Rights Based Social Protection: From Rhetoric to Action

The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in partnership with the Worldwide Network Nigeria: Women in Development and Environment, a member of the Society for Family and Social Protection, had the opportunity to host a side event at the 56th UN Commission for Social Development Session on 5 February 2018 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

The side event themed "Rights-Based Social Protection: From Rhetoric to Action" has been organized to promote the discourse around rights-based social protection and lobby and advocate for developing countries especially in Africa to put social protection on a legal basis. The aim was to highlight the benefits of a rights-based approach in social protection as a sure way to eradicate poverty and achieve the SDGs.

FES Zambia was strongly involved in this side event, which contributed to the realization of the aims and objectives of our Rights Based Social Protection in Africa Project. In line with the theme of the event “From Rhetoric to Action”, the objective was to widen the existing political will to foster Rights Based Social Protection. As the generally structurally weak civil society organizations that exist in this policy field often have few opportunities to influence the policy process in the accelerated implementation.

The panel discussion focused on the following topical issues:

• 1. Rights-Based Social Protection: Progress and Challenges
• 2. Rights-Based Social Protection: From Policy to Action the case for Nigeria
• 3. Policy and Legal Framework Developments and Implementation: From National Social Protection Policy to Social Protection Law the case for Zambia
• 4. Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through Rights-Based Social Protection
• 5. Monitoring and tracking of Rights-Based Social Protection

Speakers included amongst others Mr. Dawda Samba from the Platform for Social Protection Gambia, Mr. Oyebisi Oluseyi and Dr. Abiola Tilley-Gyado from Society for Family and Social Protection Nigeria, Ms. Esther Ngambi from the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services Zambia and Ms. Rosario Diaz Garavit, Founder of the Millennials Movement.