November 2009Design: MIS Division

Social Protection in Africa: Trends and Developments

Dr Johan Strijdom, AU Commission

1st Namibia Social Protection Conference – 2015

7-9 July 2015, Windhoek, Namibia

Some outcomes of what AU is doing in SP… recent major breakthroughs at policy level …

• THIS 1ST NAMIBIA SP CONFERENCE!• 30 June 2015 Statement: Launch of World Bank Group and ILO

Universal Social Protection Initiative• June 2015 Executive Council Decision on the outputs of the 1st

Meeting of the AU Specialized Technical Committee (STC) (of Ministers) on Social Development, Labour and Employment – endorsed the rights based approach to SP and SS for all citizens; an additional protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Citizens to Social Protection and Social Security; elaboration of a Social Agenda for the AU Agenda 2063; and the 1st Five Year Plan for Implementation of the AU Decl & PoA on Employment, Poverty Eradication & Inclusive Development

Some outcomes of what AU is doing in SP… recent major breakthroughs at policy level …• April 2015: STC-SDLE-1: Decision of Ministers under

the headings: Conceptual, political and economic aspects of SP; Financing of SP; Management and Governance of SWP

• May 2014: 4th Session AU Ministers of Social Development: Children and Social Protection Systems: Building the African Agenda: + Minimum SP Package for All

• April 2014: Special Session of the AU Labour and Social Affairs Commission in preparation for the Ouagadougou +10 Extraordinary Summit on Employment, Poverty Eradication and Incl. Dvpmt

What are Member States doing by directly and with assistance of an assortment of partners; In 39 Member States audited, SP schemes include:• Cash transfer programmes (Cond. + Non-cond)• Food transfer programmes• Old Age, War Veterans and Disability Support Programmes• Food for Education Schemes/ School Feeding Programmes• Child Support – OVC and Destitute Children Programmes• Medical Support for Pregnant Women and Nursing Mothers

aimed at Reducing Infant and Maternal Mortality Programmes• Community-based Food and Nutritional Security Programmes• Skills Training and Micro-credit Schemes targeted at

unemployed Youth• Community Care and Care Workers Support Programmes• Foster Care Schemes• Public Welfare Assistance Schemes• Voucher Schemes for Farmers and Poor Agricultural

Communities

The SOCIAL POLICY FRAMEWORK FOR AFRICA (SPF) was adopted by the AU Executive Council in January 2009 and it aims to provide an overarching policy structure to assist African Union Member States to strengthen and facilitate increasing priority to their national social policies. The promotion of Social Protection programmes in Member States was 3rd Challenge of 18 key identified.

The way forward to facilitate expansion of SP measures – towards universal coverage in MS

November 2009Design: MIS Division

• MS to advocate for the implementation of the 1st 10-year Plan for the AU Agenda 2063 and the 1st 5-year Plan for the AU Plan of Action on Employment, Poverty Eradication and Inclusive Development

• Member States and RECs to evaluate their implementation of the SPF

• AU Commission and partners to develop the Protocol on the Rights of Citizens to Social Protection and Security

• Development of the Social Agenda for 2063 (Sound Model Macro Social Policy for Member States, based on Agenda 2063)

• In this MacSoc Policy prioritise jobs for youth and women, and provide for productive factors for the urban poor, and build in imperatives to purchase from Africa for Africans, buy local, provide small loans to urban youth, rural youth and women, prioritise and feed children, keep girls in school, encourage family + rooftop farming, expand/ capacitate social and care economies

The way forward to facilitate expansion of SP measures – towards universal coverage in MS

November 2009Design: MIS Division

Member States to:a) Improve cross-national learning around best practices with

regard to pertinence, quality, efficiency and impact of social protection;

b) Carefully explore ways in which SP measures could become mainstreamed into broader, universally-based social policy programmes in line with the priority areas of the SPF which they have officially adopted;

c) Share experiences on long-term financing and sustainability of social intervention schemes and programmes, including different ways of funding different interventions;

d) Promote effective multi-stakeholder dialogues between governments and various domestic and external partners on broadening social welfare programmes as part of enhancing social citizenship in Africa.

Thank you for your patience and

attention!

November 2009Design: MIS Division

AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION