The Side event on “Safeguarding Social Protection Expenditure: actionable recommendations for FfD4” will be held on 12th February 2025, 3.00 - 4.30 pm, at Conference Room C, UNHQ, New York. The side event will take place in the framework of the Third Session of the Preparatory Committee for the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) which will be held in the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 10 to 14 February 2025.
The International Labour Organization (ILO), the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF) and the USP2030 Financing Working Group are pleased to convene a side-event offering actionable recommendations for FfD4 on how to safeguard social protection expenditure. Excellencies and invited experts will share insights on why FfD4 presents a unique opportunity to boost the political will to safeguard social protection expenditure and to close the financing gap. In doing so, the panelists will examine what could work in terms of global, regional and national commitments on shielding social protection expenditure and expanding the fiscal space for social protection highlighting national practices and collaborative approaches. The session will foster dialogue among UN Member States, national policymakers, multilateral and bilateral agencies, social partners and other key stakeholders highlighting the pivotal role of social protection as a cornerstone of equitable and sustainable development.
Participants
Ms. Shahra Razavi, Director of the Universal Social Protection Department, ILO [Opening remarks & moderation]
• James Heintz, Andrew Glyn Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst
• H.E. Alicia Buenrostro Massieu, Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN of Mexico
• Prudence Kaoma, Acting Permanent Secretary (Planning and Administration), Ministry of Finance and National Planning, Zambia
• Christina Behrendt, Head, Social Policy Unit, Universal Social Protection Department, ILO.
Umberto Cattaneo, Public Finance Specialist, Universal Social Protection Department, ILO
• Thomas Taylor, Policy Adviser ITUC
• Shea Gopaul, IOE Permanent Representative to the UN and co-chair for the Business and Industry Major Group
• Jennifer Yablonski, Representative of USP2030
• Robert Powell, IMF Special Representative to the UN
• Lena Simet, Representative of the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF)
