GLOBAL COOPERATION NEWSLETTER
October 2011
In this edition
G20 Labour and Employment Ministers meet
Signature campaign for social protection
Parliamentarians discuss migrant workers’ rights to social protection
New film on social protection
Austerity measures threaten children and poor households
Identifying fiscal space: Options for social and economic development for children andpoor households in 182 countries
Armed conflict – impact on women and girls who are pregnant, infants and children
Health promotion forum: From local knowledge to health in all policies
Social science space website
2011 Survey on monitoring the Paris Declaration
OXFAM warns on land grab dangers
G20 Labour and Employment Ministers meet
http://www.g20-g8.com/g8-g20/g20/english/news/news/the-g20-on-social-issues.1474.html)
At the G20 Labour and Employment Ministers September meeting in Paris they adopted conclusions
aimed at strengthening the social dimension of globalisation. They stated the importance ofemployment as an objective of economic policy, with focus on youth employment. The Ministers
agreed to put in place a task force for youth employment to prepare proposals for the meeting of
the G20 labour Ministers in 2012 under the Mexican presidency.
The Ministers underlined the importance of strengthening social protection, with a commitment
from the G20 States to implement nationally-defined floors of social protection. They encouraged
greater coordination of the activities of international organisations to support States inimplementing this commitment.
The Ministers supported effective implementation of social and labour laws. In particular, theyexpressed their support for the International Labour Organisation in its efforts for the ratification
and application of the eight fundamental conventions.

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Lastly, they declared support for better cooperation between international organisations in order toincrease the coherence of social and economic policy.
The French presidency is paying particular attention to the emergence of this social dialogue at G20
level, which will lead to meetings of business and workers alongside the Leaders' Summit inCannes. The conclusions of the labour and employment Ministers will be submitted to the G20
Leaders during the Cannes Summit on 3 and 4 November 2011. The full text is at
http://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/how-the-ilo-works/multilateralsystem/g20/WCMS_164260/lang--en/index.htm
ICSW President Christian Rollet commented on the conclusions of the G20 Labour and Employment
Ministers. “Unemployment is the key point of the declaration and the link between sustainablegrowth, social protection and employment is stressed. The social protection floor (SPF) is quoted
many times as an investment in social justice and a way of promoting economic stability.”“In a summary of a first draft of the report by Mrs Bachelet (French only) to the G20 summit, theSPF is put forward as part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, linked with decent work;
affordability; improvement of productivity at work, etc…Mrs Bachelet spoke also of strengthening
SPF as a “post MDG” issue.”
Mr Rollet concluded “Despite good content there is not a single word on civil society! A bit
disappointing. Trade unions and employers groups are involved in the preparation of the social partof the summit (they will have a pre-summit event). ILO and governments see unions as civilsociety.”
Signature campaign for social protection
The New York based NGO Committee for Social Development at the United Nations has mounted asignature campaign in four languages in support of the Social Protection Floor Initiative. The aim isone million signatures. By clicking on the links below you will find background information and cansign the petition. Please promote The Social Protection Floor Campaign on your list serves andamong your friends and communities.
The signatures will be used as an advocacy tool at national level and at the UN during theCommission on Social Development 2012, Commission on Status of Women 2012 and theInternational Labour Conference in June 2012.
English: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/signature-campaign-social-protection-floor.html
Spanish: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/en-apoyo-del-piso-de-protecci%C3%B3n-social.html
French: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/appuyer-le-socle-de-protection-sociale.html
Portuguese:http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/patamar-de-prote%C3%A7%C3%A3o-socialpara-todos-e-todas.html
For more information: www.ngosocdev.net
Parliamentarians discuss migrant workers’ rights to social protection
In September 2011 twenty-six parliamentarians as well as legislative staff members, civil society
and trade union representatives gathered in Phnom Penh for the 5th Inter-Parliamentary Caucus on
Labour Migration. The programme hosted by the Cambodian National Assembly was organised inparallel to the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) to address the issues of protection of
migrant workers and members of their families and their access to social security/protection.
The Caucus explored challenges to the prevailing notion that states are not responsible for the wellbeing of non-nationals working in their territories. The parliamentarians sought to resolve the ongoing tensions surrounding the protection of rights of migrant workers in the context of regional
integration. (From Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development Monthly
Information Service September 2011 No.79 http://www.afppd.org/information.html)

