Financing universal social protection in developing countries

Members of the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors participated in the Session "Financing universal social protection in developing countries".  A session at the Civil Society Forum at the Annual Meetings of IMF and World Bank, that was held last 11 October 2017.

You can download here the concept note of the Session.

Concept Note

FINANCING UNIVERSAL SOCIAL PROTECTION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
A Session at the Civil Society Forum at the Annual Meetings of IMF and World Bank
Date and Time: October 11 at 1:45 pm - 3:15 pm
Location: World Bank I Building (1850 I Street, NW). Room number: I2-250

Background:

In May 2017 the UN’s Financing for Development Follow-up Forum agreed to discuss, at its next meeting in April 2018, the inter-agency reporting that it invited on domestic and international means and support for financing social protection. In April 2018, governments at the UN will thus debate strengthening social protection financing. As experience is accumulating with different domestic and international funding mechanisms, governments are increasingly focused on the need for adequate and sustainable financing of what the World Bank and ILO jointly argue should be universal social protection systems. It is important to discuss this matter as both the World Bank and IMF are intimately involved in the topic and dialogue with civil society can be valuable for all parties in their policy research and advocacy.

Objective of the Event:

The objectives of the panel, organized by the NGO Committee on Financing for Development in collaboration with Social Justice in Global Development, Brot für die Welt and Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund, are to:

1. Raise visibility of new international discourse at the UN (Financing for Development) on financing social protection in which IMF and World Bank participate at ED and staff levels,
2. Encourage CSO advocacy at home for universal, sustainable and adequate social protection, and
3. Encourage further research and policy development on sustained, assured and adequate means for financing universal social protection.

The expectation is that the panel, comprised of experts from civil society, international agencies and governments would inform the CSO Forum on what lies behind the decision of Member States at the UN and the 50-member Inter-Agency Task Force on Financing for Development to dig deeper into challenges in sustainably and robustly financing universal social protection. The April stocktaking can lead to further domestic and international policy initiatives which requires preparedness for the debates at official and civil-society levels. We envisage an hour of presentation and half an hour of discussion.

List of speakers:

• Moderator: Barry Herman, Social Justice in Global Development
• Vinicius Carvalho Pinheiro, Special Representative to the United Nations and Director, ILO
• Representative from the Permanent Mission of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to the UN (TBC)
• Rachel Moussié, WIEGO and Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors. (See here her statement.)
• Representative from Germany (TBC)
• Steen Lau Jorgensen, Practice Director, Social Protection and Jobs Global Practice, World Bank
• Serpil Bouza, Strategy, Policy and Review Department, International Monitory Fund (TBC)
• Ms. Shari Spiegel, Chief, Policy Analysis and Development Branch, Financing for Development Office, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs

Respondents

• Shari Spiegel, Chief, Policy Analysis and Development Branch, Financing for Development Office, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs
• Serpil Bouza, Strategy, Policy and Review Department, International Monitory Fund (TBC)
• Anush Bezhanyan, Practice Manager for Strategy and Operations, Social Protection and Labor, the World Bank (TBC)

Welcome: Anita Thomas, Chair, NGO Committee on Financing for Development (NGOCFfD) and Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund