Access to adequate social protection is recognized by the international community as a human and social right. It is also widely considered to be instrumental in promoting social inclusion on a broad scale, and to be conducive to and indispensable for fair growth, social cohesion and economic performance, contributing to competitiveness.
However, today, only 20 per cent of the world’s population has adequate social security coverage, and more than half lack any coverage at all. The situation reflects levels of economic development, with fewer than 10 per cent of workers in least-developed countries covered by social security. In middle-income countries, coverage ranges from 20 to 60 per cent, while in most industrial nations, it is close to 100 per cent. Social protection floors are nationally-defined sets of basic social security guarantees which secure protection aimed at preventing or alleviating poverty, vulnerability and social exclusion, in particular with regard to access to essential health care and basic income security throughout the life course.
The International Labour Conference (ILC), at its 101st session in 2012, adopted a Recommendation on national floors of social protection (No. 202). Reflecting the ILO's two-dimensional strategy for the extension of social security adopted during the ILC 2011, the Recommendation provides guidance to Member States to establish and maintain social protection floors as a fundamental element of their national social security systems, and to implement these floors within strategies for the extension of social security that progressively ensure higher levels of social security to as many people as possible, guided by ILO social security standards.
In order to build greater support with UN Member States and move forward with the development and establishment of social protection floors, the ILO and the UNITAR New York Office are organizing a three module seminar series on “Advancing Social Protection Floors”.