Social Protection

The ILO's social protection strategy calls for action on several fronts: addressing the needs of workers with limited or no access to basic services; strengthening institutional capacity to develop appropriate national policies and to ensure good governance; integrating social protection in policies aimed at poverty alleviation, employment and enterprise development, gender equality, fundamental rights and principles at work; combating HIV/AIDS through workplace policies and action; capitalizing on social dialogue as a means to secure participation in designing and implementing policies, and promoting wide partnerships; and improving the knowledge base to identify emerging priorities, monitor progress and share information.

Social protection is at the heart of national, regional and global development strategies for poverty reduction. It was an important issue at the 2004 African Union Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government on Employment and Poverty Alleviation in Africa. The Summit illustrated the global challenge to implement decent work as a development strategy. Extending basic social protection to workers in the informal economy, rural areas and to the poor will build on the Global campaign on Social Security and Coverage for All. A coherent approach is essential: social protection will be integrated with programmes on job creation and small enterprises, occupational safety and health, and conditions of work and employment. To promote good governance and effective administration and management of social security schemes. The ILO database on socio-economic security and social security indicators will be expanded and made more widely available.

There is an urgent need to improve labour protection by strengthening institutional capacity to enforce standards on occupational safety and health and conditions of work and employment. Policies and programmes must reach women and men, in micro and small enterprises, the informal economy, an in agriculture and rural occupations falling outside the scope of traditional protective measures. This calls for innovative ways to incorporate labour standards in conditions of work and employment in national policies and workplace training, using social dialogue to achieve this. This programme will also contribute to combating the worst forms of child labour.

Labour protection is an inclusive concept, linking decent conditions of work, occupational safety and health, fair treatment for migrant workers, and an active response to HIV/AIDS in the workplace, all of which impact directly on individual women and men at work. Instilling a safety culture at national and enterprise level will be a priority in awareness-raising and advocacy programmes. Within the framework of decent work country programmes, member States will be encouraged to develop national occupational safety and health profiles as a first step in elaborating comprehensive national occupational safety plans which, in turn, will be used as a benchmark for reviewing progress and assessing future needs. Special attention will be given to hazardous work (construction, mining, ship-breaking, specific hazards in the informal economy, small enterprises, and agriculture). Measures will also be taken to strengthen the capacity of labour inspectors to diagnose problems and suggest measures for improvement. The guidelines on Occupational Safety and Health Information Centre (CIS), through its network, will continue to promote information-sharing. Efforts to improve conditions of work and employment will focus on improving the developing new methods to apply the principles and rules embodied in specific Conventions and Recommendations. This is based on the recognition that these instruments are not widely ratified and, even if ratified, not necessarily applied. Work will focus on designing national guidelines, training programmes, practical tools and information materials based on the principles and rules pertaining to these instruments. Improving working conditions and the quality of working life in small enterprises, the informal economy and rural areas will also be the focus of attention. A common element is promoting the use of social dialogue as a means to achieving improvement in conditions of work, employment and well-being.

The International Labour Conference 2004 general discussion on migrant workers recognized some of the main weaknesses in contemporary approaches to managing labour migration including lack of cooperative arrangements between origin and destination countries; lack of coherence between policies on labour migration and policies in other domains, notably trade; lack of adequate consultations with the social partners in framing policies; lack of transparency and poor administrative capacity. The symptoms of policy failures include violation of the rights of migrant workers, the growing number of workers with irregular status, recruitment abuse, discrimination and lack of social integration and adequate social protection. The Conference resolution asked the ILO to develop a rights-based multilateral framework for managing labour migration. Based on best practice, it will take the form of non-binding policy guidelines which are expected to become a key reference point for policy-making. The ILO will document best practices, analyses their impact and consequences, and produce information to promote adoption of ILO principles and the multilateral framework for managing labour migration. Work will be developed in close cooperation with the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The ILO Programme on HIV/AIDS and the World of Work has made significant progress in raising awareness of HIV/AIDS as a workplace issue, mobilizing the social partners and guiding workplace action. Activities have been mainstreamed in most ILO programmes and field offices. Work will continue to foster national and international partnerships, especially employer-worker collaboration, and support the development of national policy-making, in particular through research and policy analysis on the socio-economic and labour market impact of HIV/AIDS. A major focus for this biennium's work is action at workplace level to identify routes by which employers' and workers' organizations can promote and support concrete measures in enterprises and the public sector regarding prevention, protection of rights, and care and support for women and men affected by HIV/AIDS. It will build on examples of good practice in workplace action and share lessons learned. In cooperation with its UNAIDS partners and donors such as the Global Fund, the ILO will promote access to anti-retroviral treatment through occupational health services.

ILO/AIDS technical cooperation activities assist tripartite constituents in building their capacities to address the socio-economic impact of HIV/AIDS, contributing significantly to overall national efforts. Donor technical cooperation funds are a key factor in achieving enhanced social security coverage, specifically through improved policies and strategies to extend social protection for all and the Global Campaign on Social Security and Coverage for All funding mechanism, the Global Social Trust initiative, currently being tested, will support and finance activities extending social security coverage and improving governance.

The ILO's social protection strategy, building on the conclusions concerning social security (International Labour Conference, 89th Session, 2001), represents a renewed effort to contribute to the achievement of MDGs, the follow-up to the World Summit on Sustainable Development, as well as national development coordination mechanisms such as the PRSP, UNDAF and CCA processes. The African Union Declaration and Plan of Action on Employment and Poverty Reduction and similar regional initiatives provide an important framework. This strategy builds on enhanced collaboration with the International Training Centre in Turin, the International Institute for Labour Studies, the International Social Security Association and interested international organizations.