This brief looks at the effects of a basic income pilot project conducted in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Despite a short implementation period and relatively low benefit levels, the effects were impressive: by the end of the project it was possible to see significant improvements in living...

In 1792, the first consumer boycott was organised to protest against the inhumane treatment of slaves in the production of sugar in the West Indies. In his comic novel of the time, Melincourt, Thomas Love Peacock (1817) wrote of the trade in sugar that it was “economically superfluous, physically...

Social protection can help guarantee adequate living standards for children and contribute to the realization of their rights. Investing in it helps States build more cohesive societies, more resilient communities and stronger economies. To fight child poverty and social and economic vulnerability, countries need to develop well-integrated social protection...

The theme of the 2015 Social Monitor, Social Protection for Child Rights and Well-being in Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia, aims to focus the attention of policy makers on the successes as well as the gaps in delivering on their commitments to protect children’s rights....

This brief, which is based on the UNICEF report Social Monitor: Social Protection for Child Rights and Well-Being in Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia, provides key findings and recommendations related to social protection for children in the...

This short paper aims to answer this question by assessing the evidence on Brazil’s social security system. It will examine the beneficiary numbers, budgets, levels of benefits and, importantly, impacts and coverage of the main social security schemes in Brazil. This paper will reveal that the real hero driving...

This quick reference guide intended to contribute to the efforts of NHRIs/IHRICs to effectively and meaningfully implement a human rights-based approach (HRBA) to sexual and reproductive health, maternal health2 and under-5 child health. It complements other tools and builds on the two technical guidance documents of the Office of...

This one-page brief examines grievance mechanisms in social protection...

This brief examines challenges facing rural women in Brazil under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable development. Esse “brief” examina os desafios a serem enfrentados pelas mulheres de regiões rurais do Brasil no que diz respeito à Agenda 2030 para o Desenvolvimento...

How do conflict, disaster and employment all tie into social protection for women? In this video, Priti Darooka from the Programme on Women’s Economic, Social and Cultural Rights discusses the need for intersectional analysis when talking about universal, rights-based social...

How have the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) social security standards contributed to creating rights-based social protection systems? How does human rights and social protection law turn into substantive, country-level implementation? The ILO’s Christina Behrendt explains how the organization’s collaborative approach to reducing inequality and preventing poverty and helping states...

Persons with disabilities have faced exclusionpreventing them from fully enjoying their right to social protection under the previous welfarist model. In this video, Facundo Chavez Penillas from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) discusses states’ obligation to ensure that social protection systems are fully inclusive...

How does social protection address the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people? How can a rights-based approach be used to ensure that their needs are fully taken into account? In this video, Andrés Scagliola from the Social Development Department of the City of Montevideo discusses challenges and...

Care and social protection are both explicitly mentioned in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, the Goals fall short of addressing how gendered power relations can be an impediment to women being able to fully enjoy their human rights. Valeria Esquivel from UNRISD discusses how social protection can contribute...

How can human rights be used to reduce rural poverty? How can subsistence farmers and workers, indigenous groups and people in rural areas be guaranteed the right to food security? In this video, Maya Takagi from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) discusses the organization’s approach to ensuring that...

How do economic, cultural and social rights fit in with social protection? How can duty bearers make sure that these rights are guaranteed for all, especially those excluded from the labour market? In this video, Christian Courtis from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) discusses...

In this video, Katja Hujo (UNRISD) and Isabel Ortiz (International Labour Organization) introduce Overcoming Exclusion and Promoting Rights: Challenges and Opportunities in Social Protection, an official side event of the 30th Human Rights Council. In this video series, experts from international organizations, governments and civil society discuss ways to...

Starting in 2007, Mongolia has implemented one-stop shops (OSS) nationwide for social service delivery. This brief explores the Mongolian...

Of the 23 million children under the age of 18 in South Africa, about 60 per cent lives in poverty. The Child Support Grant (CSG), introduced in 1998, initially covered only 10 per cent of poor children. Incremental changes in the eligibility criteria and successful awareness-raising campaigns increased the...

Since 1998, Romania’s Builders’ Social Fund, or Casa Socială a Constructorilor (CSC), has provided income protection for workers in the construction sector during the interruption of work in winter. The CSC is a non-profit organization based on a sectoral social agreement. It operates on a bipartite basis. It is...

The Old Age Pension (OAP) is a tax-based scheme for all older persons. This non-contributory social pension also benefits other household members, particularly children. This brief explores Lesotho’s experience in extending the...

Between 2003 and 2013, the number of people covered by the health insurance system in China increased by ten times and has now achieved universal coverage (96.9 per cent of the population). This brief explores China’s experience in extending health...

Georgia’s introduction of a Child Benefit in 2015 was a significant step forward for children. Yet much more is needed. This paper shows that the vast majority of children in Georgia experience insecure lives and are in need of additional support from the State. The expansion of the Child...

The present study looks at the importance of the zakat system for social protection in the West Bank of the Occupied Palestinian Territory. It was undertaken in the context of the work of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) on the mixed economy of welfare in...

What responsibilities exist at the regional level to provide rights-based social protection? The Organization of American States’ Alexandra Barrantes talks about the importance of shifting the focus to people as rights-holders rather than beneficiaries; the role of legal frameworks (such as the San Salvador Protocol) in creating comprehensive social...