This paper sets out the policy vision of the ILO that underpins its activities in the context of the Global Campaign on Social Security and Coverage for All. The objective of this policy briefing is to contribute to the global debate between social security stakeholders, researchers, practitioners and decision-makers...

This guide aims to promote social dialogue on social security reform and to encourage reforms that are well matched to national conditions while consistent with the standards for minimum adequacy, inclusiveness, and democratic governance embodied in the ILO social security conventions. Link to this...

This handbook is intended as a practical guide for members of governing boards of social security organizations in Africa. While the structure and mandate of social security boards varies from country to country, they all have important responsibilities: ensuring that social security contributions are used judiciously for intended purposes,...

This policy paper: (i) provides a global overview of the organization of maternity cash benefits and maternity care in 188 countries; (ii) analyses trends and recent policies, e.g. extension of maternity protection coverage in a large number of low- and middle-income countries; (iii) describes the negative impacts of fiscal...

This report summarises a workshop which brought together representatives from various organizations active in social protection. It presents a mapping of existing, comparable, internationally collected data and related indicators on social protection (and more specifically its contribution to ensuring basic income security throughout the life cycle) and a reflection...

This practical Policy Resource Guide is the first initiative to bring together a synthesis of knowledge, policy innovations and good practices facilitating transition to formality. Chapter 8.1 deals specifically with the extension of social security to persons in the informal economy. Link to the resource guide Link to chapter...

This paper focuses on the analysis of experience in creating fiscal space for the extension of social protection. It presents the results of studies conducted in eight developing countries (Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Costa Rica, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Thailand) that successfully extended social protection including floors for national...

This report, prepared under the guidance of Ms Michelle Bachelet and members of the Advisory Group, shows that the extension of social protection, drawing on social protection floors, can play a pivotal role in relieving people of poverty and deprivation. It can in addition help people adapt their skills...

This brief paper first recapitulates the main pension financing options and reviews the theoretical pros and cons of pension funding seeking for a logical synthesis. In the second part of the paper, a broad review of the historical experience of pension reforms since the 1980’s is presented as well...

The changing age structure of the population has potentially significant implications for economic development, labour markets and well-being in different development contexts. It raises issues of possible shortages in labour supply and skills, productivity and innovation and the provision of adequate social protection and other services for an increasingly...

The first part of the book provides guidance for designing a social accounting system. The second part shows how the relationships between the economy and the social protection system can be translated into a quantitative model which permits projections and simulations to be carried out. Includes two concrete country...

The aim of this research is to identify good and bad practices of Single Window Services around the world, by looking at the experiences of countries where these services are already in place. Link to Word...

Designing social protection systems that are effective and equitable as well as fiscally, financially and economically efficient has been a challenge for many countries. This book offers a comprehensive overview of the many financing options available while also provides a thorough analysis of their advantages and disadvantages and their...

The joint statement aims to build greater consensus on the importance of child-sensitive social protection. It lays out the particular vulnerabilities that children and families face, the ways that social protection can impact children even when not focused on them, and outlines principles and approaches for undertaking child-sensitive social...

The Government of Rwanda requested the ILO to carry out a feasibility study on the introduction of a new maternity benefit scheme in Rwanda. For the moment, public and private sector employers in Rwanda provide 12 weeks of paid maternity leave to female employees based on labour laws. Women on maternity...

This report is part of a series of technical cooperation reports produced by the Social Security Department and the Employment Policy Department of the International Labour Office within the framework of the ILO/EU project “Improving Social Protection and Promoting Employment”. The project was funded by the European Commission and...

This report is the result of collaboration between the Government of Namibia and the ILO. Drawing on the Social Protection Expenditure and Performance Review (SPER) and Social Budget methodologies, the objectives of the report are: 1) to improve the knowledge and information base on the coverage and performance of...

This report has the objective of documenting the key elements of the ongoing social protection policy reform in Mozambique and exploring the technical and financial arguments underlying the Government’s policy options for the implementation of a national social protection floor in the country. The report is organised in 5...

This paper systematically compares and evaluates the reforms of private pensions systems in Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, and Hungary due to initial failures in design and performance after its implementation. The document presents advantages and flaws of the structural reforms and private pension systems before the re-reform and analyses legal...

This report has been prepared to support Ghana to rationalize its social protection expenditure. The report analyses expenditure in terms of its sustainability, robustness, efficiency and effectiveness in preventing or reducing poverty, social exclusion and ill health. It includes an analysis of the current structure of social expenditure and...

This paper presents global estimates on rural/urban disparities in access to health-care services. The report uses proxy indicators to assess key dimensions of coverage and access involving the core principles of universality and equity. Based on the results of the estimates, policy options are discussed to close the gaps...

This report focuses on the role of social protection in preventing and reducing child labour. It is the first in the series of World Reports on Child Labour called for in the outcome document, the Roadmap, emerging from The Hague Global Child Labour Conference of 2010. The World Report...

This paper proposes policy options based on ILO research and experiences that aim at universal coverage and equitable access to health care. The policy options discussed focus on ensuring the human rights to social security and health and on the rights-based approaches underpinning the need for equity and poverty...

The informal economy is significantly impacting the world of work, with as much as 40–80 per cent of the labour force in developing countries working within it. Increasingly, transition to formality has emerged as a priority policy agenda in developed and developing countries, and new policy initiatives and approaches...

This document lays out the social security strategy of the International Labour Organization on the extension of social security. The ILO’s two-dimensional strategy provides clear guidance on the future development of social security in countries at all levels of development. Its horizontal dimension aims at establishing and maintaining social...