European Commission, UN agencies and governments to call for increased social protection for millions of people displaced by protracted crises | WPN World People News

A two-day conference beginning on Sep 28 in Brussels will focus on sharing innovative and practical solutions to meet the needs of millions of people caught up in humanitarian crises around the world.

The International Conference on Social Protection in Contexts of Fragility and Forced Displacement, will examine how direct assistance – including cash transfers and similar measures targeting the displaced – contributes to effective crisis response and helps build resilience against future emergencies.

The global conference – hosted by the European Commission, United Nations agencies (FAO, UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP) and donor governments (Germany, Finland, Sweden, UK) – takes place at a time when a mounting number of protracted crises around the world are outstripping the capacity of humanitarian action to respond effectively.

Worldwide, in 2015, an estimated 65 million people were forcibly displaced as a result of persecution, conflict, generalized violence, or other human rights violations – an increase of almost 6 million compared to 2014. The number is projected to keep growing. According to figures from the U.S. Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, the percentage of the world's poor living in fragile situations is expected to grow from 43 per cent today to 64 per cent by 2030.

“Humanitarian needs today outpace anything we have seen before, stretching our response capacity to its limit. We cannot continue to think only short-term; tackling humanitarian basic survival needs is essential but not enough. We have to act together to deliver on the promise of leaving no one behind. Social protection has the potential to achieve this. It can put the humanitarian-development nexus into practice. By working hand in hand, humanitarian and development actors can offer the most vulnerable people everywhere a perspective of hope, and a dignified future," said European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides.

The experience of recent years has shown that social protection policies can foster self-reliance and resilience in vulnerable and displaced people and can even help pre-empt crises, by reducing poverty and addressing root causes of displacement, such as food insecurity.

However, in many of the worst-affected countries, protective systems are non-existent, weak or not fully available to displaced persons. The conference will examine the best way to strengthen social protection systems in a way that also enables displaced people to both benefit from and strengthen local economies.

“It is alarming that today global inequality between people is at its highest level in history. This is why I am actively promoting employment and social inclusion to reduce inequalities, particularly between men and women." said Neven Mimica, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development.
The conference will bring together experts and aid specialists from almost 40 countries, including Afghanistan, Ecuador, Iraq, Lebanon, Kenya, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan, Turkey and Uganda.

“There’s growing evidence that social protection – providing cash transfers and other direct assistance during emergencies – not only protects children and families during crises. It also helps them and their communities to get back on their feet and build their futures. Social protection is especially important for families and children who have been displaced from their homes and homelands, helping them provide for their children without draining their very limited resources,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake.”

Social protection success stories include:

• Turkey: The country hosts over 3 million refugees, nearly 1 million of them supported by the EU-funded Emergency Social Safety Net programme (ESSN). The ESSN, a collaboration between the UN World Food Programme and Turkish government, provides cash assistance to the most vulnerable refugee families so they can purchase the things they need – whether food, rent, school supplies or other basic necessities.

• Iran: The Universal Public Health Insurance (UPHI) is an initiative led by the Iranian Government, supported by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the private sector (Iran Health Insurance Organization). It offers all registered refugees (an estimated 951,142 from Afghanistan and 28,268 from Iraq) the possibility to enroll and benefit from a comprehensive health insurance similar to that available to Iranians. UPHI covers hospitalisation, para-clinical and out-patient services.

• Yemen: In 2017, the World Bank and UNICEF launched a new social protection partnership to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, where conflict is endangering the lives of millions of children and families. The $200 million Emergency Cash Transfer programme will benefit approximately 1.5 million poor and vulnerable households in all 22 governorates of Yemen.

Participants in the conference will learn from the experience of European and other countries that have operated child support, maternity protection, pensions and other social protection schemes for decades. These lessons can be applied more broadly in the context of global efforts to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals, as governments and the international community strengthen the link between humanitarian and development work.

Source:United Nations Children's Fund