AFRICAN UNION UNION AFRICAINE UNIÃO AFRICANA Addis Ababa, ETHIOPIA P. O. Box 3243 Tel: +251 11 5 51 7700 Fax: +251 11 5 5178 44 website : www.au.int DRAFT CONCEPT NOTE FOR THE ADVOCACY AND PLANNING WORKSHOP ON PROMOTING SOCIAL PROTECTION FOR VULNERABLE RURAL WORKERS AND MEMBERS OF THEIR FAMILIESTHROUGH LEVERAGING COOPERATIVE SYSTEMS IN AFRICA, LILONGWE, 12-15 NOVEMBER 2016 (Kenya, Malawi, Cameroun, Ivory Coast)
Context/Background: Agriculture represents an important share of GDP and employs between 60 to 80% of the active labour force in Africa. Rural labour is characterized with low social security coverage, if any. Owing to the fact that poverty is more prevalent and at high levels in rural areas, various non-contributory social protection programmes, both in cash and in-kind, are provided by the governments, NGOs and international partners to the most vulnerable persons in these settings. In most cases these programmes are fragmented and not coordinated. On this front of Social protection, the AU political leaders have set the policy by adopting the Social Protection Plan for the Informal and Rural Economy Workers (SPIREWORK). Then in view of linking SPIREWORK to the processes of the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), a Document on Mainstreaming SPIREWORK into the CAADP was adopted. In addition, the CAADP Results Framework (2014-2025) defines specific targets on social protection, social security and employment. More comprehensively, the AU First ten Year Implementation of the Agenda 2063 set specific targets under the priority area on social security and social protection for all. Also, in the Malabo Declaration (Assembly/AU/Dec.1 (XXIII) on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods, they committed: I. to enhance investments for resilience building initiatives, including social security for rural workers and other vulnerable social groups, as well as for vulnerable ecosystems; II. III. to reduce vulnerabilities of the livelihoods of our population through building resilience of systems; and to mainstream resilience and risk management in our policies, strategies and investment plans At global level, the UN 2030 Agenda also calls for universal social protection coverage in line with the ILO recommendation on Social Protection Floors. At this year's UN General Assembly, world leaders launched an unprecedented effort to roll out universal social protection in countries all around the world. Heads of state, the World Bank Group and the International Labour Organization convened on Wednesday 21 September to launch the Global Partnership for Universal Social Protection, which aims to make pensions, maternity, disability and child benefits, among others, available to all persons, closing the gap for hundreds of millions currently unprotected worldwide.
In order to commence the implementation of the above policy frameworks, the FAO and ILO supported the AUC to experiment SPIREWORK-CAAP Mainstreaming through Cooperative System for social protection to rural workers and members of their families. Four pilot countries were selected (Cameroon, Cote d Ivoire, Kenya and Malawi) to develop an approach that can be duplicated in other African countries. The intervention is aimed at enhancing technical capacity in the beneficiary countries. This includes governmental officers, particularly from the ministries of Agriculture and Social Affairs/Labour, cooperatives, employers and workers organizations, in developing and implementing a social protection mix strategy (contributory and noncontributory) for accelerated coverage of rural workers and members of their families. Main activities include a country-level survey on the current and potential social protection service provided by cooperatives to members, compared to the risk profile and social protection need of member families. In terms of methodology, surveys were conducted in each of the pilot countries (Kenya, Malawi, Cameroun and Ivory Coast) based on a methodology prepared jointly by FAO and ILO. FAO analyzed and consolidated the findings that will be presented in this upcoming workshop. Also a desk research was undertaken on the targeted countries, looking at issues such as cooperative policy, cooperative system landscape, social security services provision by cooperative systems, vulnerabilities and insecurities of rural workers, strategies and mechanisms for leveraging cooperative systems to deliver social protection services and benefits to cooperative members, etc. According to the approach of the project, following the completion of the surveys in the pilot countries and the desk research, a workshop will be organized to share the findings and frame the way forward for the pilot counties. The follow up consists on developing and implementing national strategies or plans/programmes for extending social security/protection to rural workers, combined with a capacity development programme targeted at government officers and cooperative leaders. The workshop is planned to take place in Lilongwe, Malawi, from 12 to 14 December 2016. And the capacity development discussion for 15 December 2016. Objectives: Overall Objective of the initiative: The overall goal of the intervention is to facilitate access to social protection (social insurance and social assistance) for rural workers and members of their families to build resilience to risks and reduce vulnerability of their livelihoods for increased growth and shared prosperity. Specific objectives of the workshop: The specific objectives are to:
