Pre-Conference Workshop: The Social Protection Floor Initiative

1
Pre-Conference WorkshopThe Social Protection
Floor Initiative

• Social Protection in Africa an overview of the
  challenges
• Viviene Taylor
• University of Cape Town, South Africa

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Outline of presentation

• Introduction
• Challenges in the policy context the impetus
  for social protection in Africa
• The challenges of the social and economic context
• Existing social protection programme challenges
• Key challenges in implementing social protection
  reforms
• Some conclusions

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CHALLENGES IN THE POLICY CONTEXT THE IMPETUS
FOR SOCIAL PROTECTION IN AFRICA

• The Policy Impetus in Africa
• Social protection as key to social policy

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THE CHALLENGES OF THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CONTEXT

• Growing population at nearly 1 billion by 2010
• Age Distribution Approximately 41 of the total
  population are in the age range 0 14 years
• High fertility, maternal and child mortality
  rates
• Low life expectancy
• Malnutrition and childhood deprivation
• Low attendance of girls in school
• The disintegration of families and the social
  fabric because of HIV/AIDS
• Limited access to services

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THE CHALLENGES OF THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CONTEXT
(continued)

• Low employment, huge under-employment and a large
  number of informal and rural workers without any
  social protection coverage.
• Persistent and deepening poverty
• Famine, hunger and recurring food crises
• The lowest productivity growth rates in the world
  and low GDP growth rates
• Erosion of subsistence agriculture and
  traditional livelihoods
• Children, women and people in rural areas and the
  informal sector are without basic social
  protection

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EXISTING SOCIAL PROTECTION PROGRAMME CHALLENGES

• Contributory Social Protection
• Non Contributory Social Protection Measures /
  Social Assistance
• Targeting and Means Tests

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KEY CHALLENGES IN IMPLEMENTING SOCIAL PROTECTION
REFORMS

• Formal institutions to address poverty and
  vulnerability through social protection are
  essential.
• The role of the State and its agencies has to be
  clear and coherent
• Sustainable methods of financing social
  protection
• The role of the private sector, especially that
  of employers, as well as the role of civil
  society organisations is critical
• The expansion of institutional capacity of
  national and sub regional entities
• Agreement between governments, the international
  donor community and related institutions is
  essential

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SOME CONCLUSIONS

• Build broad based national constituencies
  representing all social partners (workers, NGOs
  private sector) to work on a social protection
  reform agenda
• Much more engagement across government
  departments such as labour, social development,
  finance and related sectors including health and
  education
• Internal cross sectoral government engagement as
  well as external engagement with civil society
  organisations and social partners.

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SOME CONCLUSIONS continued

• Reviewing and revising the official understanding
  and definition of social protection
• Development of a collective vision for reform of
  social protection, I
• Agree to the values, principles and norms or
  standards against which strategic objectives can
  be benchmarked
• Mobilise resources for social protection
• Build institutional capacity and provide
  information and databases

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THANK YOU