Population ageing is becoming an increasing challenge in Fiji. The demographic transformation has been accompanied by widespread socioeconomic changes, which have principally affected social support systems. With decreasing family size and changing economic demands, support systems for the most vulnerable have come under severe stress. A combination of factors,...

Older persons, particularly the oldest-old, are the fastest growing population segment in India and many of them require or will require long-term care in the future. The paper discusses policies on population ageing in India, such as the National Policy on Older Persons and the National Programme for Health...

This Brief discusses financing for social protection in...

International development actors increasingly focus on youth employment as a key development challenge. The recognition of high rates of unemployment, underemployment and job insecurity among young people around the world has led to a plethora of youth employment interventions, as well as often problematic discourses about youth “dividends and...

El estudio pone especial énfasis en las coberturas a lo largo del ciclo vital de las personas, identificando el inventario de programas, la cobertura y el nivel de las prestaciones, en seguimiento al Convenio 102 de la OIT sobre norma mínima de seguridad social y también la Recomendación 202,...

Moving towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires a sufficient number of workers producing and delivering health care such as doctors and nurses but also workers in other occupations, e.g. those concerned with administration or maintaining health facilities. However, currently there...

La siguiente publicación presenta una reflexión respecto de los desafíos de los sistemas de protección social en el Cono Sur frente a las nuevas condiciones tanto del contexto macroeconómico como del mercado laboral. El análisis incluye la situación en Argentina, Brasil, Chile, Paraguay y...

En este documento se evalúa el estado actual de los sistemas de protección social en América Latina y sus desafíos futuros. Se analizan los efectos positivos de los recientes esfuerzos por expandir y ampliar los sistemas de protección social (SPS) sobre la reducción de la pobreza y la desigualdad...

The volumes on Social Protection Floors present best practices and experiences from countries that are useful for South-South learning, for practitioners and to provide the basis for more informed policy-making. Volume 2 presents innovative approaches to cover more people under social protection schemes such as Bolsa Verde in Brazil,...

The volumes on Social Protection Floors present best practices and experiences from countries that are useful for South-South learning, for practitioners and to provide the basis for more informed policy-making. Volume 1 showcases universal old-age and disability pensions as well as universal maternity and child protection schemes in developing...

This Social Protection for All Issue Brief examines how to extend maternity cash benefits to women in the informal...

This report focuses on measures to improve accessibility and equality of opportunity; promoting participation and inclusion; and increasing respect for the autonomy and dignity of persons with disabilities. Chapter 1 defines terms such as disability, discusses prevention and its ethical considerations, introduces the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and...

Making sustainable development a reality by 2030 will require a substantial transformation to be made to development practices. The significant increase in the number and quality of social protection systems throughout the Global South brings renewed hope and enthusiasm. In Africa, 48 countries have established flagship programmes, with more...

In this report, UNAIDS is announcing that 18.2 million people now have access to HIV treatment. The Fast-Track response is working. Increasing treatment coverage is reducing AIDS-related deaths among adults and children. But the life-cycle approach has to include more than just treatment. Tuberculosis (TB) remains among the commonest...

This paper deals primarily with programmes for expansion of youth employment opportunities, paying special attention to generation of self-employment through youth enterprise. Since these programmes cannot be considered in isolation of the nature of youth unemployment and the overall policies for employment creation, the initial sections of the paper...

The analysis of urban development of the past twenty years presented in this maiden edition of the World Cities Report shows, with compelling evidence, that there are new forms of collaboration and cooperation, planning, governance, finance and learning that can sustain positive change. The Report unequivocally demonstrates that the...

Today’s adolescents and youth are 1.8 billion strong and form a quarter of the world’s population. They are shaping social and economic development, challenging social norms and values, and building the foundation of the world’s future. While notable progress has been made, many young people – especially adolescent girls – are denied...

This background paper examines the role of social protection programmes in supporting education in conflict-affected contexts. Drawing on existing literature, the paper looks at the impact, design and implementation issues of social protection programme experience in conflict, protracted crisis and post-conflict contexts, including in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of...

Social protection refers to a range of policies that explicitly aim to reduce poverty and vulnerability, and which have the potential to be redistributive. This contribution argues that social protection can significantly contribute to reducing inequality and social injustice, particularly when it is designed and delivered in conjunction with...

This report looks at seven dimensions of inequality and how they interact to shape people’s lives by creating a vicious cycle of inequality. Inequalities should not just be understood and tackled in terms of income and wealth. Inequalities can be economic, political, social, cultural, environmental, spatial and knowledge-based. The...

These nine national studies cover four regions of the world and reveal the stakes and problems which the multifaceted informal sector poses for the trade union movement, irrespective of the level of development in the countries under consideration. The studies are based on the information available and represent testimonies...

The report focuses on the increasingly pressing challenges facing the region. In times of global economic fragility, eradicating poverty and reducing inequalities in all their dimensions require a twofold strategy: protecting the achievements of the last decade  to prevent millions from falling back into poverty while promoting comprehensive policies...

World leaders have committed to transform our world and to leave no one behind in the quest for sustainable development. What needs to happen now to enable the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to deliver on its transformative promise? Which policies and practices will lead to social, economic and...

Brazil is one of the richest countries in the world, with a per capita gross domestic product (GDP) of $10,427 in 2009. Growth rates increased from 1.9% to 5.1% per year from 1998 to 2008. Yet the country also has one of the highest rates of inequality in the...

This report presents Africa’s sustainable development priorities and goals, prepared under the framework of the Africa post-2015 consultations, and the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (“Rio+20”) follow-up processes. It is based on information gathered through consultations undertaken in the five subregions of Africa and from an extensive literature...