Social Security in the Pacific
ILO Convention No. 102 on Social Security Minimum Standards defines Social Security as: “the protection which society provides for its members through a series of public (or private) measures against the economic and social distress that otherwise would be caused by the absence or substantial reduction of earnings resulting from: sickness, maternity, employment injury, unemployment, invalidity, old age, death, medical care, family benefits.”
Development of a country will inevitably entail the transformation of society. Traditional family support will be weakened as a result of urbanisation and industrialisation. Social security is a measure to cope with societal and demographic changes based on broad solidarity principle.
For developing countries, social security is closely related to poverty reduction and sustainable economic and human development.
Current Issues in Social Security in the Pacific
Globally only one in five people in the world has adequate social security cover while more than half of the world’s population is without any type of social security protection. Lack of social security coverage is largely concentrated in the informal economy, where women are more likely to be working. Extending social security coverage to excluded populations is one of the chief priorities of the ILO in the framework of its global strategy aimed at ensuring that all people have Decent Work. In terms of social security development the Pacific island countries are facing common challenges. The key common challenges in social security of the Pacific include:
- Limited coverage and inadequate benefits;
- Problems with limited capacity and governance of the existing social security organisations; and,
- Gender inequity in the social security coverage and benefits.
ILO Sub-Regional Project on Social Security in the Pacific
Over years the ILO has supported the development of social security in the Pacific. In particular, the ILO has implemented a project “Sub-regional Initiative on Social Security for Pacific Island Countries” from 2004 to 2006, funded by the Netherlands.
This projects aim was to improve the coverage and efficiency of social security system in selected countries in the Pacific sub-region by developing and implementing:
- National action plans for the extension and improved governance of social security system;
- Joint capacity building activities at the sub-regional level (in collaboration with International Training Centre in Turin); and
- Social security policies which promote gender equality.
The project mainly covered five countries – Kiribati, Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu; in addition, a project component on joint training was extended to the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea and Tonga to maximize the effects of the regional networking and the joint capacity building activities.