社会保护

建立社会保护底线和全面的社会保障体系

Lessons learned

1) A legal basis and strong, long-term political support in favour of social protection are the determining factors which ensure the continuity of social programmes, standardize procedures and regulations, promote the legitimacy of a change in institutional practices, and enhance efficiency at the political level (both horizontal and vertical) and at management level.

The question of institutional coordination is closely linked to that of the coordination of different types of benefits. Recommendation No. 202 places questions of coordination between non-contributory and contributory benefits at the centre of the debate. The coordination between these two types of benefits is essential, especially to ensure the rights of workers around the world and to gradually strengthen the levels of benefits. Therefore, the role of social protection floors is fundamental in obtaining a comprehensive social protection system.

2) Institutional coordination at the political level should include a horizontal axe and a vertical axe:

  • Horizontal, or intersectoral, coordination is achieved at the central government level between the ministries and institutions in charge of social protection and its funding. In a fragmented system, it is essential to have organic spaces for exchange, which can be used to define the characteristics of social protection policies and their respective fiscal spaces. The Social Cabinet of Ministers in Uruguay and the National Council for the Coordination of Social Policies (Consejo Nacional de Coordinación de Políticas Sociales, CNCPS) in Argentina are both good examples.
  • Vertical coordination between the different levels of government (federal, national, regional, and municipal) aims at ensuring coherence in the application of the policies and in the care offered to the beneficiaries. Two good examples are the Universal Child Allowance (AUH) in Argentina and Chile Solidarity (CHS) in Chile, which have existing partnership agreements between the social protection institutions and the municipalities for the gradual implementation of the programmes and feedback mechanisms from the entities which are in regular contact with the beneficiaries.

3) Coordination at the political level should result in coherent and coordinated management practices. The coordination of management is a key element in obtaining an effective implementation and monitoring of the social protection schemes and programmes (thereby avoiding their duplication) and achieving “transparent, accountable and sound financial management and administration” (Recommendation No. 202, Art. 1). In the five countries studied, the following was highlighted:

  • The establishment of common criteria to identify the target population, such as the national definition of poverty and vulnerability based on common criteria, is the first step towards creating identification databases shared by the institutions and the different levels of government responsible for social programmes. These mechanisms facilitate the development of a strategy for the “active search” for potential beneficiaries (such as those in Brazil and Chile) to obtain better coverage and a greater visibility of the target population.
  • The exchange of data between the institutions responsible for social protection programmes is essential for improving services for the beneficiaries and the mechanisms of monitoring and control, as well as allowing beneficiaries to gradually transition from one social protection programme to another throughout their life cycle.
  • The establishment of an institutional network of national coverage, with local agencies or “one-stop services” as access points for beneficiaries to social benefits is a good practice to guide those living the farthest away from the institutional environment towards adequate social programmes. The “one-stop service” can also be used in the context of other social policies (health, education, agricultural development, food security, etc.). Relevant examples include institutional networks, such as Social Assistance Reference Centres (CRAS) and Social Assistance Specialized Reference Centres (CREAS) in Brazil, and/or psychosocial support at home (Family Intervention Units, UIF) in Chile.