Geneva, 28 June 2022. 50^th Regular Session of the Human Rights Council: Interactive Dialogue with Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty 

FAO Statement delivered by Mr Dominique Burgeon, Director, FAO Liaison Office with the United Nations in Geneva

Excellencies,

FAO welcomes the Report of the Special Rapporteur on the non-take-up of social

protection benefits.

Worldwide, rural populations face a host of barriers to accessing social protection. Workers in many agricultural sectors are excluded from statutory regimes.

• Language barriers, documentation requirements and complex application procedures can deter or prevent eligible rural households from receiving the benefits to which they are entitled.
• Physical barriers may hinder access to social protection and other services,
• High levels of informality, seasonal employment, and low and irregular earnings in rural areas erect financial barriers to participation in contributory schemes.

Where workers in the rural economy are not covered by national legislation, they should be brought under the protection of the law – by extending social security legislation to agricultural workers, as has been done in Ecuador and Jordan – or where not possible, by introducing specific legislation, as Algeria, Brazil and Colombia did.

Measures must be put in place to facilitate access and registration by people in rural areas, such as through the deployment of mobile offices, one-stop shops or digital services, or through the use of collective registration agreements as in Costa Rica.

Adapting the way in which benefits are determined and social security contributions are collected and financed can help accommodate the seasonality and low contributory capacity of rural populations.

FAO will continue to work with Member States to expand the fiscal space for social protection and strengthen country capacities to reach and provide rural populations with adequate social benefits whenever they need them.

Related Links:

FAO's work on Social Protection