Background Information

Civil Society Call for a Global Fund for Social Protection

The Civil Society Call for a Global Fund for Social Protection is available in Arabic, English, French and Spanish.

The Press Release “Over 200 civil society organizations and trade unions unite to call for a Global Fund for Social Protection to protect the most vulnerable during COVID-19 and beyond”; is here, (pdf version).

Why a Call for a Global Fund for Social Protection?

In view of the global harm from the COVID-19 pandemic, with food insecurity, poverty and loss of livelihoods rising globally, it is essential that national social protection floors are made available to all people – through nation and international solidarity. While recognising that the foremost responsibility for social protection lies at country level, the pandemic puts a spotlight on the need for international solidarity. What is needed is the creation of a solidarity based Global Fund for Social Protection to support countries design, implement and, in specific cases, finance national floors of social protection. It is the adequate multilateral initiative needed to respond to Covid-19 and to build a better future.

What do we want you to do?

We invite you to endorse the Call, to express your support for the creation of a Global Fund for Social Protection.

The list of signatories is here.

How can you endorse the Civil Call for a Global Fund for Social Protection?

You can endorse the Call on by ensuring that the director, president, secretary general, or equivalent of your organisation sends an email confirming your organisation’s support for the Global Fund for Social Protection to Ana Zeballos at anaclau AT item.org.uy, who collects the signatures on behalf of the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF). Only signatures by the organisations top leadership will be listed.

The updated list of signatories is here.

Who is invited to sign?

For now, global civil society platforms and organisations, faith based organisations, worker organisations as well as their national members are invited to sign. At a later stage we may also approach individual advocates for social protection.

What do we hope to achieve?

We want to make sure that in this crisis we lay the foundations for an instrument of global solidarity that is long overdue. The Global Fund for Social Protection should become a key element of the Covid-19 response and of the efforts to build a better future, in which the universal right to social protection is a reality for all. We support this endeavour by showing the breadth of support for such a fund among civil society actors from all around the globe.

When shall the call be published?

The call was publicly launched on 21 September 2020. We ask you to share the call with your membership network as well as, civil society allies supporting this cause and invite them to sign. We ask all of you to contribute to the promotion and advocacy activities, e.g. by offering to write an op-ed, blog or similar piece for your constituency, region etc.

Information on the launching can be found here.

We also encourage you to call for a Global Fund for Social Protection in related policy spaces. You could also -for example- reference the GCSPF concept note on the Fund or the related ITUC campaign brief.

If you have suggestions and want to be part of these activities, please also contact Ana. You will be informed about the activities organized around the call, if you sign it.

How can you get involved?

You can also get active in the work around the fund as part of working group on the fund in the GCSPF, which plans activities, and develops further the existing (concept note on the Fund).

Updated version of the Call for a Global Fund for Social Protection?

In July 2022 an updated version of the Call was published. The revision was made in light of new political developments through 2022, for example, a Global Fund for Social Protection was included in the Our Common Agenda report by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Global Financing Mechanism for Social Protection Floors - Background Information

