one day seminars will include expert presentations, policy dialogues and knowledge sharing exercises. Each module of the series can also be attended as an independent event.

Targeted Audience:
The Series is open to delegates of Permanent Missions to the United Nations in New York, especially to those covering Second and Third Committee issues, and to other representatives of international, intergovernmental, and non-governmental organizations.

Additional Information:
For further information or assistance with the registration process, please contact Ms. Tatiana Lopez at Tatiana.lopez@unitar.org or at 212 963 9196.