Financing Universal Social Protection: Opportunities for Action at the National and International Levels

On 23 January 2023, the ITUC and the INSP!R Network (supported by WSM, ACV & CM) organised a meeting that brought together trade unions and civil society organisations to discuss their priorities and campaign strategies for financing universal social protection at the domestic, regional, and international levels.

Social protection is essential to reduce and prevent poverty and vulnerability throughout the lifecycle. Numerous commitments from the international community have been agreed upon to support financing efforts to ensure comprehensive social protection systems that provide adequate support to all, however, major financing gaps for social protection persist, with the ILO estimating that 1.2 trillion USD is needed to close the financing gap for low-and middle-income countries. Nevertheless, international financial support remains critically low.

In the meeting, panellists from international organisations, civil society, trade unions, and academia called governments to urgently move away from austerity measures, to make instead use of the different sustainable options available to strengthen social protection. You can download here the background note, agenda, and the speakers’ presentations.

Report of the meeting: Financing Universal Social Protection - Opportunities for Action at the National and International Levels (23 January 2023)
Agenda and documents