Auto news on Youtube Nov 30 2017

Social protection is a human right

and key to achieving sustainable development.

The ILO's World Social Protection Report 2017-19

provides recent data on social protection systems,

from child and family benefits,

to benefits in case of unemployment,

sickness, employment injury,

maternity, disability and old-age pensions.

These new global, regional and national estimates allow

the monitoring of progress towards achieving

the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals,

in particular, SDG 1.3.

It reflects the joint commitment of countries

to implement nationally appropriate social protection systems

for all, including floors.

Today, less than half of the global population

is effectively covered by at least one social protection benefit.

But if we consider all the areas of social protection,

as much as 71 per cent of the global population

is not adequately protected at all.

Worldwide, only one in five unemployed workers

receives unemployment benefits.

Only 35 per cent of children worldwide

enjoy effective access to social protection

and almost 1.3 billion are not covered at all.

Only 41 per cent of mothers with new-borns receive a maternity benefit.

And 68 per cent of older women and men receive a pension.

However, an important proportion of older persons,

particularly in low-income countries,

is still left unprotected.

In many parts of the world,

the right to health is not yet a reality,

especially in rural areas

where 56 per cent of the population lacks health coverage,

as compared to 22 per cent in urban areas.

More efforts are needed to extend coverage in many countries.

In particular,

it is important that austerity or fiscal reforms

not undermine long-term development efforts.

A significant number of developing countries

have successfully achieved universal social protection schemes in recent years

– other countries can follow.

Achieving universal social protection is possible.

It is up to us to make it reality.