The number of children without access to social protection is increasing year-on-year, leaving them at risk of poverty, hunger and discrimination, according to a new report released today by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF. According to the report, an additional 50 million children (aged 0-15) missed out on a critical social protection provision – specifically, child benefits (paid in cash or tax credits) – between 2016 and 2020, driving up the total to 1.46 billion children under 15 globally. “Ultimately, strengthened efforts to ensure adequate investment in universal social protection for children, ideally through universal child benefits to support families at all times, is the ethical and rational choice, and the one that paves the way to sustainable development and social justice,” Shahra Razavi, director of Social Protection Department at the ILO, said. Child and family benefit coverage rates fell or stagnated in every region in the world between 2016 and 2020, leaving no country on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of achieving substantial social protection coverage by 2030, as per the report. In Latin America and the Caribbean, for example, coverage fell significantly from approximately 51 percent to 42 percent. In many other regions, coverage has stalled and remains low. In Central and South Asia, East Asia and Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Western Asia, and North Africa coverage rates have been at around 21 percent, 14 percent, 11 percent and 28 percent respectively since 2016. Failure to provide children with adequate social protection leaves them vulnerable to poverty, disease, missed education, and poor nutrition, and increases risk of child marriage and child labour. Globally, children are twice as likely as adults to live in extreme poverty – those struggling to survive on less than US$ 1.90 (PPP*) a day – approximately 356 million children. A billion children also live in multidimensional poverty – meaning without access to education, health, housing, nutrition, sanitation, or water. Children living in multidimensional poverty increased by 15 percent during the Covid-19 pandemic, reversing previous progress in reducing child poverty and highlighting the urgent need for social protection. Moreover, the pandemic highlighted that social protection is a critical response in times of crisis. Nearly every government in the world either rapidly adapted existing schemes or introduced new social protection programmes to support children and families, but most fell short of making permanent reforms to protect against future shocks, according to the report. “As families face increasing economic hardship, food insecurity, conflict, and climate-related disasters, universal child benefits can be a lifeline,” said Natalia Winder-Rossi, UNICEF Director of Social Policy and Social Protection. “There is an urgent need to strengthen, expand and invest in child-friendly and shock-responsive social protection systems. This is essential to protect children from living in poverty and increase resilience particularly among the poorest households.” The report emphasizes that all countries, irrespective of their level of development, have a choice: whether to pursue a “high-road” strategy of investment in reinforcing social protection systems, or a “low-road” strategy that misses out on necessary investments and will leave millions of children behind. To reverse the negative trend, ILO and UNICEF urge policymakers to take decisive steps to attain universal social protection for all children, including: ·         Investing in child benefits which offer a proven and cost-effective way to combat child poverty and ensure children thrive. ·         Providing a comprehensive range of child benefits through national social protection systems that also connect families to crucial health and social services, such as free or affordable high-quality childcare. ·         Building social protection systems that are rights-based, gender-responsive, inclusive, and shock responsive to address inequities and deliver better results for girls and women, migrant children, and children in child labour for example. ·         Securing sustainable financing for social protection systems by mobilizing domestic resources and increasing budget allocation for children. Strengthening social protection for parents and caregivers by guaranteeing access to decent work and adequate benefits, including unemployment, sickness, maternity, disability, and pensions.  

Bangladesh will receive $250 million policy-based loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) under an agreement signed with the Manila-based aid agency on Tuesday.  The fund will be used to further improve the social protection system in Bangladesh for supporting the vulnerable population against socioeconomic challenges, said a press release of ADB. Economic Relations Division Secretary Fatima Yasmin and ADB country director Edimon Ginting virtually signed the agreement from their respective sides, said the press release.  The programme aims to accelerate reforms in increasing the coverage and efficiency of the social protection, improving the financial inclusion of disadvantaged people, and strengthening the response to diversified protection needs.  The loan is the second subprogram of the Strengthening Social Resilience Program (SSRP) approved in 2021, which helped implementation of institutional and policy reforms that strengthened the inclusiveness and responsiveness of social protection in Bangladesh. ADB Country Director Ginting said that the integrated social protection programme will improve social safety net management, deepen financial inclusion, address needs based on demographic, geographical, age, gender, and other diversities; and widen the coverage and efficiency of social protection. READ: ADB approves $250mn for Bangladesh social resilience programme The reforms supported under the programme will help improve efficiency by digitalization and integration of systems as well as harmonization of government’s social protection programs.  The reforms will help Bangladesh bring at least 80 per cent of social protection programs with cash-based benefits under a standardized and integrated management system with connection to G2P platform by June 2023.  At least 60 per cent of cash-based social protection benefits will be delivered to disadvantaged women, and social protection program fragmentation will be reduced in three ministries. The number of active mobile financial services accounts will be increased annually by 5%.  At least 50 mobile clinics will start operating in 10 city corporations. At least one social insurance scheme (contribution-based protection scheme) will be initiated on a pilot basis by 2023.