Social security in Pacific island countries

Fiji National Provident Fund staff register villagers
Social protection is widely recognized as a fundamental human right as well as an essential condition for economic and social development.

Across the Pacific a range of social protection systems exist, including both traditional and formal systems. Increasingly, formal social protection systems are becoming a priority for policy making due to a recognition that traditional networks may not reach the households which are most vulnerable or experiencing the deepest hardship.

The ILO has long been supporting the development of social protection in the Pacific. Across the Pacific, the ILO has played an instrumental role in establishing national provident funds. The ILO receives requests from such institutions to undertake actuarial analysis and assist with the design of schemes to extend coverage to new fund members (unprotected workers and their families).

The sub-regional initiative on social security for Pacific island countries was implemented from 2004 to 2006 in Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. The project provided capacity building to the governments in the area of social security, conducted studies and surveys on to inform policy making and further design of social security system, and develop comprehensive country programmes for the extension of social security.