ILO Launches Commission on the Future of Work
On 21 August, the ILO launched the Global Commission on the Future of Work, the second phase of its Future of Work Initiative.
The Commission has been tasked with producing an independent report examining how to ensure decent and sustainable work for all as the context of work changes due to globalization, advances in technology, climate change and changes in demography.
The Commission’s research will focus on four key areas:
- Work and society
- Decent jobs for all
- The organization of work and production
- The governance of work
Learn more about the Global Commission on the Future of Work (French, Spanish).
Watch the trailer.
Photo credit: “Modern Workshop” by Maresa Smith (via Death to the Stock Photo).
UNRISD and socialprotection.org are Hosting a Webinar on Universal Health Care
On Thursday, 27 July, UNRISD and socialprotection.org will host a webinar on expanding and universalizing health care systems in the Global South.
In recent decades, the rise of neoliberalism has led to the erosion of once-commonplace universal health care systems in favour of privatized health care in many developing countries.
However, not all developing countries followed the trend of privatization. This webinar, based on UNRISD’s recent book, Towards Universal Health Care in Emerging Economies: Opportunities and Challenges, will examine the outcomes in emerging economies that have pursued the expansion of universal health care. The cases of Brazil, China, Thailand, Russia, South Africa, India, Indonesia and Venezuela will be discussed.
Visit the event page to learn more and register.
The High-Level Political Forum Took Place from 10-19 July
The United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) took place from 10-19 July in New York.
The Forum, convened annually by ECOSOC, conducted an in-depth review of six of the Sustainable Development Goals under the theme Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world. The Goals reviewed for this year’s HLPF were:
- Goal 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
- Goal 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
- Goal 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
- Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
- Goal 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation and
- Goal 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
During the Forum, international organizations and civil society organizations held side events. Among the side events were:
Accelerating Sustainable Development: Regional Assistance for Translating the SDGs into National Action, hosted by the Regional Commissions (ESCAP, ECLAC, ECE, ECA and ESCWA); Science – Technology – Innovation: Closing the Gender Gap to Meet the SDGs, hosted by WIPO, UNESCO and UN Women; the ILO event Global Partnership on Universal Social Protection: Ending Poverty by 2030; and Bringing Children to the Table: Children’s Contribution to the Implementation of the SDGs, hosted by Permanent Mission of Chile, Save the Children, World Vision, Plan International, SOS Children’s Villages and Child Fund.
UNRISD is Hosting an Event at the 2017 Regulating for Decent Work Conference
On 5 July, UNRISD will host Linking Social Protection and Human Rights, a special session of the ILO’s Regulating for Decent Work (RDW) Conference in Geneva, Switzerland.
Experts from civil society, academia and international organizations will present on the linkages between social protection, decent work and human rights, drawing on concrete examples from different regional contexts.
Presentations topics will include:
- social protection for persons with disabilities;
- issues related to the future of work;
- care, gender equality and the rights of women and girls in social protection systems; and
- migrants’ labour and human rights.
Visit the event page to learn more and register to attend on the Conference website.
About the Conference
The Fifth RDW Conference, taking place from 3-5 July, is organized by the ILO in collaboration with the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies, University of Amsterdam. Over the course of three days, experts will discuss the implications of rapid technological change for decent work in.
For the Conference agenda and further information, visit the RDW website.
Photo credit: “Man in Green Polo Shirt Driving a Motorcycle during Daytime” by Sven Scheuermeier (via Pexels).
The University of Amsterdam is Hosting a Workshop on Social Protection & Inclusive Growth
On Friday 30 June, the University of Amsterdam, the International Centre for Sustainable Development of the Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg are hosting a workshop, Social Protection for Inclusive Growth in Africa?
Workshop Objectives:
The purpose and scope of this workshop is to present findings from a two-years study on the impacts of social protection in Ghana and Kenya and to exchange knowledge and ideas with policy experts on the translation of these findings into policy and practice. In particular, the study findings will discuss the medium-term and interaction effects of different social protection instruments and consider policy alternatives in light of the political economic context in each country.
It is envisioned that through this joint discussion and reflection by social protection policy and research experts, the study recommendations can be strengthened before international publication.
The workshop is open to researchers, students, and professionals engaged in policy and advocacy around social protection in developing countries.
