Addressing the nexus between social protection, labor and employment

Focused and real inter-sectoral effort between the labor, social development and social security authorities is an absolute necessity for the construction of comprehensive social protection systems.  The December 10-12 workshop "Toward an intersectoral focus on social protection in the Americas: Labor, social development and social security" held in Mexico City, reinforces the work being advanced by the region in collaboration with the OAS-SEDI.

The workshop brought together representatives of Ministries of Labor, Social Development, and Social Security institutions from more than 21 countries in the hemisphere, and representatives of 11 international agencies including the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United Nations, and the World Bank, among others. The event was organized by the OAS-SEDI, through its Inter-American Network for Labor Administration (RIAL) and the Inter-American Social Protection Network (IASPN), with the support from the German Cooperation, the Inter-American Conference on Social Security (CISS), and the Government of Mexico through the Ministry of Social Development (SEDESOL) and the Secretariat of Labor and Social Welfare.

Through the OAS, Ministers of Social Development throughout the region have adopted and defined social protection as "an integral approach comprised of various universal and targeted policies and programs that seek to help individuals confront the various risks they face in their lifespan." This concept demands that social protection be tackled through inter-sectoral and inter-agency collaboration.

"This workshop is an example of both inter-sectoral and interagency collaboration," said Sherry Tross, Executive Secretary for Integral Development of the OAS about the event. "In terms of intersectoral collaboration, it brought together officials from three sectors of government to share and discuss experiences and challenges of working in a coordinated manner on social protection issues. In turn, interagency collaboration was reflected by the broad range of actors convened, all of which are strategic to accomplishing common social protection goals”. Additionally, Secretary Tross noted the great efforts of the region’s governments to design innovative strategies to combat poverty, expand social protection coverage, and create both more and better jobs. “From the OAS, we applaud these efforts and are confident that results in this area will be more effective and sustainable as they are performed in a coordinated manner and under the framework of comprehensive social protection systems," she added.

In terms of the institutional implementation of innovative social protection strategies, the Secretary General of the CISS stressed that there are still hurdles to overcome as in practice "institutions do not speak. They only speak to fight for territory, which presents a problem, as policies and social protection systems were not designed to function this way”. In turn, he compared social protection to a rubix-cube, noting that “to win”, it is necessary to work on all silos in a coordinated manner.

Successful social protection programming in both Brazil and Colombia speak to the overwhelming potential of institutions when working in a coordinated manner. Representatives of the Ministries of Labor from both countries highlighted some of the strategic social protection programs currently underway. Sinara Neves Ferreira, Director of the Department of Employment and Wages of the Ministry of Labor and Employment of Brazil, presented on Unemployment Insurance that has benefited 7.5 million people to date. The program provides users with financial assistance and support in finding employment, vocational guidance, and training. Meanwhile, Gloria Gaviria, Head of International Relations of Colombia’s Ministry of Labor, highlighted the success of the General Pension System, which serves 18.3 million members. Gaviria also referred to the Colombia Mayor program, which delivers a cash subsidy for the elderly and reached 1.5 million people in 2014, among others.

In addition to expert presentations at the workshop, a field visit to the Mexican state of Morelos was conducted as part of the event. The visit provided participants with an opportunity to witness firsthand the implementation of the PROSPERA (thrive) Program; a successful initiative coordinated by SEDESOL that grants more than 71,000 young recent high-school graduates access to a job board, a job portal, as well as scholarships and self-employment programs.

These experiences and others presented during the workshop emphasize the need for further intersectoral dialogue and action on social protection, labor and employment, to ensure that the policies and programs of both sectors are effective and provide benefits to the population. The OAS, with its political fora and specialized networks on both issues – the IASPN and RIAL - is well positioned to continue to support this effort in the region.