UN SPF-I and UNDG coordination on social protection Progress update Eighth meeting of the Social Protection Inter-agency Cooperation Board (SPIAC-B) New York, 22 September 2016

SOCIAL PROTECTION FLOORS: A PRIORITY FOR THE UN 2009: UN CEB Social Protection Floor Initiative (SPF-I) 2012: Recommendation No. 202 on social protection floors 2014/15: Endorsement and call for continued SPF-I efforts by UNDG & ILO (2014) and UNDOCO (2015) 2015: SDGs prioritize social protection (SDGs 1.3, 3.8, 5.4, 8.5, 10.4) The SPF-I was conceived in 2009 by the UN Chief Executives Board as one of nine (9) joint crisis initiatives to protect the world’s population against the worst of the potential fallout of volatile global financial markets. But it was also seen as a way to fight against entrenched poverty and increasing inequalities, in addition to facilitating recovery and building resilience against future shocks by shifting the risk away from individuals and toward states. It wasn’t until 2012 that ILO constituents adopted the Social Protection Floors Recommendation at the International Labour Conference, which gave additional guidance on how states could implement the provisions of a national social protection floor. Then in March 2014, UNDG Chair Helen Clark and ILO Guy-Ryder issued calls for increased cooperation in-countries and for joint activities to extend social protection floors in countries around the world where they work. And again, in March 2015, UN DOCO Director Kanni Wignaraja cited examples of the many joint exercises that were under way as part of the SPF-I in the Asia-Pacific, Africa and elsewhere, and called for similar efforts to bring the UN closer together on social protection. Then last year, social protection and social protection floors were named as key priorities of the 2030 Agenda, as tools in the fight against poverty, but also in combatting inequality. {NEXT]

SPF-I IMPLEMENTATION Countries National SPF teams (development partners, ministries, donors, etc.) Joint activities (assessments, coordination exercises, etc.) Regions R-UNDG Working Groups on social protection Knowledge, advocacy, peer-to-peer support and fundraising Worldwide Support from UN leadership (UNDG Chair, DOCO Director) Knowledge take-up (UNSSC curriculum and course on UN SPF-I) SPF Task Team of the Philippines UNDG Social Protection publications: Asia-Pacific Issues Brief, Eastern and Southern Africa Issues Brief, Asia-Pacific Coordination Tool-kit

EXAMPLES R-UNDG Europe and Central Asia Working Group established with national and regional UN focal points Survey on regional social protection priorities and action areas Joint policy messages and activities inventory (to be published 2017) Joint work: Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine Mozambique Technical Working Group with UN and ministries Joint assessment-based national dialogue led to review ENSSB (basic social security) strategy Results of online survey of regional ECA social protection priorities Joint WFP-UNICEF-ILO publication on the development of a social protection floor in Mozambique

NEXT STEPS R-UNDG Working Groups in all regions Additional UNDG Issues Briefs and practical guides Arab States Europe and Central Asia Western and Central Africa Finalization and implementation of UNSSC UN SPF-I curriculum AS ECA WCA