Time: 9.00am-12.30pm
Venue: University of Amsterdam, Roeterseiland Campus, Room: C3.05
Programme:
09.00-09.30: Welcome, coffee & registration
09.30-09.45: Opening by Frank van Kesteren (Include/The Broker
09.45-10.30: Presentation 1: Social Protection and Inclusive Growth in Kenya and Ghana – Dr Nicky Pouw (UvA)
10.30-10.45: Roundtable discussion
10.45-11.00: Coffee/tea break
11.00-11.45: Presentation 2: Insights into the political economy of social protection reforms – Prof Katja Bender (Hochschule Bonn Rhein-Sieg)
11.45-12.15: Roundtable discussion
12.15-12.30: Closing remarks
Participation: free (lunch will be provided)
Click here to register.
Photo credit: “Beans in Burundi: Fighting Malnutrition” by CIAT (CCBY 2.0 via Fickr).
The ILO Hosts the 106th Session of the International Labour Conference
The 106th International Labour Conference took place from 5-16 June 2017. This year’s conference focused on three major items, which all include important references to social protection:
- A standard-setting discussion on a potential Recommendation concerning employment and decent work for peace and resilience, which would revise the Employment (Transition from War to Peace) Recommendation, 1944 (No. 71).
- A discussion of labour migration, focusing in particular on current trends and the importance of addressing governance challenges in a changing labour migration landscape
- A discussion on fundamental principles and rights at work
Visit the Conference page to learn more.
Photo credit: ILO.
ECLAC and UNICEF Call for Strengthening Child Welfare Systems in Disaster Contexts
In a context of urgency from the catastrophic effects of climate change and the effects it has on children, ECLAC and UNICEF recently issued a joint press release addressing issues related to the childhood development within the SDG framework, calling for the strengthening of social protection systems that from perspective of the child rights.
Social protection policies are key to dealing with disasters before, during and after their occurrence. By guaranteeing basic levels of income and access to social services such health, education and housing, social protection strengthens response capacity and reduces vulnerability, contributing to better recovery outcomes in the short, medium and long term.
UNICEF and ECLAC argue that it is crucial to increase intersectional and inter-agency coordination and management efforts to address children and adolescents’ vulnerabilities to disasters; as well as increase the availability of disaggregated quantitative and qualitative data on at-risk child populations. Moreover, promoting inclusion — both in policy making and programming — of children’s experiences in disasters through their active participation in these processes is essential.
Read the whole bulletin here. Click here to subscribe to the newsletter.
Photo credit: “Bulletin of childhood and adolescence” by ECLAC and UNICEF.
ECLAC’s New Care Law Database
ECLAC’s Gender Affairs Division recently compiled a database of all of the existing care laws in the constitutional and other domestic legislation in Latin American and Caribbean countries. The database contains information on more than 200 legislative bodies.
These laws concern various care issues such as parental leave, extra-home care services, anti-discrimination in hiring, access to health care for children and family and community responsibility in providing care.
The database is available on the Gender Equality Observatory website.
Photo credit: “care” by Roy Cheung (CCBY 2.0 via Flickr).
La CEPAL fue sede de un curso sobre los Instrumentos de Protección Social a lo largo del ciclo de vida
Este curso fue organizado por la División de Desarrollo Social y el Instituto Latinoamericano y del Caribe de Planificación Económica y Social de la CEPAL y se llevó a cabo del 22 al 26 de Mayo del 2017 en Santiago, Chile. El objetivo principal fue el de capacitar a funcionarios públicos para promover una mayor igualdad social en América Latina a través la ampliación de la protección social a lo largo del ciclo de vida.
El curso fue diseñado en el marco del Proyecto de las Naciones Unidas “Promoting equality: Strengthening the capacity of select developing countries to design and implement equality-oriented public policies and programmes”. Los participantes aprendieron:
- Bases y conceptos clave sobre la protección social bajo un enfoque teórico y de derechos.
- Los diferentes contextos sociales y económicos que forjaron las mutaciones cronológicas de la protección social y de la evolución de las políticas públicas relacionadas.
- El panorama actual de los diferentes instrumentos de protección social, innovaciones y reformas.
- A fortalecer y desarrollar competencias técnicas para la elaboración y la coordinación de políticas públicas relacionadas con la protección social.
Para más información sobre el curso, visite la página web del evento.
Photo credit: “Santana” by Rodrigo Medel (CCBY 2.0 via Flickr).
socialprotection.org hosted a webinar on Chile’s Familia Programme
On 20 April, socialprotection.org hosted a webinar on Chile’s Inter-Sectoral Social Protection System and its Familia Programme. Representatives from the Chilean and Peruvian governments and ECLAC discussed the programme, specifically focusing on aspects which target creating employment and other income-generating activities.