• Policy Brief “Social Protection for Climate Justice: Why and how?” (PDF version available here), Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF), May 2024.
• Webinar “A Global Fund for Social Protection: Lessons from the diverse experiences of global health, agriculture and climate funds” Based on the study “A global fund for social protection. Lessons from the diverse experiences of global health, agriculture and climate funds” produced by a team of researchers and published by the ILO, this webinar presented experiences of setting up global funds across the health, climate and agriculture sectors and the lessons to be learnt from them that can guide further thinking about the implementation of a prospective global fund for social protection. Discussion focused on institutional governance arrangements of existing global funds carefully selected for their diversity in terms of origins, longevity, aims and institutional structures, and what they tell us about critical governance issues that need to be carefully navigated in the design and institutionalization of a global fund for social protection. Markus Kaltenborn and Alison Tate (ITUC), members of the GCSPF, participated in the webinar. The webinar was held on October 26, 2023.
  Page of the webinar. Watch the recording. Read the reports of the webinar (here and here). The slide presentations are here.
• ILO published Working Paper 97 “A global fund for social protection. Lessons from the diverse experiences of global health, agriculture and climate funds” (pdf version) in October 2023. The authors of the working paper are Nicola Yeates, Chris Holden, Roosa Lambin, Carolyn Snell, Nabila Idris, Sophie Mackinde.
  This study aims to understand the experiences of setting up global funds across the health, climate and agriculture sectors and identify lessons to be learned from them that can guide further thinking about the implementation of a prospective global fund for social protection.
• The GCSPF published the statement to support the study "Inequality, social protection and the right to development" (A/HRC/54/83).
• The Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development published the study "Inequality, social protection and the right to development" (A/HRC/54/83) on July 2023. The study mentions the Global Coalition and reffers to the Global Fund for Social Protection. The Study will be released during the Human Rights Council on September - October 2023.
• Amnesty International supports the establishment of an internationally administered Global Fund for Social Protection to guarantee the right to social security. Amnesty International published the Briefing "Rising Prices, Growing Protests: The Case for Universal Social Protection" on May 2023. The Press release is here.
• The GCSPF published the "Statement on the development of a new international financing mechanism for social protection" on May 2023.
• The Report “Expanding Global Social Protection. Options for the Design of an International Financing Mechanism” by Markus Kaltenborn was published by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung e.V. on February 2023.
  A solidarity-based Global Fund for Social Protection must meet certain criteria to respond adequately to the challenges of global poverty and inequality. Key requirements include compliance with the country-ownership principle in the allocation of funds and a governance structure oriented toward equal decision-making power for the partner countries. Both Financial Intermediary Funds and UN Multi-Partner Trust Funds are suitable in principle for such a new financing mechanism, whereas the World Bank Trust Fund model is not to be recommended in this respect.
• The “Global Solidarity Funding For Social Protection” report explores the feasibility of the extension of universal social protection. This report highlights the implicit financial challenges and the opportunity of a Global Solidarity Fund For Social Protection.
  To support the global debate on the Global Fund and the implementation of Social Protection Floors, the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) commissioned this study, its objective is to explore the feasibility and necessity of a global financing mechanism for social protection, focusing on Nepal and Uganda.
  The study eventually determined (i) the cost of co-financing the closure of national gaps in social protection floors, including access to essential health care; (ii) the redistributive impact of such policies in terms of poverty reduction and the reduction of inequality; (iii) the effects of a global funding mechanism support on the achievability of the social protection-related SDG targets in the sample countries; and (iv) the effects of the fund support on countries’ social protection systems resilience in times of crisis.
  This report is a collaboration between the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Maastricht University and the United Nations University-MERIT. The report was launched on November 2022 and information about the launching is here.
• USP2030: Principles for Financing Universal Social Protection. On October 2022 the Financing Working Group of the Global Partnership on Universal Social Protection (USP 2030) realeased a joint statement on key principles for financing social protection.
  Universal social protection is an essential means to prevent and reduce poverty and inequality and is at core of the social contract that connects the state with the society, contributing to more inclusive, equitable, stable, and peaceful societies. With the ongoing economic effects of COVID-19, the unfolding cost of living crisis, and the ever-growing impacts of climate breakdown the need for social protection has never been greater. And yet large and entrenched coverage gaps remain, with a lack of available and accessible financing a major bottleneck in achieving universal social protection. In light of this challenge the USP2030 working group on financing has jointly agreed the following key principles to guide the international and national financing of social protection Read more
