Political Dialogue of the Parlamentarians from Angola and Mozambique on Poverty and Social Transfers

On 25 and 26 August a Political Dialogue on Poverty and Social Protection took place in Maputo with Parliamentarians from Angola and Mozambique. The initiative was promoted by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Parliamentary Forum in collaboration with the Regional Hunger and Vulnerability Programme (RHVP).

The event’s conclusions acknowledge the very real threat posed by poverty to the fulfillment of the Millennium Development Goals in the SADC, and recommend a multi-sectoral approach with Parliamentary backing and involvement in the areas of poverty and social transfers.

Social transfers, it was noted, have a critical role to play in terms of reducing poverty and hunger, increasing family income, improving education and health, promoting gender equality and contributing to the empowerment of the poor and vulnerable and, thus, promoting national development.

Commitments were also made by the representatives of Angola and Mozambique in favor of an acceptable degree of social protection, the inclusion of social transfers in national budgets, and the promotion of a dialogue on Poverty and Social Transfers in the country’s respective Assemblies as well as reinforced supervision of the implementation and impact of social protection in general and social transfer programmes in particular.

Portugal: VII Ibero-American Conference in Lisbon debates Social Security

The VII Ibero-American Conference of Ministers/High Representatives of Social Security was held in Lisbon on 10 and 11 September.

The conference brought together 22 Latin-American countries who agreed on two resolutions: the Application Agreement of the Multilateral Ibero-American Convention on Social Security (concerning the portability of social protection rights of migrant workers); and the “Ibero-American Strategy for Safety and Health at Work”.

The conference was also an opportunity for the presentation of MERCOSUR’s experience regarding the Multilateral Convention of Social Security and the recent experience of countries like Spain, Portugal, Uruguay and Argentina in the field of new technologies applied to Social Security Management.

Cape Verde develops Promotion Programme of Decent work

Work sessions were conducted by MTFPSS Minister, Madalena Neves, and included the presence of Petra Lantz, Coordinator of the United Nations Programmes and Funds for Cape Verde. Addressing the participants, Ms. Lantz stated that the elaboration of the Decent Work Promotion Plan for Cape Verde will contribute to the reduction of inequalities, the promotion of social protection and thus the achievement of long-awaited transformations in the country.

The Decent Work Agenda has four strategic objectives: fundamental principles and rights at work and international labour standards; employment and income opportunities; social protection and social security; and social dialogue and tripartism.

With respect to social protection, Cape Verde presently shows – at over 28% – a higher rate of coverage amongst the active population than that observed in other African countries. Ongoing challenges in this area include: guaranteeing access – and equality in access – to all beneficiaries; achieving good coordination between the contributive and non-contributive schemes; raising the pension value in non-contributive schemes; and the universalization of social protection.

INFORMATION CENTRE
ON SOCIAL PROTECTION

The Information Centre on Social Protection (CIPS) is a website that provides information in Portuguese on the social protection area (www.cipsocial.org). CIPS purpose is to respond to the knowledge needs of the Portuguese Speaking Countries (Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tome and Principe, Timor-Leste) and to make available information on their social protection realities. The CIPS News bulletin was created to serve this last purpose. Every two months it will provide you with information about relevant social protection news and events in those countries.

CIPS is a joint initiative from the Executive Secretariat of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP), ILO Lisbon Office and ILO/STEP Portugal Project.