Resource

Building adequate social protection systems and protecting people in the Arab region

  • English
ILO
International Labour Office
2009
iv, 20
External link
Resource cover

Summary (English)

As one of the thematic background papers for the Arab Employment Forum (Beirut, 19-21 October 2009), this paper reviews the status of social security in the Arab region in the context of the global financial and economic crisis, and identifies four priority areas for discussion at the Arab Employment Forum. First, one of the main challenges for the Arab region is to build an effective social protection floor which would guarantee a minimum level of social protection for the population, and which would contribute to realizing the universal right to social security. In many Arab countries there is increasing recognition that the yields of economic growth need to be distributed in a more effective and equitable way in order to foster broad-based and sustainable economic and social development, and that more effective protection from poverty is indispensable. Second, effective social protection policies requires a coordinated and comprehensive approach which takes account of the complexity of social policies and its interlinkages with related policy areas. Bringing different types of programmes, target groups and modes of provision under one common policy framework ensures better coordination and integration between the different elements of the national social security system, and enables countries to realize the right to social security in a more effective and efficient way. Third, the extension of social security coverage is not only a social imperative, realizing human and social rights, but also a precondition for the effective functioning of labour markets and for productive employment. Labour market distortions can arise where workers are not covered under the same regulations with respect to their social security coverage, or where the existing regulations are not fully enforced. Appropriate measures need to be found to minimize such distortions and to ensure that fundamental rights at work are ensured for all workers. In the Arab region, the extension of social security is particularly relevant for three policy areas: pensions, unemployment protection and maternity protection. Fourth, ensuring the good governance of social security is one of the key challenges for future operations and reform of social security. Good governance nurtures trust in the systems, which in turn fosters popular support and helps to increase levels of compliance. International labour standards provide a globally accepted and tested framework for ensuring good governance and realizing rights at work.

Note

Thematic paper prepared for the Arab Employment Forum, Beirut, 19-21 October 2009.

Conference Tunisia , United Arab Emirates , Oman , Algeria , Palestinian Territory, Occupied , Morocco , Iraq , Saudi Arabia , Yemen , Sudan , Jordan , Bahrain , Qatar , Syrian Arab Republic , Lebanon , Libya , Egypt social protection policy , financing , unemployment , cash / in-kind benefits
21.09.2012