Social Protection

Building social protection floors
and comprehensive social security systems

A success story

 

Two years after its inception, the UNSPF Joint Team has emerged as a dynamic, efficient and effective mechanism to ensure greater coherence and collaboration in the work of UN agencies in Thailand with their partners on social protection activities.

 

  • The UNSPF Joint Team is an example of effective inter-agency collaboration

Each agency brings its own expertise and puts forward the needs and expectations of its national counterparts. At the same time, the social protection agenda is coordinated through continuous communication, regular meetings, and the design and implementation of joint projects and activities. This long-term cooperation enhances the coherence and the relevance of interventions. In terms of advocacy, working as one team is an efficient option: the UNSPF Joint Team is increasingly recognized as the UN voice on Social Protection in the country and is the basis for partnerships with the Government on Social Protection.

 

  • The UNSPF Joint Team is a model of collaboration with the Royal Thai Government and an appropriate way to provide high-quality technical assistance

The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security acts as the principal focal point within the government for the UNSPF Joint Team and is responsible for coordinating with other line ministries (Health, Education, Labour, Finance and so on). This helps ensure that activities are designed in close collaboration with Government partners, and that they respond to the needs of the country, while increasing ownership and coordination.

 

  • The UNSPF Joint Team facilitates the creation of a critical mass of people who understand the stakes of Social Protection

The activities are led in a participatory way, involving all stakeholders of Social Protection: line-ministries, social protection institutions, social partners, civil society organizations, academia, UN agencies etc. This participatory approach contributes to the creation of a network of national experts, at policy and technical levels and among the general public, who share a vision of social protection and are willing to promote the Social Protection Floor at national level.

 

  • The UNSPF Joint Team enables greater knowledge generation and sharing

At the regional and global level, the documentation of Thailand’s experience in establishing the Social Protection Floor feeds global discussions and reports, such as the recent G20 Ministers of Labour meeting; the publication “Social Protection Floor for a Fair and Inclusive Globalization” (known as the “Bachelet Report”); and the preparation of the upcoming Recommendation concerning national floors of social protection, which will be discussed at the International Labour Conference, in its 101st Session, in June 2012.