Second ILO – UNICEF The urgent need to build universal social protection

Second ILO – UNICEF The urgent need to build universal social protection

Recently, the second joint report of International Labor Organization (ILO) – United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on social protection of children has been released.

The report titled “A Billion Reasons: The Urgent Need to Build Universal Social Security for Children” has been released.

The report expresses a shared commitment to strengthening social protection systems and extending their benefits to every child at risk.

Key Findings of the Report

  • Globally, only 1 out of every 4 children (aged 0-15 years) has access to social protection.
  • 4 billion Children in the world need adequate social protection. However, children are still twice as likely as adults to live in poverty.
  • The growing number of children deprived of globally important social protections may hinder the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as SDG-1 and SDG-10.
  • It should be noted that SDG-1 is related to eradication of poverty and SDG-10 is related to reduction in inequality.
  • The challenges children are facing are increasing. Crises like the Covid-19 pandemic, rising cost of living, climate catastrophe are further compounding these challenges.
  • Social protection refers to a set of policies and programs designed to prevent and reduce poverty and vulnerability throughout the life cycle.

Some examples of social security:

Benefits for children and families, maternity benefits, unemployment allowance, financial or medical assistance for injuries at work, etc.

Need for child centric social security –

  • To enhance their work productivity and income earning potential;
  • To address issues such as child labour, gender inequality and exclusion;
  • To increase access to food, nutrition, education and healthcare, etc.

6 important steps have been recommended to create universal social security for children –

  • There is an urgent need to move towards universal coverage of children for better survival.
  • There is a need to ensure that social security systems keep pace with developments in the world of work.
  • It is necessary to adopt rights based, inclusive, gender responsive and information based social security systems.
  • Sustainable and equitable funding of social security systems must be ensured.
  • Adequate benefit levels must be guaranteed to make a meaningful difference in the lives of children.
  • A wide range of benefits that support children and families should be provided through a life-cycle approach.

Source – UNICEF

Download Our App

More Current Affairs

Share with Your Friends

Join Our Whatsapp Group For Daily, Weekly, Monthly Current Affairs Compilations

Related Articles

Youth Destination Facilities

Enroll Now For UPSC Course