Articles

2012

  1. Cape Verde: How social protection can help the elderly

    04 June 2012

    The International Labour Conference is considering adoption of a Recommendation on Social Protection Floors. The ILO is convinced every country can move towards social security for all, and cites the example of impoverished Cape Verde.

  2. How to beat a crisis: Interview with Argentinean Vice President

    17 May 2012

    In 2001 Argentina defaulted on its debt and ended the parity of its currency with the US dollar. The South American country plunged deeper into crisis, but within months economic growth set in. We asked Argentine Vice President Mr Amado Boudou if Eurozone countries can learn from Argentina how to beat the crisis.

  3. Can Europe still afford health and long-term care for its elderly?

    11 May 2012

    Ageing is a slow-burning fuse with a strong impact both on public expenditures and the social mood, as shown by this week’s strike in the UK over pensions. The situation is particularly serious in terms of health and long-term care. Even more alarming is the financial burden on households looking after the elderly. Interview with Ms. Xenia Scheil-Adlung, Health Policy Coordinator at the ILO.

  4. Social Protection for Thailand’s Informal Economy Workers

    05 April 2012

    People working in the informal economy are vulnerable and often lack social protection. When natural disasters such as the 2011 flood in Thailand strike, they are frequently left without adequate support. But now the International Labour Organization (ILO) and other United Nations agencies are working with the Thai Government to change this and create a suitable social protection system. Alice Molinier and Kakkanang Ghettalae, ILO Social Protection Consultants, and Poonsap Tulaphan, Foundation for Labour and Employment Promotion report.

  5. Semi-conditional cash transfers in the form of family allowances for children and adolescents in the informal economy in Argentina

    01 January 2012

    In 2009, Argentina introduced a new transfer programme for children and adolescents younger than age 18 (Universal Child Allowance) that extended coverage under the contributory programme for family allowances to include families in the informal economy and families of unemployed persons. This article describes this innovative programme, compares it with similar programmes in Latin America and analyses its impact on coverage and its possible effects on the welfare of the population. The results indicate that the extension of access to this type of benefit has reduced considerably the coverage gap for the poor and indigent and supports efforts to consolidate the operations of different and poorly coordinated transfer programmes.

2011

  1. Social security for all

    01 December 2011

    According to the ILO’s “World Social Security Report 2010/11”, only 20 per cent of the world’s working-age population has access to comprehensive social security systems.

  2. Quotes from international leaders in support of social protection systems for all

    26 October 2011

    International leaders including the presidents of Brazil and France welcomed the report issued on Thursday 27 October by the Social Protection Floor Advisory Group headed by UN women chief Michelle Bachelet. The report calls on the G20 leaders to consider an “action plan” for implementing social protection floors through existing and new financing mechanisms.

  3. Building a social protection floor in Mozambique

    10 October 2011

    Mozambique is a low-income country with high levels of poverty, informal and rural labour. Seriously affected by HIV and AIDS and exposed to climatic shocks and crises such as floods and droughts, the country’s institutions only have a limited capacity to deal with such shocks and offer social protection for the poor and vulnerable population. To address these challenges, an ILO technical cooperation project financed by Portugal works, together with other UN Agencies, to improve public policies and strengthen institutional capacity for the extension of social protection in Mozambique and other Portuguese-speaking African countries.

  4. Inequities in health care access in the European region

    06 October 2011

    The objective of providing universal health coverage is high on the agenda of countries in the broader European region, yet vulnerable groups often do not have full access to health services, according to Dr. Xenia Scheil-Adlung, Health Policy Coordinator at the ILO’s Social Security Department. ILO Online spoke to Dr. Scheil-Adlung, who has published a study looking at the situation in the region, which includes the European Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States and Central and Eastern Europe.

  5. Discussions on social security for all get under way

    07 June 2011

    The 100th International Labour Conference has started discussions on ways to establish social security for all as a powerful and affordable tool to promote economic growth, reduce poverty and mitigate the impact of crises. Yet, only about 20 percent of the world’s working age population has access to comprehensive social security systems, according to a new conference report, entitled “Social Security for Social Justice and a fair Globalization”.