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Released:
September 01, 2021 6:28:49 PM
| Updated:
September 01, 2021 8:43:42 PM
Despite the unprecedented expansion of social protection during the COVID-19 crisis, more than 4.0 billion people worldwide remain completely without protection, according to a new report by the International Labor Organization (ILO).
The agency of The United Nations announced the information in a report entitled World Social Protection Report 2020-22: Social protection at the crossroads – in pursuit of a better future, ILO News announced on Wednesday.
It states that the The response to the pandemic has been uneven and inadequate, the gap between high and low income countries has widened, and it does not provide the much-needed social protection everyone deserves.
The report provides a global overview of recent developments in social protection systems , including basic social protection, and deals with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It identifies protection gaps and formulates wic Relevant policy recommendations, also with regard to the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
“Currently, only 47 percent of the world’s population is effectively covered by at least one social protection benefit, while 4.1 billion people (53 percent) have no income security at all through their national security Maintain social protection system, « said ILO News, citing the audit report.
» There are significant regional inequalities in social protection. Europe and Central Asia have the highest coverage rates, with 84 percent of people covered by at least one benefit, « she added.
» America is also above the global average at 64.3 percent. Asia and the Pacific (44 percent), the Arab states (40 percent) and Africa (17.4 percent) have significant gaps in care. «
» Worldwide, the vast majority of children do not yet have effective social protection – only one in four children (26.4 percent) receive a social benefit. «
» Only 45 percent of women with newborns worldwide receive maternity benefit. Only every third person with severe disabilities (33.5 percent) worldwide receives a disability pension. Unemployment benefit coverage is even lower; Only 18.6 percent of the world’s unemployed are effectively insured. ”
The ILO news also mentioned that 77.5 percent of people over retirement age are receiving some form of old-age pension, big differences between regions, between rural areas and urban areas as well as between women and men.
“Government spending on social protection also varies considerably. On average, countries spend 12.8 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) on social protection (excluding health), while high-income countries spend 16.4 percent and low-income countries only 1.1 percent of their GDP on social protection. «
The ILO study says that the funding gap (the additional expenditure required to ensure at least a minimum level of social protection for everyone) has increased by about 30 percent since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis.
« In order to guarantee at least basic social security, low-income countries would have to invest an additional 77.9 billion US dollars per year, low-middle-income countries an additional 362.9 billion US dollars and upper-middle-income countries another 750, $ 8 billion a year. That’s 15.9, 5.1 and 3.1 percent of their GDP, respectively. «» After massive public spending on their crisis response measures, there is tremendous pressure on countries to move towards fiscal consolidation, but it would be seriously damaging to cut social protection; Investment is needed here and now, ”said Shahra Razavi, Director of the ILO’s Social Protection Department.
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