Watch the webinar video.
Panellists
- Mauricio Ríos, Solidarity and Social Investment Fund, Chile
- Claudio Prim, Solidarity and Social Investment Fund, Chile
Discussant
- Simone Cecchini, United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Chile
Moderator
Cecilia Chávez Mendoza, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, Peru
Photo credit: “Diploma de Seguridad Informática” by Carlos Reusser Monsalvez (CCBY 2.0 via Flickr).
ESCWA is Hosting an Expert Meeting on Disability
The UN Economic and Social Commission (ESCWA) will hold an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on 11-12 April in Beirut, Lebanon to discuss its forthcoming publication, Disability in the Arab Region 2017: strengthening social protection for persons with disabilities. The EGM will provide an overview of the draft publication and review with participants the information contained therein.
Focal points on disability from the ESCWA Member States will be invited to participate, as well as local, regional and international experts on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, social protection and disability. The publication, which will be an updated version of ESCWA’s previously released Disability in the Arab Region: an overview , will be released in December 2017.
The press release for the event is available here.
Photo credit: “IMG_9739” by mozzoom (CCBY 2.0 via Flickr).
UNRISD and Partners Host World Social Work Day Conference
On 21-22 March, UNRISD, the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland, the International Federation of Social Workers and the International Association of Schools of Social Work hosted Social Work and Sustainable Development. The event marked World Social Work Day, which aims to highlight the achievements of social work, make its contributions and social services more visible, and defend social justice, social development and human rights.
Panellists included social workers and social work educators, and representatives from government and international organizations, who discussed ways to expand cooperation and partnership between different actors involved in social work. Experts also discussed the links between social protection systems and social workers’ crucial role in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
Watch the conference introduction by Ana Lima Fernández, President of the International Federation of Social Workers Europe [Spanish].
Visit the event page to read the event concept note, speaker biographies, programme and summary papers.
UNRISD & SRI Official Side Event at the 34th Session of the Human Rights Council
UNRISD and the Sexual Rights Initiative are hosting Universal Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health: Realizing Health and Human Rights, an official side event at the 34th Session of the Human Rights Council.
How can people’s sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHRs) around the world be better protected and promoted?
Panellists at this event will present perspectives on:
- Challenges and good practices in ensuring full access to SRHRs
- Environmental dimensions of family planning
- The linkages between a human rights-based social protection framework and access to these rights
- Current global trends, and what these mean for implementation of the SDGs (and their achievement by 2030).
Participants
- Meghan Doherty, Global Policy and Advocacy Officer, Action Canada for Sexual Health & Rights
- Paola Daher, Global Advocacy Advisor, Center for Reproductive Rights
- Agnes Odhiambo, Women’s Rights Researcher, Human Rights Watch (via Skype)
- David Chipanta, Senior Social Protection Advisor, UNAIDS
- Elizabeth Maclean, Research Coordinator, International Center for Migration, Health and Development
Moderator: Paul Ladd, Director, UNRISD
This event is sponsored by the government of Portugal.
The event is open to all UN badge holders. If you do not have a badge and would like to attend, please visit the event page to register.
Photo credit: The USAID-funded Suaahara not only engages young mothers, but also fathers and other men of the family to ensure all-round support to improving the health and wellbeing of mothers and babies. by USAID Nepal (Creative Commons 2.0 via Flickr).
Instrumentos de protección social a lo largo del ciclo de vida: nuevo curso de la CEPAL
El curso “Instrumentos de Protección Social a lo largo del ciclo de vida” organizado por la División de Desarrollo Social y el Instituto Latinoamericano y del Caribe de Planificación Económica y Social (ILPES) de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), está dirigido a funcionarios públicos de la región.
El curso tendrá en total dos semanas de duración, divididas en dos fases. Entre el 15 y 19 de mayo se llevará a cabo la fase virtual, en la cual se brindará acceso al material bibliográfico y a una guía de lectura de todos los temas del curso. La fase presencial, de 40 horas de duración distribuidas del 22 al 26 de mayo, se impartirá bajo un enfoque teórico-práctico que combina marcos analíticos con trabajo en talleres y discusiones en grupo. En ellos se expondrán los fundamentos conceptuales y prácticos de la protección social y se discutirán políticas públicas orientadas hacia una mayor igualdad. El curso abarcará los siguientes aspectos:
- Regímenes de bienestar y protección social
- Protección social: conceptos e indicadores
- Modelos de desarrollo y estado de bienestar en América Latina
- Panorama de los sistema de protección social en América Latina
- Enfoque de derechos, ciclo de vida y protección social
- Infancia, adolescencia y juventud
- Etapa activa y tercera edad Financiamiento
- Sesiones especiales sobre políticas públicas para la igualdad
- Propuestas de reforma
- Casos de reformas
Para más detalles visite la página del evento (disponible en español).