• The HLPF virtual side event: How to achieve the SDGs despite the worsening hunger and poverty crisis? took place on Wednesday, 6 July, during the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) 2022. The video is here. Gunnel Axelsson Nycander participated on behalf of the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF). Download her presentation. More information here.
• The Social Protection Podcast “A Global Fund for Social Protection” contributes to the ongoing debates around universal approaches to social protection: financing.
  The guests in this episode are Charles Lwanga-Ntale (Independent Consultant); Helmut Schwarzer (Head of Public Finance, Actuarial and Statistics Unit of the Social Protection Department at the International Labour Organization) and Marcus Manuel (Independent Consultant). The guests contribute to the discussions around what shape should such a fund take? What are the lessons available to date? How to address the coverage gaps in social protection given differences in fiscal space? And finally, how did the COVID-19 pandemic influence those trends in social protection financing?
  The podcast Ep. 14 “A Global Fund for Social Protection” was released on May 2022.
• The Briefing Note: The contribution of a Global Fund for Social Protection to the financing of social protection by Olivier De Schutter, Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, was published on 2 May 2022. The Briefing Note acknowledges the strong advocacy work of the GCSPF.
• The report “Expanding social protection and closing financing gaps” contributes to the ongoing debates on the establishment of universal social protection through an analysis of eight specific country cases (Bangladesh, Gabon, Honduras, Mongolia, Senegal and Somalia) where trade unions are actively campaigning for extending social protection as part of national development strategies.
  The cases showcase the potential for mobilising greater domestic resources for social protection as well as the importance of greater international financial support towards social protection, including strengthening the share of development assistance towards social protection to at least 7% of existing ODA allocations in the short term, as well as the potential for a Global Social Protection Fund in mobilizing and coordinating international financing to make social protection a reality for all.
  The report is available in English, French and Spanish. This study was prepared by the ITUC, with financial support from WSM and it was released on May 2022.
• The policy brief Social Protection and Gender Equality introduces social protection, describes why it is important for women and girls, refers to the Global Fund for Social Protection and summarises evidence of the impact of social protection on gender equlity. The policy brief by Act Church of Sweden and The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation was released on May 2022.
• The Civil Society 7 communiqué that calls for progressive and sustainable outcomes at G7 Summit Progress towards an equitable world – must be more than a promise! was released on May 2022.
  This C7 Communiqué reflects the policy positions and priorities of Civil7 2022 along the Working Groups and in the section entitled “Actively promote transformative development finance” calls for setting up a Global Fund on Social Protection (p.12).
• Labour and Social Justice. A GLOBAL FUND FOR SOCIAL PROTECTION Views from Selected Low-income Countries.; by Charles Lwanga-Ntale, FES Geneva in cooperation with the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF) and Brot für die Welt, April 2022.
• Labour and Social Justice. Governance principles for a Global Fund for Social Protection; by Markus Kaltenborn and Laura Kreft, FES Geneva in cooperation with the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF) and Brot für die Welt, March 2022.
• Policy Brief “A Global Fund for Social Protection to promote policy and fiscal space to make the right to social protection a reality for all” PDF version available here
  Prepared by the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors’ working group on a global financing mechanism for social protection, whose members represent Act Church of Sweden; Action Against Hunger – France; the Africa Platform for Social Protection; Bread for the World – Germany; Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Geneva Office; HelpAge International; the International Trade Union Confederation; Oxfam International; Save the Children; Social Justice in Global Development; We Social Movements; Markus Kaltenborn, Professor of Public Law and director of the Institute of Development Research and Development Politics at Ruhr University Bochum and Michael Cichon, former director of the ILO’s Social Security Department and honorary professor of social protection at the Graduate School of Governance of Maastricht University/United Nations University in the Netherlands, September 2021.
• On September 2021 the virtual side event “Decade of Action to achieve Universal Social Protection by 2030” (Theme Austerity & Social Protection) co-hosted by the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF) and the Africa Platform for Social Protection (APSP) was held during the Global People's Assembly on 22 September, 2021. The video is available here and the invitation here.
• On September 2021 the UN Secretary-General released his report “Our Common Agenda” that builds on 12 commitment areas identified by Member States in the UN75 Declaration in 2020. Four tracks fed into Our Common Agenda: the Next Generation Fellows youth track, thought leaders, UN Member States, and civil society.
  Paragraph 28 of the Report refers to social protection and the establishment of a Global Fund for Social Protection.
• On August 2021 the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors sent a letter to Mathias Cormann, Secretary General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). See the letter here, pdf version here.

