Integrated social protection systems: Enhancing equity for children - UNICEF social protection strategic framework

UNICEF social protection strategic framework: Full document.PDF

UNICEF social protection strategic framework: Executive summary.pdf

Social protection plays a vital role in strengthening the resilience of children, families and communities, achieving greater equity, and supporting national human and economic development.

Its relevance is heightened in the face of persistent inequalities and recent trends. Expansion of social protection coverage is critical. UNICEF supports Progressive Realization of Universal Coverage, helping countries identify and progressively expand programmes and policies most conducive to achieving universality, while also recognizing countries' different capacities and contexts.

Social protection programmes can be affordable and sustainably financed. Long-term national financing strategies should be identified and implemented to protect and expand expenditure on effective social protection programmes. These are not only technical assessments, but also political choices.

UNICEF promotes the development and strengthening of integrated social protection systems, which take a multi-sector approach and invest in sustainable national systems in order to more effectively and efficiently address the multiple vulnerabilities faced by children and their families.

Social, as well as economic, vulnerabilities need to be addressed by social protection. This requires mainstreaming social inclusion into social protection programmes and using a broader range of social protection instruments.

UNICEF puts forth this Framework as a starting point for a collaborative agenda with partners on joint learning and action, in order to maximize the potential of social protection for furthering children’s rights and wellbeing and for achieving equitable and sustainable social protection systems for all.

You can look at:
UNICEF's work on social protection

Overview of the social protection framework

Launch event of UNICEF's Social Protection Strategic Framework and presentations, 18 May 2012, New York

Recently published UNICEF books on Social Protection:

A Recovery for All: Rethinking socio-economic policies for children and poor households. Available at: http://www.unicef.org/socialpolicy/index_62107.html

Child poverty and inequality: New perspectives. Available at: http://www.unicef.org/socialpolicy/index_62108.html