Launch of the "Global Solidarity Funding For Social Protection" Report
Various Speakers, UNU-MERIT; Friedrich Ebert Stiftung; International Labour Organisation; The World Bank
On November 8, 2022, UNU-MERIT will host the launch of the “Global Solidarity Funding For Social Protection” report. This study is a collaboration between the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Maastricht University and the United Nations University-MERIT.
Registrations for the event are now open through the following link, and you the schedule is available below. This event will be hosted online.
About the Study “Global Solidarity Funding Mechanism For Social Protection”.
This report explores the feasibility of the extension of universal social protection. It highlights the implicit financial challenges and the opportunity of a Global Solidarity Fund For Social Protection.
Extensive coverage gaps in social protection worldwide still are associated with significant underinvestment in social protection, particularly in Africa, Asia and the Arab States. In 2012, the ILO Convention No. 202, concerning National Floors of Social Protection, established that signatory countries should guarantee access to nationally defined social protection floors. [1]
To support the global debate on the Global Fund and the implementation of Social Protection Floors, the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) commissioned this study. Its objective is to explore the feasibility and necessity of a global financing mechanism for social protection, focusing on Nepal and Uganda.
The study eventually determined (i) the cost of co-financing the closure of national gaps in social protection floors, including access to essential health care; (ii) the redistributive impact of such policies in terms of poverty reduction and the reduction of inequality; (iii) the effects of a global funding mechanism support on the achievability of the social protection-related SDG targets in the sample countries; and (iv) the effects of the fund support on countries’ social protection systems resilience in times of crisis.
About the event
During the launch event, key stakeholders from FES, ILO, World Bank and UNU-MERIT will jointly discuss topics of financing and extending social protection floors. The exchange will focus on the opportunity and cost of implementing a global mechanism for cofinancing social protection floors.
Agenda Draft
14.00-14.05
Welcome of Participants and Moderation of Event
Zina Nimeh, Associate Professor of Public Policy & Social Protection, UNU-MERIT
14.05-14.10
Welcome from the director
Bartel van de Walle, Director, UNU-MERIT
14.10-14.20
Conceptualizing a Global Solidarity Fund for Social Protection
Hajo Lanz, Director, the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Geneva
14.20-14.35
Presentation of the Report Global Solidarity Funding for Social Protection
Guido Heins, Social Protection Analyst, UNU-MERIT
14.35-14.45
The Need for a Global Fund for Social Protection
Olivier De Schutter- UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights
14.45-14.55
Creating Fiscal Space for Social Protection
Helmut Schwarzer, Head, Public Finance, Actuarial and Statistical Services – Social Protection Department, ILO
14.55-15.05
Building Capacity for financing Social Protection
Charles Crevier, Programme Manager Social Protection, Governance and Tripartism Programme, ILO- ITC
15.05-15.15
Resilience, Development Assistance and National Social Protection Systems
Frieda Vandeninden, Social Protection Specialist, The World Bank.
15.15-15.25
Q&A
15.25-15.30
Closing Remarks
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[1] One of the most comprehensive information regarding the financial size of national social protection gaps comes from the Social Protection Floor Index FES: https://www.fes.de/content/sfpi/ (Bierbaum, Schildberg, & Cichon, 2017).
Date: 08 November 2022
Time: 14:00 - 15:30 CEST
