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An ILO report says successful ASEAN integration requires social protection

C. Peyron Bista

JAKARTA, INDONESIA (ILO news): Social protection is one of the key elements of the successful integration of the ASEAN Community, according to a new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO).

ASEAN Member States have already made commendable efforts in extending social protection in their countries, the report says. Four out of 10 have already achieved universal health coverage and the other members have committed to achieving it in the near future. Similar work on improving the education and nutrition of children in ASEAN is also noted.

However, the human right to social protection remains only partially fulfilled for the large majority of people in the region. Half of the work force have no protection against occupational accidents and diseases. Fewer than one-in-three receive an old-age pension.

The report, titled “The State of Social Protection in ASEAN at the Dawn of Integration” was launched on Wednesday, 25 November 2015, in Jakarta, during the tripartite seminar on enhancing social protection within ASEAN community. The launch was attended by representatives of ASEAN Ministries of Labour and Social Welfare, ASEAN Trade Unions and Employers’ Organizations, and development partners.

The report sets a benchmark for measuring progress in extending social protection floors and systems. Key recommendations of the report include more risk pooling and redistribution through social insurance and tax-financed schemes, better coordination of social protection interventions, more effective participation of social partners in the design and implementation of schemes, and greater political support for creating the fiscal space to finance social protection floors.

Report "The state of social protection in ASEAN at the dawn of integration"

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03.12.2015
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