UN Collaboration on Social Protection: Reaching Consensus on how to Accelerate Social Protection Systems Building
The UN Chief Executives Board launched the UN Social Protection Floor Initiative (SPF-I) in 2009 as one of its nine joint initiatives to address the global financial crisis. Thirteen years have passed since the SPF-I’s unveiling and the world is once again been mired in a global crisis of unprecedented proportions with social protection at the centre of the response and recovery measures. Given the seismic last few years and the increasing work on social protection by all UN agencies, it seemed apt to take stock of the progress of this work and consider the future direction of this collaboration.
Consequently, the FAO, ILO and UNICEF, in conjunction with many other UN agencies and development partners, convened a taking stock exercise to reflect on UN collaboration on social protection. This has resulted in today’s launch of this review paper that outlines how efforts can be systematically developed to further advance UN collaboration and coordination on social protection. It is hoped the recommendations in this review paper will better support the design and implementation of adequate and comprehensive national social protection systems. Simultaneously this can support the ongoing post-COVID-19 socioeconomic recovery and the achievement of the SDGs on social protection by 2030.
02:00 pm
Introduction
Helena Fraser, Director, Policy and Programme Branch, UNDCO
Presentation of paper (shared by 3 agencies)
- David Stewart, Chief, Child Poverty and Social Protection, UNICEF – The rationale for this review
- Alejandro Grinspun, Senior Economist in the Social Protection Economic and Social Development Stream, FAO – Priorities for joint work on social protection – the “what?”
- Valerie Schmitt, Deputy Director of ILO Social Protection Department – Provisional recommendations for future joint-UN collaboration – the “how?”
Roundtable panel discussion reflecting on paper findings
Moderator: Natalia Winder-Rossi, Associate Director Social Policy, UNICEF
- Sara Sekkenes, UN Resident Coordinator Laos
- Mamadou Diallo, ITUC Deputy General Secretary
- Employer Rep (TBC)
- Kennedy Mumba, Director Social Welfare, Ministry of Community Development and Social Services, Zambia
- Mauricio Soto Deputy Division Chief, Expenditure Policy Division, Fiscal Affairs Department (FAD), IMF.
03:00 pm
Q&A
Moderator: Veronika Wodsak, Social Protection Policy Specialist, ILO
Q&A facilitated by moderator’s prepared questions and those collected from the audience, directed to all or specific panellists.
Closing
Lara Blanco, Deputy Director, Sustainable Development Unit, Executive Office of the Secretary-General United Nations