i. share the findings of the study-survey/research phase ii. agree on a strategy framework for delivering social protection services and benefits to rural works and members of theirs families iii. agree on further specific activities for an intervention in 2017-2018 iv. prepare the write shop to develop the training programme. Expected outputs: The intervention will deliver the following: i. start building common understanding on extending social protection to rural workers through cooperative systems and/or like organizations ii. A report of the workshop with the consolidation of the discussions that took place during the workshop on the findings of the survey iii. outline of national strategy/plan/programme on leveraging cooperative systems to extend social security/protection to rural workers iv. action plan for 2017-2018 v. work plan for the development of the training programme Participants: Participants are ministers and experts from ministries of labour and agriculture in the pilot countries, representatives of cooperatives, APSP, ILO, FAO, AUC (departments of social affairs and agriculture). Other countries will be invited to participate at their own costs (Zambia, Ethiopia, South Africa, Senegal, Mali, Uganda, Tunisia, etc). UNDP, UNICEF and UN-WOMEN will be invited. EU Social Protection project will be invited. Documents: Working documents will be the survey report with elements from the desk research, country outline action plan, draft action plan 17-18 and draft work plan for the design of the training programme. Reference documents will be SPIREWORK documents, FAO and ILO documents. Date: 12 to 15 December 2016 Venue: Lilongwe, Malawi Further information: For further information, please contact the following email addresses: STRIJDOMJ@africa-union.org; DIOPO@africa-union.org and SewnetM@africaunion.org
AFRICAN UNION UNION AFRICAINE UNIÃO AFRICANA Addis Ababa, ETHIOPIA P. O. Box 3243 Tel: +251 11 5 51 7700 Fax: +251 11 5 5178 44 website : www.au.int DRAFT PROGRAMME FOR THE ADVOCACY AND PLANNING WORKSHOP ON PROMOTING SOCIAL PROTECTION FOR VULNERABLE RURAL WORKERS AND MEMBERS OF THEIR FAMILIESTHROUGH LEVERAGING COOPERATIVE SYSTEMS IN AFRICA, LILONGWE, from 12th to 15th DECEMBER 2016
PART 1 Regional survey on the role of cooperatives in social protection DAY 1. 12 December 2016 09:00-09:20 Opening Statements AU Representative in SADC Minister of Agriculture of Malawi Ministry of Labour of Malawi 09:20-10:30 Setting the stage AU Policies on Agriculture: The CAADP process by Laila Lokosang, AUC/DREA AU Social Protection Plan for Informal Economy and Rural Workers, and AU Document on Mainstreaming SPIREWORK in the CAADP: Concepts by Oumar Diop, AUC/DSA 10:30-11:00: TEA/COFFEE BREAK 11:00-12:00: Presentation of the assessment methods The survey tools Desk-based review of relevant policies and programmes 12:00-13:00: Presentation of findings and policy review 13:00-14:00: LUNCH BREAK 14:00-15:30: Presentation of findings and policy review
15:30-16:00: TEA/COFFEE BREAK 16:00-17:30: Presentation of findings and policy review DAY 2. 13 December 2016 09:00-10:30 Presentation of findings and policy review 10:30-11:00: TEA/COFFEE BREAK 11:00-12:00: Presentation of findings and policy review 12:00-13:00: Survey overview Considerations on findings across countries, also in relation to national strategies / policies / programmes, and plenary reflections 13:00-14:00: LUNCH BREAK 14:00-15:30: Group discussion on findings Group discussions, where participants are divided by country, and restitution to plenary 15:30-16:00: TEA/COFFEE BREAK 16:00-17:30:
DAY 3. 14 December 2016 09:00-90:45 Official Ministerial Ceremony Statements by: APSP, president, ILO Regional Director, FAO Regional Director Commissioner for Agriculture Commissioner for Social Affairs Minister of Agriculture, Cameroon, Minister of Labour, Malawi 09:45-11:00: Outline of national strategy/plan/programme Definition of the entry points for leveraging cooperative systems to extend social security/protection to rural workers in line with the AU SPIREWORK- CAADP Mainstreaming document presented by the 4 Pilot Countries (restitution to plenary and discussion) 10:30-11:00: TEA/COFFEE BREAK 11:00-12:30: Outline of national strategy/plan/programme Definition of the entry points for leveraging cooperative systems to extend social security/protection to rural workers in line with the AU SPIREWORK- CAADP Mainstreaming document presented by the 4 Pilot Countries (restitution to plenary and discussion) 12:30-13:00: Ministerial Press Conference 13:00-14:00: LUNCH BREAK 14:00-15:00: Conclusion Action plan for 2017-2018 Communication strategy on social protection for rural workers through cooperatives/media meeting 15:00-15:30: Closing remarks DAY 4. PART 2 Formulation of a capacity development programme
09:00-10:30 Introduction Presentation of the objectives of the programme Presentation of the training institutes involved, relevant expertise and tools useful for the formulation of the programme 10:30-11:00: TEA/COFFEE BREAK 11:00-12:00: Contents Brainstorming on the contents of the programme (group exercises) 12:00-13:00: Plenary discussion Brainstorming on the contents of the programme (group exercises) 13:00-14:00: LUNCH BREAK 14:00-15:30: Outline Plenary discussion on the contents of the programme 15:30-16:00: TEA/COFFEE BREAK 16:00-17:00: Who does what? Definition of an action plan and the technical and coordination roles and responsibilities of the different actors involved (including consultation with cooperatives) 17:00-17:30: Closing remarks