World Bank s Social Protection & Labor Strategy Consultations Meeting FEEDBACK FORM

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1 The World Bank Group World Bank s Social Protection & Labor Strategy Consultations Meeting FEEDBACK FORM Country: Belgium City: Brussels Venue: World Bank Brussels Office Date: May Total Number of Participants: 30 Please fill out below with comments and type of stakeholder. Please add as many comment rows as needed. 1. Based on your experience, what would be the most important challenges in the social protection and labor sector in the coming 10 years? To help build absorption capacity in developing countries, preferably through national governments. 1 World Bank Social Protection and Labor Strategy

2 To establish trust in the institutions which are to provide social protection. Stimulate accountability in order to reinforce the social contract between national states/governments and their citizens. To establish a balanced policy mix that is capable of targeting both the formal and the informal sector in developing countries. The main challenge in this context is to provide basic social protection services in the informal sector. The World Bank has a track record of focusing on the institutional side and ignoring the informal economy (e.g. Malawi). Comment 4: To provide long-term support in order to ensure national governments in developing countries establish sustainable social protection systems that transcend short-term political goals. Comment 5: To convince the middle class in developing countries of the virtues of taxation as a means of ensuring sustainable and equitable funding/financing for social protection initiatives/systems and to push for a political economy more favourable to social protection. 2 World Bank Social Protection and Labor Strategy

3 Comment 6: To tackle the intergenerational transmission of poverty, e.g. by addressing the issue of roles within households. In this regard, duly take into account the issue of missing middle generations in developing countries, i.a. due to migration and HIV/AIDS. 2. Please share particular examples of good practice or innovation that should inform the Strategy. In Cambodia, the EU engages in broad policy dialogues about human rights, land grabbing and social protection with the government as well as NGOs. It s important to engage with the latter in order to ensure ownership by the community. Need to look at UNEP report on the Green Jobs as good practice. 3 World Bank Social Protection and Labor Strategy

4 3. What should the World Bank's role be with regard to social protection systems or programs? World Bank lending should not be used to pay for actual transfers/benefits, but rather to set up a sustainable system of social protection. The World Bank should be careful not to provide incentives that discourage client countries to invest in sustainable protection (e.g. such as done in Doing Business). 4 World Bank Social Protection and Labor Strategy

5 The World Bank can bring added value by providing (i) knowledge (based on its decades-long expertise); (ii) operational credits/loans for social protection systems in times of crisis; and (iii) grant money. Comment 4: The World Bank should recognize explicitly the role of civil society and other actors in this process and engage with them in the development and implementation of social protection interventions 4. In strengthening the World Bank s engagement in social protection and labor, what is your opinion regarding the proposed areas of focus in the Concept Note listed below? A. Moving from programs to social protection systems [Not addressed directly by any of the participants, yet most of them talked about systems rather than programs.] 5 World Bank Social Protection and Labor Strategy

6 B. Strengthening the focus on low income countries and fragile states Most fragile countries have no effective social protection systems in place at present. Such systems should be incorporated in national poverty reduction strategies and public budgets to ensure good governance and effective implementation. Specific attention should be given to: (i) targeting the poorest; (ii) civil society oversight; (iii) coordination at national level; (iv) a sectoral approach, (v) and influencing the political economy, 6 World Bank Social Protection and Labor Strategy

7 In the context of fragile states, special attention must be given to post-conflict countries (e.g. how social protection can help reintegrate ex-combatants & build social capital). It should not be assumed that the issues associated with aging which are seen as problems in the North will also be problems in the South. C. Emphasizing promotion as a goal of social protection when designing programs and systems The activation aspect of promotion predominantly poses problems in the West. In developing countries, there is usually no need for people to be activated as they are already very active, especially in the informal sector. Therefore, the focus should be on establishing social protection in the informal sector. 7 World Bank Social Protection and Labor Strategy

8 People s increasing mobility/migration (both internally & abroad) creates opportunities as well as challenges/risks. The latter can be effectively addressed by promotion, especially with regard to stimulating the creation of human capital, skills formation and labor market efficiency. A more coordinated approach to promotion of opportunities should be encouraged between host countries and countries of origin. Civil Government D. Continued investment in knowledge, including sharing relevant good practice and results As the Concept Note duly outlines, the Strategy should indeed look to stimulate further sharing of knowledge and good practices; not only North-South, but also South-South and South-North (e.g. Mexico-NYC). 8 World Bank Social Protection and Labor Strategy

9 5. What are your suggestions or comments about a new World Bank Social Protection & Labor Strategy? As women are most in need of social protection, gender issues should be addressed more prominently in the Strategy. This should include data disaggregated by gender. Trade unions and other CSOs are currently underrepresented in the Advisory Group for the new Strategy. CSOs should also be duly engaged with when social protection initiatives are being set up in client countries. 9 World Bank Social Protection and Labor Strategy

10 The Strategy should also outline efforts to raise awareness among foreign (western) investors in developing countries regarding their responsibility concerning labor rights. It should also push for core labor standards Comment 4: The Strategy should leave enough room for varied, flexible approaches that duly keep track of the national/regional context in which they are being developed (no one-size-fits-all/readymade solutions). At the same time, it would be appropriate to establish minimum levels of social protection that would need to be met in all client countries (cf. ILO s Social Protection Floor). Comment 5: The strategy should be centered around a rights-based approach, recognizing the right of people to social protection so they can keep their governments accountable. Comment 6: Governments should be stimulated to take up an overarching regulatory role, which cannot be played in a credible manner by the private sector. Comment 7: More attention should be paid to social protection of migrants, both legal and undocumented ones. 10 World Bank Social Protection and Labor Strategy

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