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New film on social protection
GIPSPSI has just produced a film Social protection: a lifelong necessity. The film is available at:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xld91i_social-protection-a-lifelong-necessity_news
This film presents three successful social protection experiences: Bolsa Família (Family Grant)
Programme in Brazil, the medical assistance scheme for the needy in Morocco and the 500 Baht
Universal Pension Scheme in Thailand.
The film was made with the help of ILO and HelpAge International.
The mandate of GIP SPSI is “to assist the French public, para-public or private operators in theirinternational cooperation actions in the health and social protection sectors”.
As coordinator, it encourages networks to develop and collaborate in order to draw on French
expertise. It also contributes to strategic thinking on major health and social welfare challenges.
http://www.gipspsi.org/ (In English, French and Spanish)
Austerity measures threaten children and poor households
http://www.unicef.org/socialpolicy/files/Austerity_Measures_Threaten_Children.pdf
After a first phase of fiscal stimulus and countercyclical policies (2008-2010), in a second phase(2010- ) many developing countries are contracting public expenditures. Adjustment measures
include: (i) wage bill cuts/caps, including salaries of education, health and other public sector
workers; (ii) elimination or reduction of subsidies, including food subsidies; (iii) rationalising social
protection schemes by reforming pensions or further targeting social safety nets; (iv) governments
are also introducing VAT on basic products consumed by vulnerable populations.
Identifying fiscal space: Options for social and economic development for children andpoor households in 182 countries(http://www.unicef.org/socialpolicy/files/Fiscal_Space_-_17_Oct_-_FINAL.pdf)
It is often argued that social and economic investments that benefit children and poor households
are not affordable or that government expenditure cuts are inevitable during adjustment periods.
But there are alternatives, even in the poorest countries. This paper offers an array of options: (i)re-allocating public expenditures, (ii) increasing tax revenues, (iii) lobbying for increased aid andtransfers, (iv) tapping into fiscal and foreign exchange reserves, (v) borrowing and restructuringexisting debt, and /or (vi) adopting a more accommodative macroeconomic framework. To serve asa general advocacy resource, the annex provides a summary of the latest fiscal space indicators for
182 countries.
Armed conflict women and girls who are pregnant, infants and children
Without security, adequate healthcare is not possible. Armed conflicts continue with the major
casualties being pregnant women, girls, babies and children. Most countries in conflict are poorly
resourced and their mortality and morbidity statistics so much higher than rich countries. Nothing
short of a global revolution to create equity is going to solve the problem. The maternal and childmortality rates for weapon exporting countries are much lower than the countries in which theweapons are used. This is an ethical issue that must be addressed by health professionals. Armed
conflict is probably the most serious global public health challenge and two suggestions areprovided. Health professionals have a major voice and must support the currently progressing Arms
Trade Treaty and call for more effective protection for healthcare in areas of conflict.
The link to the article is: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378378211002805
Health promotion forum: From local knowledge to health in all policies
Geneva International Conference Centre, CICG - Geneva, Switzerland Friday, 18 November 2011,
The goal of the Forum is to mobilise NGO and civil society health promotion efforts and provide an
opportunity to explore strategies needed to advance the health promotion agenda. This will involve
the key players in health promotion reaching a common understanding on the status of healthpromotion, analysing the outcomes of recent relevant international meetings and how to ensure
follow-up, clarifying the role of key players and working methods needed to maximise contribution

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and impact, strengthening the partnership between government, UN agencies, civil society andbusiness
Questions to be considered are how to translate declarations into programmes/policies on theground; identifying the obstacles to effective implementation; how to influence local, national andinternational policy; how to build on local knowledge and community assets as key components ofsuccessful outcomes; what actions are likely to make an overall impact; what can the Alliance for
Health Promotion do to promote health promotion efforts.
Registration is open - visit http://www.alliance4healthpromotion.org to register.
Contact: sozanskig@alliance4healthpromotion.org(ICSW is a member of the Alliance for Health Promotion)
Social science space website
ICSW’s partner in the production of International Social Work – Sage publications has launched its
re-vamped design on “socialsciencespace”.
The front page and framework of the site has been redesigned to improve navigation and ease ofuse. It is now possible to see more of the content across the site and to identify what is new, whatis exciting, and what topics people are writing about. Check it out at www.socialsciencespace.com
2011 Survey on monitoring the Paris Declaration
http://www.oecd.org/document/1/0,3746,en_2649_3236398_48725569_1_1_1_1,00.html
When both developed and developing countries committed themselves to the 2005 Paris
Declaration for achieving more effective aid, they agreed not only to a set of principles, but also tomeeting a set of measurable targets by 2010. This is an important feature of the Paris Declaration,
providing a tool for donors and developing countries to hold each other to account.
After the target year of 2010, the results make for sobering reading. At the global level, only oneout of the 13 targets established for 2010 has been met, however, considerable progress has been
made towards many of the remaining 12 targets.
Globally, the survey results show considerable variation in the direction and pace of progress acrossdonors and partner countries since 2005. For the indicators where responsibility for change lies
primarily with developing country governments, progress has been significant. Many of thesechanges require deep reforms that go beyond aid management to broader aspects of government
processes. Effectiveness 2005-10: Progress in Implementing the Paris Declaration (full report2.7Mb) http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/25/30/48742718.pdf
OXFAM warns on land grab dangers
Oxfam has launched a major new report, Land and Power (http://oxf.am/4bB ), to highlight thegrowing pace of large-scale land deals abroad, often brokered at the expense of poor communities
that lose homes and livelihoods - sometimes violently - with no prior consultation, compensation ormeans of appeal. http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/76733
The content of this Global Newsletter may be freely reproduced or citedprovided the source is acknowledged. Views do not necessarily represent
policies of ICSW.
Newsletter Editor: Denys Correll, Executive Director
ICSW, Plot 4, Berkeley Lane, Off Lugard Avenue,Entebbe, Uganda
Phone: +256 414 32 11 50
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