On 24 October, FAO together with representatives of developing countries, international donors and other UN Agencies participated to the third Meeting of the Multi-Stakeholder Partnership for SDG 1.3 which was held at the International Labour Organization (ILO) Headquarters in Geneva.

Speaking to more than 100 top government officials, business representatives, trade unionists and other organizations of the Multi-Stakeholder Partnership, Guy Ryder, ILO Director-General and Michelle Bachelet, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights called for world leaders to support social security and assistance programmes worldwide, saying they are critical to achieving the goals of the UN’s global development agenda. 

Their call for action asks countries to secure and responsibly manage public resources for social protection, and to promote dialogue to increase the coverage of public pensions, health care, family allowances, unemployment and maternity benefits and other programmes.

Speaking during the high-level segment chaired by Ms Deborah Greenfield, ILO Deputy Director-General for Policy, Ms Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett, FAO Geneva Director recalled that today 820 million people still suffer from hunger, especially in rural areas, where 80% of the world’s poor live. “Achieving the Sustainable development goals 1 and 2 cannot be realized without addressing the needs of the rural population. We need to bridge the gaps and remove the existing barriers that limit the access of rural populations to social protection”, she said.

FAO Geneva Director also highlighted the strong collaboration between FAO and ILO to promote the coverage of social protection to all which is effective through the support to governments to achieve greater policy coherence between social protection and food and nutrition security, build institutional capacities and support the design of policies and programmes that meet specific needs.

The discussion offered a unique opportunity for member States and development partners to share progress made, experience and lessons learned in supporting and achieving SDG 1.3, and look at future challenges and opportunities as well as ideas for new collaboration.

Today 55% of the world’s population still has no social protection. Faced with the urgency of the situation, the international community has committed, as part of the Agenda 2030, to “implementing nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieving substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable (SDG 1.3)”. To support the achievement of SDG 1.3, the ILO has joined forces with other organizations as part of a Multi-Stakeholder Partnership for SDG 1.3.

NB: The ILO is the responsible specialized UN agency for monitoring progress toward the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1.3 on the extension of social protection, which is recorded in the World Social Protection Report  and database.