• On July 2021 Human Rights Watch & Empowerment Initiatives (JEI) released the Report “Nigeria: Covid-19 Impact Worsens Hunger in Lagos” that documents how a five-week lockdown, rising food prices, and a prolonged economic downturn have had a devastating impact on informal workers, slum dwellers, and other urban poor families in Lagos. The absence of a functioning social security system meant that government assistance, including cash transfers and food handouts, reached only a fraction of people going hungry. The report also shows the need for increased international support for expanding the right to social security, including a reference to the Global Fund for Social Protection, to support expanded social security in the wake of the pandemic. The Global Fund could present an alternative to loans that may impose austerity measures that could harm human rights and increase poverty and inequality in the coming years.

• The virtual side event “Decade of Action to achieve Universal Social Protection by 2030” took place on 12 July 2021 at the High-level Political Forum 2021.
  The side event was co-organized by the Permanent Mission of Argentina to the United Nations; Ministry of National Development Planning, Indonesia; Global Partnership for Universal Social Protection - USP2030; Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors; Global Call to Action Against Poverty; International Labour Organization; The World Bank; International Network for Social Protection Rights (INSP!R West-Africa); United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD); Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung; Protestant Agency for Diakonie und Development; Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd; Centro de Implementación de Políticas Públicas para la Equidad y el Crecimiento (CIPPEC). The video is here.

• Johanna Wagman participated on behalf of the Global Coalition in the webinar event “Ahead of the G20 Foreign and Development” Joint Ministerial Session, “Policy Dialogue on G20 response to adequately tackle the impact of COVID-19 on hunger and food insecurity”. Her notes are here. The agenda of the webinar is here. The event was organised by Civil 20 (C20) and Oxfam and it was held on 15th of June 2021. Further information here.

• On June 2021 the GCSPF working group for a Global Fund for social protection released the Q&A on the Global fund for social protection.

• The virtual ASEAN Regional Forum on Social Protection that Empowers Women organized by OXFAM was held on 29 - 30 June 2021. The forum brought together social protection experts, national and international organizations, civil society organizations, UN agencies, ASEAN Committee on Women, ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Social Welfare and Development empowerment and advancement. Aura Sevilla (WIEGO), Florencia Caro Sachetti (CIPPEC, Argentina), Evelyn Astor (ITUC), María Victoria Raquiza (Social Watch Philippines, Philippines) members of the Global Coalition participated on the Forum and spoke about the Global Fund. Further information can be found here. The videos are here.

• On May 2021 the US Coalition of the GCSPF sent a letter and a briefing on “Expanding social protection: benefits for workers, businesses, and communities to the US government” to support the global fund at both the G7 and G20.

• On April 2021 the Civil Society 7 Summit released the “Civil society's recommendations to the G7” that include the Global Fund for Social Protection under “Global sustainable economic recovery after the pandemic” and link back to the Global Coalicion Concept, (p.5).

• The article “G20 talks: South Africa must raise Africa’s voice for a social protection Global Fund” by Markus Kaltenborn and Letlhokwa George Mpedi was published in the Daily Maverick (South Africa) on 19 April 2021. (PDF format)

• The article “Global Fund for Social Protection: Social security for all” by Markus Kaltenborn, Laura Kreft was published at D+C Development and Cooperation on April 2021. (pdf format)

• On April 2021 socialprotection.org published a video on financing social protection, that includes the recommendation of a Global Fund for Social Protection.

• The virtual event “International Solidarity to Support a Robust and Inclusive Recovery – A Global Social Protection Fund”, co-organized by the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF) and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), was held in the framework of the 2021 Spring Civil Society Policy Forum of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The event took place on Thursday 25 March 2021. The video is available in English, Spanish and French. Didier Jacob's presentation is available here.

• The virtual side event “Building Roofs and Raising Floors Through Inclusive Digital Technologies and A Global Fund for Social Protection”, co-organized by the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF) and Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) brought together speakers from the Governments of Finland and Belgium, the United Nations, civil society, academia, and lived experience.
  Speakers explored the diverse and interconnecting perspectives on social protection and homelessness, and discussed why the Global Fund for Social Protection is necessary to ensure that all have the right to social protection. Speakers specifically considered how digital technology can extend social protection floors to those who are living without roofs. The event was held in the framework of the CSocD59 on 12 February 2021. The video is here.

  Further information at UNDESA: Inclusive Digital Technologies and a Global Fund for Social Protection

• In advance of the G20 Employment Working Group meeting on 15-17 February 2021, the GCSPF calls on the G20 to launch an initiative to establish a Global Fund for Social Protection. Read the advocacy letter or download a pdf version.

