Delivering Social Protection Floors as One Update on UNDG A-P Thematic Working Group on social protection (April 2015) Ms Tomoko Nishimoto, Assistant Director- General and Regional Director

Remarkable growth in A/P, most dynamic region, but still grave concerns with quality of work and employment. Poverty headcount ratio in A/P in  East Asia & Pacific (developing): 22.67%  South Asia: 60.15% Percentage of working poor in A-P in 2013  East Asia: 13.1%  South East Asia and the Pacific: 25.1%  South Asia: 55.9% A-P doing well in economic growth, share of poor declined 1 Refers to the percentage of the population living on less than $2.00 a day at 2005 international prices. Source: World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Database. 2 Refers to the share of the working poor in total employment - defined as those earning less than US$2 per day (PPP). Source: Calculated based on the ILO - Trends Econometric Models, October 2014.

Ravallion(2014) : Substantiates above. He provides evidence to show that though numbers of those in poverty have declined, those at the bottom of the distribution have not seen any improvement. Has the rising tide lifted all boats? “The poorest of the world are being left behind. We need to reach out and lift them into our lifeboat.” - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, 2011

We need growth, but along with growth we need a Rights-based approaches to justice. Rights must be secured for all; none left behind. We need to reach the poorest “Recall the face of the poorest and weakest person you have seen and ask if the step you contemplate is going to be any use to them.” - Mahatma Gandhi’s talisman

The 2013 U.N. report on setting new development goals, which argued that: “the indicators that track them should be disaggregated to ensure no one is left behind.” Focus on Decent Work. Social policies aim to raise the floor => The SDGs, a new paradigm

Direct effect: When households avail social protection benefits, their income increases, thus reducing poverty Multiplier effect: With higher income, households buy food, goods and services, thereby generating more income for the economy Behavioural effects: When households use health care and education services, it leads to better health, higher productivity, increased human capital Social Protection as an investment

SDG 1: Alleviate poverty in all its forms, everywhere. Target 1.3: Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable. One UN, beyond 2015 “This new, universal, sustainable development agenda requires an international community that is ‘fit for purpose’ in order to support countries to implement a new generation of sustainable development goals.” - UN Secretary-General’s Synthesis Report

S-G Report to the Human Rights Council on the realization of economic, social and cultural rights in all countries: SP ad SPF have great potential for several ESC Rights Human rights norms and SPF are complementary The S-G encourages states to consider putting in place comprehensive SP systems and SPFs Social Protection and ESC Rights

Organizing country operations “In April 2009, the UN CEB launched the Social Protection Floor Initiative (SPF-I)... we ask Resident Co-ordinators and UNCTs to consider a number of specific steps to advance this work...” - UNDG Chair Helen Clark and ILO Director- General Guy Ryder in letter to all UNRCs/UNCTs March Creation of national joint SPF teams -Supporting national dialogues -Conducting joint assessments -Integrating SPF into national development plans -Building national statistical capacities STEPS

Continued UNDG endorsement to implement SDGs though multi-layered coordination: -Global level -Regional level -National level Coordination through UNDG UNRCs / UNCTs UNDG REGION UNDG/DOCO GLOBAL Wignaraja letter (Mar ‘15) Ryder-Clark letter (Mar ‘14) Regional Chair letters + joint knowledge products UNRCs / UNCTs NATIONAL REGIONAL “… within your national context, [take] the necessary steps to support countries in extending national floors of ‘social protection for all’ in the Post-2015 period...” - UN DOCO Director, Kanni Wignaraja in letter to all UNRCs/UNCTs March 2015

ASIA-PACIFIC Joint UN country assessments: – Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Mongolia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, Viet Nam Regional Thematic Working Group – Over 30 members from a dozen UN agencies UNDG-AP Social Protection Issues Brief – Published July 2014 – 11 participating agencies – 13 country experiences and regional activities documented PHILIPPINES: - SPF Core Group with ministries/UN agencies - Joint dialogue/assessment in 2015 MONGOLIA: - UN Working Group on SP - Joint dialogue/assessment conducted CAMBODIA: - Joint development of NSPS - Single-Window Service (SWS) mechanism THAILAND: - SPF Joint Team - Joint assessment of SP - Recommendations on child support grant and long-term care benefits adopted

CURRENT ACTIVITIES UNDG Asia-Pacific Tool-kit: Coordinating the Design and Implementation of National- Defined Social Protection Floors - Developed under auspices of TWG-SP-AP - Country experiences and good coordination practices documented from different UN agencies - Coordination assessment matrix and methodology - First application in Nepal scheduled for early May

WORKING AS ONE Participatory assessments – Carried out jointly by UN agencies Explore policy options for expansion Determine cost scenarios Make joint recommendations – Conducted in several Asia- Pacific countries: Cambodia Indonesia Lao PDR, Mongolia Etc. THAILAND Mr. Niwatthamrong of the Prime Minister's Office delivers address at presentation of recommendations. Policy brief

WORKING AS ONE UN support for a single- window service – “One-stop shop” for social protection / employment services Improved coordination among/within responsible ministries Facilitates registration and access to benefits – UNDG Coordination guide Contributions from numerous UN agencies CAMBODIA The first single-window was opened in 2014, with a nation- wide roll-out scheduled in Policy brief

OUR LEGACY LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN: - Joint compendium on national dialogues planned and pensions note EASTERN-SOUTHERN AFRICA: -Joint Issues Brief on SP (1 st draft ready) WESTERN-CENTRAL AFRICA: - Joint Issues Brief on SP planned in 2015 EUROPE - CENTRAL ASIA: - Thematic Working Group TORs under review by UNICEF, UNDP, ILO, others ARAB STATES: - Thematic Working Group discussions w/ UNICEF, UNDP, ILO, others Global level: -The SPF-I jointly managed by ILO and UNDG global -A common website keeps trackk of the progress made -The experience useful for the post 2015 Agenda un.social-protection.org

Delivering Social Protection and SPFs as One THANK YOU