News
Burundi organises its first Social Protection Week
The ILO, UNICEF, WHO, WFP, UNHCR, the Executive Permanent Secretariat for the National Social Protection Commission and development partners have jointly organised a National Social Protection Week from 8 to 10 October 2023 in Gitega.
The event was an opportunity to raise awareness on social protection among high-level public institutions, including the presidential cabinet, members of Parliament and the National Social Protection Commission, social partners (AEB and COSYBU), representatives of different sectorial ministries involved in social protection implementation such as Ministry of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, the Ministry of Public Health and the Fight against AIDS, the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Employment, the Ministry of National Solidarity, Social Affairs, gender and Human Rights, Ministry of Interior, Community Development and Public Security, Ministry of Education and other development partners including local and internal NGOs and the World Bank. The ILO project team contributed through presentations on ILO standards and international frameworks on social protection, principles for the management of social protection institutions, experiences in extending social health protection to workers in the informal economy, as well as ensuring coordination across social protection schemes.
This high-level event allowed all stakeholders to share their views about the current social protection system, highlight the main gaps and develop valuable recommendations with specific actions to make it comprehensive, well-coordinated and resilient. As a result, the participants of the event recommended, among others to i) continue advocacy for rapid adoption of the national social protection policy and the Universal Health Coverage financing strategy, ii) develop a roadmap for the extension of social security to workers in the informal economy, iii) develop a legal framework for social protection programs not yet covered by the law and a legal framework governing social protection financing; and develop regular reporting on the progress made in terms of social protection coverage by the existing system within the framework of SDG 1.3.1 using the ILO Social Security Inquiry. This high-level event is part of ILO support to increase awareness of Burundi's key stakeholders on the importance of social protection for the implementation of the national development program (2018-2027).