• The blog “What’s next for Social Protection: A Global Fund for Social Protection” by Nicola Wiebe was published as part of the activities to promote and disseminate the results and key discussions of the global e-Conference ‘Turning the COVID-19 crisis into an opportunity: What’s next for social protection?’.
  
  The article, that was published on December 2020, summarises the key messages from the e-Conference’s Side Event on A Global Fund for Social Protection. The session was moderated by Alison Tate, Director of Economic and Social Policy of International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), and joined by speakers Valérie Schmitt, Deputy Director of International Labour Organization (ILO) Social Protection Department; Gabriel Fernández, Social Protection Specialist of Africa Platform for Social Protection (APSP); Markus Kaltenborn, Professor of Law of Ruhr University Bochum; Sulistri Afrileston, Deputy President of the Confederation of Indonesia Prosperous Trade Union KSBSI, member of ITUC;  Michael Cichon, Professor emeritus of Social Protection of Maastricht Graduate School of Governance at the United Nations University in Maastricht (UNU MERIT); Marcus Manuel, Senior Research Associate of Overseas Development Institute (ODI). The full session is available here and the blog is here.

• On November - December 2020, Olivier De Schutter, Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, organized a call for reaction on proposals for a Global Fund for Social Protection. The questions were presented on the basis of the meeting held jointly with the Frech government. On the basis of the reactions received, he intends to present the Human Rights Council with a mapping of the positions adopted, and to identify ways forward.
  
  The GCSPF submitted its contribution which is based on “A Global Financing Mechanism for Social Protection”. Members of the Global Coalition have also participated, among them, Center for Economic and Social Rights, ITUC, Oxfam, Markus Kaltenborn

• Nicola Wiebe spoke on behalf of the GCSPF at the Civil Society Meeting “Financing for Development in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond” held by the UN Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General with civil society on 2 November 2020. She spoke about the rationale and need for the Global Fund for Social Protection, details of the civil society call for this were shared and responded to in the meeting and the GCSPF SPF film was shown in the course of the meeting. The video of the intervention on Social Protection is here and the PDF version is available here.
  
  The High-level Meeting provided the opportunity to comment on the menu of options, strategize on how to strengthen the role of the United Nations in economic governance and explore how to keep the momentum for FfD in the coming period. The video of the event is here. Further information here.

• Universal social protection floors are a joint responsibility. (Joint Op-Ed By Michelle Bachelet, Olivier De Schutter and Guy Ryder published on October 2020)
  Building back better from the pandemic so that we have greater resilience against future crises’ requires international solidarity and better social protection for all, that covers the poorest and most marginalized as well as those who currently have resources to pay.
  Social protection floors for all are affordable. The financing gap for all developing countries – the difference between what these countries already invest in social protection and what a full social protection floor (including health) would cost – is about $1,191 billion in the current year, including the impact of COVID-19. But the gap for the low-income countries is only some $78 billion, a negligible amount compared to the GDP of the industrialized countries. Yet the total official development assistance for social protection amounts to only 0.0047 per cent of the gross national income of donor countries.

• Launching event of the Civil Society Call for a Global Fund for Social Protection. The global community of nations has long decided to ensure the Human Right of all people to social protection. Studies have shown that ensuring a basic level of social protection for all is affordable for most countries and definitely for the global community of nations. A solidarity-based Global Fund for Social Protection could support countries to design, implement and, in specific cases, co-finance national floors of social protection. This side event, that held in October 2020, offers civil society and academic perspectives on the proposal of a Global Fund for Social Protection and gives room to discuss ways and means of turning this idea into reality.
  Moderator: Alison Tate – Speakers: • Valérie Schmitt (ILO) • Gabriel Fernandez (APSP) • Markus Kaltenborn (Ruhr University Bochum) • Sulistri Afrileston (ITUC) • Michael Cichon (GCSPF) • Marcus Manuel (ODI) Watch the video

  The event took place in the framework of the Global e-Conference “Turning the COVID-19 crisis into an opportunity: What’s next for social protection?” organised by socialprotection.org, which took place on October 5, 6 and 8, 2020. Further information can be found here. This session recording is available here.

