The Recommendation being discussed at the 101st Session of the ILC – involving  delegates from the 185 member states of the International Labour Organization (ILO) – will introduce a new international standard in support of the extension of social protection coverage and the progressive building of national social security systems.

The social protection floor initiative, spearheaded by the ILO, seeks to introduce nationally-defined sets of basic social security guarantees, which aim at ensuring basic income security and access to essential health care and other social services for all, especially the poorest and most vulnerable groups.

Addressing the ILC on 6 June, the ISSA Secretary General Hans-Horst Konkolewsky recognized the important potential of the Recommendation to improve the lives of billions of people, even at a time when social security is facing major economic pressures.

“This ILC comes at an historic turning point for social security. The world is more than ever keenly aware of the potential of social security to combat poverty and contribute to economic growth and social cohesion,” the Secretary General stated.

“At the same time, investment in social security is questioned when government budgets face considerable pressures,” he said.

Referring to the ILO Recommendation as a “unique opportunity for social security development”, the Secretary General reiterated that “the ISSA strongly supports the adoption of this Recommendation as an indispensable instrument in promoting social security extension and guiding national actors in achieving progress towards social security for all.”

The ISSA Secretary General upheld the recent Memorandum of Understanding signed by the ISSA with the ILO as a “powerful new instrument” to strengthen cooperation between the two organizations in support of effective initiatives to extend social security extension.

He also thanked outgoing ILO Director-General, Mr Juan Somavia, for his unwavering commitment to social protection as an “essential component of decent work and a crucial means of making this world a better place for workers and their families”.

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