Supporting SPFs in Africa: partnerships for development

Members of the GCSPF participated in the ILO’s Global Flagship Programme on Building Social Protection Floors for All, Western and Central African tripartite and development partners networking meeting on implementing social protection floors in the 2030 Agenda that was held in Dakar, Senegal, from 23 to 25 May 2017. This workshop contributes to ILO’s efforts to support the implementation of the SDGs. While recognizing that the State has the overall and primary responsibility of extending social security coverage along the horizontal and vertical dimensions as set out in R202, this workshop aims to engage with tripartite constituents and to consult with other relevant stakeholders. The workshop also contributes to enhancing South-South cooperation as a tool to support the development of social protection floors in Africa.

As a follow up to the Global Flagship Programme’s First Development Partners meeting organized in Geneva in October 2016, and the Regional African Directors meeting organized in Abidjan in January 2017, the ILO, its constituents and development partners are organizing follow-up meetings for the implementation of the Flagship programme. A series of sub-regional workshops is foreseen starting with Western and Central Africa.

The objectives of this Western and Central African meeting are, amongst others:

• To provide an overview of the social protection situation in several Western and Central African countries, highlight the challenges to expand coverage, and share the national strategies to build sustainable social protection systems and expand coverage as part of the SDG implementation plans;
• To identify or consolidate partnerships for the Flagship programme at the country and sub-regional levels and give development partners an opportunity to explain their engagement in relation with social protection extension and SDG 1.3; and
• To enhance the engagement and participation of tripartite representative organizations of employers and workers, as well as consultations with other relevant and representative organizations of persons concerned (including NGOs and civil society organizations).  It could facilitate the development of an African business network for social protection floors and a network for workers organizations (Social Protection, Freedom and Justice for Workers Initiative).

Members of the GCSPF participated in the panel "Supporting SPFs in Africa: partnerships for development". Mr Uzziel Twagilimana, of World Solidarity (WSM), made a statement on behalf of the GCSPF highlighting some of the achievements of social movements in extending social protection to informal economy workers. His speech is available in French and can be downloaded here. Ms Raky Kane, Senior Partnerships Officer, PARDEV, facilitated the panel and speakers included:

• Mr Mohamed El Bechir, Chief of social policy, UNICEF Cameroon, “Delivering as One on social protection”
• Ms Christiane Labalme, EN3S, “Towards a Business Network for SPFs in Africa”
• Ms Ghislaine Saizanou, ITUC, Africa, “Creating a platform of workers organizations for SPFs”
• Ms Ababou, Director of the Social Security School of Algeria, “Building the capacities of tomorrow’s social security managers in Africa”
• Mr Uzziel Twagilimana, World Solidarity Movement (WSM), “Supporting local initiatives to extend social protection to uncovered groups”
• Mr Georges Eric Bertrand Mbarga Mewasi, Ministry of Economy & Planning, Cameroon, “Building national platforms of engagement on social protection”

See the Agenda of the meeting here.