• On September 2020, Olivier De Schutter, Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, organized jointly with the French government a High-Level Expert Meeting on this topic, which brought together 12 governments, 18 international agencies, social partners, civil society, and academic experts. The questions listed here are informed by the views expressed during that meeting.

• Poverty monitoring in the context of Covid-19. Webinar. 15 June 2020.
  Chair: Andrew Shepherd, Principal Research Fellow, Equity and Social Policy, and Director, Chronic Poverty Advisory Network, ODI
  Keynote: Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
  Speakers:
  Sonalde Desai, Professor and Director, NCAER-National Data Innovation Centre and Professor of Sociology at the University of Maryland
  Michael Rogan, Interim Director, Urban Policies Programme, WIEGO and Associate Professor of Economics and Economic History, Rhodes University, South Africa

• Global Social Protection Fund needed to provide basic services for all working people. Media release, Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU). 4 June 2020.

• Global Social Protection Fund. Letter to Senator the Hon. Marise Payne, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australia. 4 June 2020. By Australian Council of Trade Unions, Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA, Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network, Oxfam Australia, Jubilee Australia, ActionAid Australia, Aid/Watch, Uniting Church in Australia – Synod of Victoria and Tasmania.

• A Joint Statement on the Role of Social Protection in Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Social Protection Interagency Cooperation Board (SPIAC-B). May 2020.

• With coronavirus, now is the time for the humanitarian system to change for good. Larissa Pelham and Nigel Timmins, OXFAM. 26 May 2020.

• Covid-19 and social protection responses: time for a global safety net? Stephen Devereux, Jeremy Lind, Keetie Roelen, Rachel Sabates-Wheeler, Institute for Development Studies (IDS). 14 May 2020.

• COVID-19 crisis highlights urgent need to transform global economy and the necessity to finance social protection floors through national and international resources, says new UN poverty expert. Mr. Olivier De Schutter, Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights. May 1, 2020.

• A Global Financing Mechanism for Social Protection. A proposal for the decade of action on the Sustainable Development Goals 2020-2030. April 2020.
  A Global Financing Mechanism for Social Protection A proposal for the decade of action on the Sustainable Development Goals 2020-2030 More than two thirds of the world’s population are still denied a life in dignity and social security: the GCSPF calls for action on social protection financing to deliver on the human right to social protection and the international commitment to guarantee social protection floors for all (SDG 1.3) at a time when the world is richer than ever before.

• A Global Financing Mechanism for Social Protection. A proposal for the decade of action on the Sustainable Development Goals 2020-2030. April 24 2020.

• We urgently need major cooperation on global security in the COVID-19 era. Robert Muggah (Founder, SecDev Group and Igarapé Institute), David Steven (Senior Fellow and Senior Advisor, Center on International Cooperation), Liv Tørres (Director, Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies, hosted by the Center on International Cooperation at New York University). World Economic Forum. 23 April 2020.

• Social protection systems underpin the most successful government responses to COVID-19. Sharan Burrow, ITUC. 4 April 2020.

• Gates-for-all by the year 2025? Let us kick-start a Global Fund for Social Protection by crowdfunding. Michael Cichon. 30 January 2020.

• International Financing for Social Protection Systems
  The technical session “Exploring the feasibility of International Financing for Social Protection Systems” took place during the Global Social Protection Week organized by the International Labour Organization (ILO) which was held from 25th to 28th November 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland. Michael Cichon and Markus Kaltenborn were in the panel on 28 November 2019. This session brought together leading thinkers from governments, research institutions, the civil society and the private sector in order to discuss the feasibility of international financing for social protection floors. Different proposals for global solidarity mechanisms have been put forward in the past decade. Furthermore, different tax proposals have been discussed (and partly been implemented), including recent discussions on international taxation in the G7. The audio is here and the concept note is here​.

• A Global Fund for Social Protection Floors: Eight Good Reasons Why It can Easily be Done. Michael Cichon. 2 July 2015.

• Financing the future: how international public finance should fund a global social compact to eradicate poverty. Romilly Greenhill, Paddy Carter, Chris Hoy, Marcus Manuel. Centre for Aid & Public Expenditure. Development Progress. April 2015.

• Underwriting the Poor: A Global Fund for Social Protection. Magdalena Sepúlveda, Olivier De Schutter. October 2012.