What is Social Protection?

Social Protection Floor (SPF)

“The social protection floor approach has been developed by the ILO, drawing on the recent experiences of extending protection, mostly in developing countries. (...) an integrated set of social policies designed to guarantee income security and access to social services for all, paying particular attention to vulnerable groups, and protecting and empowering people across the life cycle. It includes guarantees of:

  • basic income security, in the form of various social transfers (in cash or in kind), such as pensions for the elderly and persons with disabilities, child benefits, income support benefits and/or employment guarantees and services for the unemployed and working poor;
  • universal access to essential affordable social services in the areas of health, water and sanitation, education, food security, housing, and others defined according to national priorities.”

Source: International Labor Organization. 2011. "Social protection floor for a fair and inclusive globalization: Report of the Advisory Group chaired by Michelle Bachelet Convened by the ILO with the collaboration of the WHO". International Labor Organization, Geneva, Switzerland. <https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/---publ/documents/publication/wcms_165750.pdf>. Accessed 15 April 2020. 

"The “Social Protection Floor” (SPF) is a basic set of social rights, services and facilities that every person should enjoy. The United Nations suggests that a social protection floor could consist of two main elements that help to realize human rights: services: geographical and financial access to essential services such as water and sanitation, health, and education; transfers: a basic set of essential social transfers, in cash or in kind, to provide minimum income security and access to essential services, including health care".

Source: International Labour Organization. N.d. "Glossary". ILO. <https://www.social-protection.org/gimi/ShowGlossary.action?lettre=s&glosLang=EN>. Accessed 14 May 2020.