Social protection

Social protection plays a crucial role in protecting the population against challenges and risks associated with the lifecycle and mitigating economic and social vulnerabilities, especially for disadvantaged and marginalised groups. It encompasses various public and private initiatives designed to provide financial and social support to those in need, ultimately reducing poverty and promoting social inclusion. The broad concept of social protection includes income transfers, livelihood protection, and enhancement of social status and rights. 

When it comes to social protection in the framework of the decent work concept, we focus on safeguarding workers' well-being (in the formal and informal sectors) providing access to protect mechanisms in case of shocks that have impact on working ability and essential benefits such as healthcare coverage, pensions for retirement security, and parental leave to support work-life balance. These measures contribute to the overall welfare and productivity of workers. 

Four types of mechanisms

Social protection involves a range of policies and instruments aimed at safeguarding individuals against risks and uncertainties. There are four categories of mechanisms:

• Social Assistance: Programmes providing direct financial aid or in-kind support to individuals and families in need, including universal cash transfers and subsidies.
• Social Insurance: Schemes that offer protection against specific risks, such as health insurance and unemployment benefits, often funded through contributions.
• Social Care: Services that support individuals with personal or health needs, including childcare and eldercare services.
• Labour Market Policies and interventions: Initiatives to support employment and working conditions, such as job placement services and training programs.

National Social protection floors

The ILO advocates for four national social protection floors, which ensure : 
 

• Access to essential health care (including maternity care); 
• Basic income security for children, providing access to nutrition, education, care and any other necessary goods and services;
• Basic income security for persons in active age who are unable to earn sufficient income, in particular in cases of sickness, unemployment, maternity and disability;
• Basic income security for older persons.

This approach is integral to the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda, which aims to establish universal social protection guarantees.

Challenges to social protection 

In fragile and low-income settings, social protection mechanisms often face challenges such as inadequate coverage, poor enforcement, fragmentation (leading to higher implementing and transaction costs) and limited resources. Key challenges include: 

• Limited Coverage: Many people, particularly those in informal or precarious employment, are excluded from social protection systems. For instance, in Africa, despite progress, only 17.8% of the population receives at least one social protection benefit.#
• Underfunding and low political priority : Social protection investments are among the lowest globally, with public spending on social protection in Africa not exceeding 3.5% of GDP. The consequence is that it is often left to local approaches, with insufficient funding, capacities and, low scaling potential
• Lack of Recognition and Technical Support: Social protection actors often face challenges related to recognition, technical support, and funding.
   

Addressing the challenges to social protection

To address these challenges and improve social protection systems, several strategies can be employed, and at different levels: 

A people-centered approach 

Vulnerabilities rarely occur in isolation. Therefore, there is a need to address all social protection floors through a holistic, non-sectoral approach to effectively tackle the multidimensional nature of vulnerabilities.

• Providing Direct Financial Assistance : Support or pilot UCT - (un)conditional cash transfers - programmes to provide financial assistance directly to individuals, thereby strengthening social protection and supporting vulnerable populations.   

A structural approach to strengthen the ecosystem 

• Extending Protection to All Workers: Expanding coverage to informal sector workers can involve the implementation of a mix of contributory and non-contributory schemes.  
• Strengthening Social Health Protection Systems :  A universal health insurance system can be implemented at national level. Furthermore, one can focus on building capacity and strengthen the capacity of public, private, and civil society actors involved in social protection. This includes enhancing technical and operational capacities to effectively implement and manage social protection programs.
• Guiding domestic resource mobilization: Promote public learning and encourage larger investments in social protection. This involves developing strategies for sustainable funding and ensuring that social protection systems are adequately resourced.
• Developing adaptive social protection systems: Create systems that are responsive to shocks, such as natural disasters or economic crises, and integrate long-term solutions to build resilience.

Empowering vulnerable groups

Focus on enhancing the social protection priorities for marginalised and vulnerable groups to address their specific needs and challenges by investing in livelihood enhancement interventions, including financial literacy, skills development, improved access to finance, and agricultural inputs. 
These efforts align with the objectives of Pillar One: Job Creation, fostering inclusive economic growth and empowerment, and with a focus on gender and decent work in rural areas. 

Gender equality

Social protection systems can also play a significant role in reducing gender inequality. Gender-responsive social protection helps women overcome vulnerabilities related to:

• Discrimination: address systemic biases that affect women’s access to resources and opportunities.
• Domestic responsibilities: provide support for caregiving and household responsibilities that disproportionately impact women.
• Unequal labour market access: enhance women’s participation and conditions in the workforce.
• Reproductive rights: ensure access to healthcare and rights related to reproductive health. 
• Strategic choices and focus to improve social protection.