Para conocer más sobre los aspectos sociales de la región, lea el Panorama Social de América Latina (disponible en español e inglés) y para temas de protección social en la región, lea el libro Instrumentos de protección social: caminos latinoamericanos hacia la universalización (disponible en español e inglés).
Photo credit: Bea Moralez (via Instagram).
UNRISD Side Event at the 55th Commission for Social Development
On 2 February, UNRISD is holding The Poverty of Politics? Pursuing Sustainable Development for All in Challenging Times, an official side event of the 55th Commission for Social Development.
Experts from academia, civil society and governments will explore the challenges facing sustainable development, such as growing inequalities, the rise of populism and threats to the environment.
UNRISD Director Paul Ladd will present evidence from UNRISD’s 2016 Flagship Report, Policy Innovations for Transformative Change.
Photo Credit: Untitled by Fosim (CC BY 2.0 via Flickr)
UNAIDS is Having a Virtual Consultation until 10 February
UNAIDS is holding a virtual consultation on the future of the UNAIDS model from 30 January until 10 February 2017.
Context
The world has committed to ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030. This target sits within the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development agreed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. The General Assembly has also committed to Fast-Track the AIDS response over the next five years, in line with the 2016–2021 Strategy of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).
In partnership with a range of stakeholders, including people living with HIV, UNAIDS plays a key role in the global effort to deliver on these ambitions. An integral part of the AIDS response, the Joint Programme is widely recognized for setting the vision and global agenda, providing leadership to achieve this agenda at country level, engaging in evidence-informed advocacy, delivering normative guidance and technical expertise, monitoring the epidemic and response, and promoting human rights and meaningful engagement of civil society.
Learn more and participate in the Global Consultation: http://globalreviewpanel.blogspot.ch/p/consultation-on-unaids-joint-programme.html
Photo credit: “District Consultation” by Challenge Program on Water and Food (CCBY 2.0 via Flickr).
ILO Releases Social Protection Volumes
The ILO’s Social Protection Department recently released three volumes of Social Protection Floors. The reports “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, Universal Schemes, draws on experiences from countries including Argentina, Lesotho and Thailand. Volume 2, Innovations to Extend Coverage looks at social protection for migrants, social protection in the context of climate change, and rural employment. Volume 3, Governance and Financing, examines mechanisms to build social protection floors in countries including China, Colombia and Zambia.
Learn more about the Social Protection Department.
Photo credit: “Children” by Moin Uddin (CCBY 2.0 via Flickr).
IDS Short Course on Social Protection
The Institute for Development Studies (IDS) is holding a short course on social protection from 12-15 June, 2017. The four-day course is aimed at policy makers, practitioners, researchers and project managers who are already or will be working in of social protection.
The course will provide participants with:
- a broad knowledge of approaches to social protection,
- an understanding of challenges in design and implementation of social protection programming, and
- the ability to critically assess current evidence base on social protection.
Learn more by visiting the course page. The deadline for applicants is 10 February 2017.
Photo credit: “Engaged in learning” by CSUF Photos (CCBY 2.0 via Flickr).
New ILO Study Reveals that 50 Million Jobs are Needed to Address Global Health
An estimated 50 million decent jobs are missing in 2016 to address essential global health requirements through universal health coverage (UHC) and ensure human security, particularly with respect to highly infectious diseases like Ebola. Demographic ageing over the next 15 years is expected to further increase employment needs in the global health supply chain by 84 million jobs.
Photo credit: A. González Farran / UNAMID (via ILO).
It’s World AIDS Day
Today is World AIDS Day. This year’s theme is Hands up for #HIVPrevention.
On 30 November, UNAIDS held a special event, Moving Forward Together: Leaving No One Behind, in New York to mark the occasion.
The event honoured United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s legacy and commitment to leaving no one behind in the global response to HIV.
Watch or read UNAIDS Secretary-General Michel Sidibé’s message for World AIDS Day and find out more about the 2016 campaign here.
To learn about HIV and social protection, read David Chipanta’s expert commentary, Investment, Commitment and Innovation: Fast-Tracking Social Protection to End AIDS.