The Declaration of Philadelphia and a number of international labour standards recognize access to an adequate level of social protection as a basic right for all. Yet in many countries, reality falls far short of ideals. Less than 10 per cent of the population in the poorest countries have adequate social security protection. This has an enormous impact on people’s lives and on work itself. We know, for example, that there is a direct connection between health and productive work. Women, in particular, have little access to health protection even though they constitute the majority of the world’s poorest populations. The ILO is testing new approaches to open up access.
One innovative example is through micro-insurance. This is one element of our integrated strategy to provide social protection based on solidarity.
The importance of universal access to basic health care and primary and secondary education is well recognized by many developing countries.
For a poor family, securing a basic income, basic health care and school places for the children is a foundation for participating productively in society and the economy. Secure families build secure communities and stable societies.
As a contribution to new thinking about global solidarity, the ILO is piloting an approach to the extension of social security through a people-topeople Global Social Trust. People in richer nations could choose to contribute about 5 euros a month to the Trust. These funds would then be invested to kick-start basic social protection schemes launched primarily in least developed countries.
To learn more about this author, visit International Labour Organization's Website.
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