WHO/Europe joins UNICEF and ILO to launch a new policy paper on social protection in Europe and central Asia
WHO/Europe, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have launched a new interagency policy paper seeking to strengthen social protection. This includes safeguarding health, well-being and livelihoods in response to, and during recovery from, the COVID-19 pandemic and the impacts of containment measures.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all countries across the WHO European Region, but the risk of infection and the social and economic shocks of containment measures have highlighted and compounded existing vulnerabilities across society. For many people who were already falling behind due to poor health and poverty before COVID-19, the impact of these shocks is much higher and the risks of inequity and social exclusion are much greater.
The publication makes the case that the crisis offers a moment of opportunity to expand and strengthen social protection mechanisms to safeguard health, well-being and livelihoods, leaving no one behind in country response and recovery plans.
Speaking at the launch, WHO Regional Director for Europe Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge said: “At WHO, we like to imagine this new economy as an ‘economy of well-being’. By this we mean an economy that puts people in the centre, provides a safety net for everyone and contributes to environmental sustainability, and where public health is seen as a safeguard of livelihoods.”
Building back better
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, governments across the Region have introduced a range of policies to respond to the emergency and to soften the impact of containment measures. These have had an effect on the economy, employment and incomes, as well as on health and well-being.
The report from the United Nations Issue-based Coalition for Social Protection, jointly chaired by WHO/Europe and ILO, discusses some of the key social protection interventions, including health protection, support during unemployment, family and child support, and measures against social exclusion, inadequate housing and food insecurity.
The examples show that well established social protection systems and policies protect people from risks both during normal circumstances and throughout emergencies. A key message from the launch event and the report is the need to invest in universal social protection floors that are fit for purpose and consistent with universal health coverage goals.
The publication is aimed at governments, United Nations organizations and policy-makers to reduce income and health inequities.
