Countries commit to investing in and strengthening social protection

DOHA (ILO News) – A pledge to strengthen social protection through policymaking and financing was a central tenet of the Doha Political Declaration, adopted on 5 November during the Second World Summit for Social Development (WSSD).

By signing onto the Doha Declaration, governments committed to “strengthening social protection systems and reinforcing investment in measures, including social protection floors, and integrating financing of social protection systems and policies in line with International Labour Organization (ILO) recommendations and intergovernmental agreed standards, into country-led plans and strategies while providing support to developing countries that aim to increase social protection coverage, including those that aim to do so by at least two percentage points per year”.

This was part of a wider pledge by governments to intensify actions on the interlinked pillars of poverty eradication, decent work, and social inclusion at a time of great uncertainty and frayed social contracts.

The Declaration also called for universal, gender-responsive social protection and equitable access to health and education, and it recognized the role of the UN Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions as a useful mechanism for the implementation of the Declaration.

In addition, four sessions pertaining to social protection were held during the WSSD.

© ILO

© ILO

The event “Country-led solutions: Integrating decent jobs and social protection for social development”, organized by the UN Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions on 4 November, highlighted the need for combined investments in employment, skills, and social protection policies to achieve the core objectives of social development. Speakers highlighted how such investments, with the support of the Global Accelerator and its multistakeholder engagement mechanism (M-GA), have led to strong social and economic outcomes.

“Investment in decent work and social protection is not a cost, but a catalyst that enhances productivity, strengthens social cohesion, boosts labour market participation,” said Ms Olta Manjani, Deputy Minister of Economy, Culture, and Innovation of Albania.

The second session, titled “Universal social protection for equitable growth and equitable societies,” and held on the same day and co-organised by the Global Partnership for Universal Social Protection (USP2030), further reiterated the role of social protection in preventing and reducing poverty, facilitating access to decent work, and fostering social inclusion. Participants highlighted concrete and scalable country solutions for building adequate, comprehensive, and sustainable social protection systems for all. The event called on countries to act on the commitments made at the Summit and previously at the Financing for Development Conference in Sevilla, to extend social protection by at least 2 percentage points per year.

The third discussion, “From Origin to Destination: Advancing Social Protection for Workers Across the GCC, South Asia and Africa Labour Migration Corridors,” held on 5 November, explored key themes in today’s social protection debates in a context where millions of migrant workers around the world remain excluded or underserved by national social protection systems. Organized by the GCC Bureau, the ILO and Qatar’s Ministry of Labour, it underscored the vital link between social protection and labour migration, while adding to the momentum for cross-regional cooperation to better support migrant workers and their families. Speakers shed light on ongoing efforts in this area, notably through the launch of the ILO STREAM Programme dedicated to advancing social protection for migrant workers with a corridor approach between South Asia and GCC countries, and implemented in partnership with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the European Union and the Ford Foundation.

Finally, the session “Universal social protection for better health, improved resilience and poverty reduction,” co-organised by the ILO and the World Health Organization (WHO), with the European Commission and the Government of Qatar, brought together two important goals of social development: universal social protection and universal health coverage. Highlighting country approaches that pursue the twin goals in a synergetic manner, the session explored how to strengthen both systems in an integrated fashion. “We must move beyond the silos. Coordinated investments in social protection and health policies are the foundation of inclusive and resilient societies,” said Shahra Razavi, Director of the Universal Social Protection Department at the ILO. Within the context of ongoing fiscal challenges and looming environmental crisis, speakers emphasised the urgent need to close social protection gaps to prevent and reduce poverty, improve wellbeing, and enhance the adaptive capabilities of countries. “Health is not only a product of care, but it is also a channel for justice,” underlined Dr Rayana Bou-Haka, WHO Representative in Qatar.

Together, the sessions convened representatives from ministries of labour, social affairs, health and finance, experts and development partners, who shared insights from their experiences on how to strengthen social protection strategies, build integrated policy approaches and mobilize resources to sustainably invest in social protection and a time of fiscal austerity and debt distress for many developing countries.

The Second World Summit for Social Development, which ran from 4 to 6 November, asserted the centrality of poverty eradication, full and productive employment and decent work for all, and social integration, as prerequisites for sustainable development for all. The inclusion of social protection in the Declaration reaffirmed the central role of universal social protection in achieving the Summit’s broader vision of inclusive growth, social justice, and resilience in the face of global challenges.