Social security is a human right. More than 60 years ago, article 22 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights declared ‘Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security’.
Nevertheless, the everyday life of billions of people around the world, from North to South and from East to West, shows that access to adequate social protection remains a privilege for the few. This is not just a reality in developing countries, but in Europe as well. Those groups with the highest risk of exclusion – such as the 20.1 million non-EU citizens living in the EU or the so-called NEETs (young people between 15 and 24 years not in employment, education or training) – are more likely to lack access to adequate ‘social protection floors’ (access to essential services and measures that guarantee income support).
The ongoing negotiations on the post-2015 international development cooperation framework aimed at setting global goals will provide a unique opportunity to push for the full realisation of the right to social security for everyone by 2030.
The European Council Conclusions on post-2015 to be adopted on December 12 will be a step in this direction.
In this context, the Briefing paper Winning the Fight against Poverty and Inequality - developed by SOLIDAR, Brot für die Welt, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in cooperation with the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors - calls national Governments to
- Recognise that social protection is a human right which enables the fulfilment of other rights.
- Support the inclusion of an implementation target, by 2030, of universal and comprehensive social protection systems and quality nationally-defined social protection floors (such as outlined in ILO Recommendation 202), in the post-2015 development cooperation framework ’.
- Support the CSO’s role in the design, monitoring, evaluation and, where relevant, the implementation of universal social protection systems and floors (including the design of legal frameworks).
The Briefing echoes the demands (full version demands can be found here72_SOLIDAR_Briefing_Fighting Poverty and Inequality_Final ) raised by more than 30 CSOs to EU Governments representatives sent in November this year.
Let us all work together for Universal and Comprehensive Social Protection!
Social security is a human right. More than 60 years ago, article 22 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights declared ‘Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security’.