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Pre-Conference Workshop: The Social Protection Floor Initiative

Explore policy challenges, economic contexts, program hurdles, and reform strategies in African social protection initiatives. Key insights on key areas for improvement and policy implications.

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Pre-Conference Workshop: The Social Protection Floor Initiative

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  1. Pre-Conference Workshop:The Social Protection Floor Initiative Social Protection in Africa: an overview of the challenges Viviene Taylor University of Cape Town, South Africa

  2. Outline of presentation • Introduction • Challenges in the policy context & the impetus for social protection in Africa • The challenges of the social and economic context • Existing social protection programme challenges • Key challenges in implementing social protection reforms • Some conclusions

  3. CHALLENGES IN THE POLICY CONTEXT & THE IMPETUS FOR SOCIAL PROTECTION IN AFRICA • The Policy Impetus in Africa • Social protection as key to social policy

  4. THE CHALLENGES OF THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CONTEXT • Growing population at nearly 1 billion by 2010 • Age Distribution: Approximately 41% of the total population are in the age range 0 – 14 years • High fertility, maternal and child mortality rates • Low life expectancy • Malnutrition and childhood deprivation • Low attendance of girls in school • The disintegration of families and the social fabric because of HIV/AIDS • Limited access to services

  5. THE CHALLENGES OF THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CONTEXT (continued) • Low employment, huge under-employment and a large number of informal and rural workers without any social protection coverage. • Persistent and deepening poverty • Famine, hunger and recurring food crises • The lowest productivity growth rates in the world and low GDP growth rates • Erosion of subsistence agriculture and traditional livelihoods • Children, women and people in rural areas and the informal sector are without basic social protection

  6. EXISTING SOCIAL PROTECTION PROGRAMME CHALLENGES • Contributory Social Protection • Non Contributory Social Protection Measures / Social Assistance • Targeting and Means Tests

  7. KEY CHALLENGES IN IMPLEMENTING SOCIAL PROTECTION REFORMS • Formal institutions to address poverty and vulnerability through social protection are essential. • The role of the State and its agencies has to be clear and coherent • Sustainable methods of financing social protection • The role of the private sector, especially that of employers, as well as the role of civil society organisations is critical • The expansion of institutional capacity of national and sub regional entities • Agreement between governments, the international donor community and related institutions is essential

  8. SOME CONCLUSIONS • Build broad based national constituencies representing all social partners (workers, NGO’s private sector) to work on a social protection reform agenda • Much more engagement across government departments such as labour, social development, finance and related sectors including health and education • Internal cross sectoral government engagement as well as external engagement with civil society organisations and social partners.

  9. SOME CONCLUSIONS continued • Reviewing and revising the official understanding and definition of social protection • Development of a collective vision for reform of social protection, I • Agree to the values, principles and norms or standards against which strategic objectives can be benchmarked • Mobilise resources for social protection • Build institutional capacity and provide information and databases

  10. THANK YOU

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