Ministers of Labour and Social Affaires of the CPLP discuss extending social protection coverage

The 10th Reunion of Labour and Social Affairs Ministers of the Portuguese Speaking Countries Community (CPLP) took place in Fortaleza, Brazil, between the 22nd and 24th of February. It resulted in the signing of the Fortaleza Declaration, which reassures the CPLP Countries' intention to promote the integration among all community members, highlighting public policy development addressed to the qualification of workers, the generation of employment and social protection. It also reinforces the need to find advanced mechanisms, which may recuperate jobs lost during the economic and financial crisis and generate more employment, following the Global Jobs Pact guidelines.

As far as social protection is concerned, the Declaration seeks to support the ILO’s effort in implementing basic social protection policy – understood as a set of benefits and basic social services, irrespective of contribution, addressed to socially vulnerable groups. It underlines the importance of applying social protection mechanisms and extending the number of beneficiaries, benefits and their quality, observing the better way for the implementation and the socioeconomic characteristics of each country.

The Declaration includes the approval of the Resolution on the Information Centre on Social Protection – CIPS, which recognize it as a strategic instrument of effort aggregation and contributions from the member States, useful to national and common policies on social protection. It also mandates the Social Protection Focal Points of the CPLP as main partners for the gathering and dissemination of information considered as relevant for the extension of social protection in their own countries.
Read the full text of the Fortaleza Declaration (in Portuguese) in www.mte.gov.br/cplp/

Training of the social protection focal points of the CPLP for CIPS

The training took place in Lisbon, Portugal, from 8 to 11February and was organized by the Executive Secretariat of the of the Portuguese-Speaking Countries’ Community (CPLP). Sixteen top-level representatives of the Ministries of Labour and Social Affairs from the eight CPLP countries were present, as well as representatives from the ILO Lisbon Office and the ILO/STEP Portugal Project.

During four days, the national representatives agreed guidelines and an axis for the development of CIPS, electing the priority themes to be addressed in the platform and establishing outlines of the national strategy for CIPS activities. In the short term, CIPS is committed to updating the existing information provided by each of the eight countries, and to focus on the chosen thematic priorities.

The conclusions identify CIPS as an important instrument for national policies on social protection, which contributes to enhancing reflection on social protection systems in the CPLP countries through the sharing of information, experiences and good practices in social protection.

Mozambique: Basic Social Security Regulation approved by the Government

Basic Social Security now covers all those who cannot work or who are unable to find meaningful employment to satisfy their basic needs and thus face vulnerability, such as people living in conditions of extreme poverty: children, the elderly, the disabled, and people with chronic and degenerative diseases. Following the approval of the legislation, Luís Covane, spokesman for the Government, affirmed that the Executive understands the need to assist these more vulnerable groups, which can only be carried out through risk provisions and social action.

The Regulation organizes Basic Social Security in four components that are very relevant to the Social Protection Floor:  a) Direct Social Action, managed by MMAS and comprising social transfers to address the needs of the most vulnerable and to answer to situations of transitory vulnerability.  b) Health Social Action, managed by the Ministry of Health and assuring the universal access of the most vulnerable population to primary health care; c) Education Social Action, managed by the Ministry of Education and promoting the participation of the most vulnerable population in the education system; d) Productive Social Action, jointly managed by different sectors and including programmes of Social Inclusion through Work, targeting female heads of households, people with disabilities and other people living in absolute poverty.

Cabo Verde: Adopted new legislation for the extension of social protection

The new legal diplomas, already in force (Law-Decrees No 47/2009, 48/2009 and 43/2009, all dated 23 November 2009), will extend the social protection system of Cabo Verde’s National Social Protection Institute.

The Decrees give effect to the inclusion of domestic workers in the General Social Protection System; they also revise earlier legislation relating to self-employed persons, allowing the inclusion of several professional categories who were to date excluded from the system.
These changes and innovations reflect the objectives outlined in the Government’s Programme for this legislature with an emphasis on social policies in tandem with macroeconomic policies, as a condition for social development and the improvement of living conditions, in particular for the poor and vulnerable.