PH Highlights Best Practices in Universal Social Protection for Children at Int’l Conference on Child Grants

GENEVA 19 February 2019 — The Philippine Delegation to the International Conference on Universal Child Grants—composed of Social Welfare and Development Undersecretary Camilo G. Gudmalin, and National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Director Mary Anne E.R. Darauay—shared the country’s experience and best practices in progressively realizing universal social protection for children at the International Labour Organization in Geneva, Switzerland on 08 February 2019.

The Conference was convened by United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, the International Labor Organization, and the Overseas Development Institute to bring together governments, policy practitioners, researchers, and other stakeholders to promote informed policy debate on cash transfers and social protection toward reducing child poverty.

In her presentation, Director Darauay shared that the Philippines undertook a visioning exercise in 2015 which resulted in a long-term vision “Ambisyon 2040,” anchored on the Filipinos’ expressed aspirations to have strongly bonded family relationships, to live comfortably, and to have a secure future.

To attain these aspirations, the Philippines adopted Universal Social Protection as a national priority to reduce the vulnerability of individuals and families, leading to the consequent eradication of poverty, and eventually achieving universal coverage for all economic and social services.

Key measures to this end include the institutionalization of the social protection floor, and the mainstreaming of social protection in the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022.

The Philippines’ social protection floor provides the following guarantees: essential health care, access to nutrition, education and care for children, enjoyment of basic income security, particularly in sickness, unemployment, maternity, and disability, for the working age group, and basic income security for older persons.

The NEDA Director stated that while there have been significant gains in the country’s efforts to universalize social protection, challenges still remain in its financing. Fiscal and monetary reforms are currently being studied and implemented.

Notwithstanding these challenges, strong multisectoral and intragovernmental coordination and collaboration remain crucial in the effective implementation of universal social protection toward improving wider outcomes for children. END.

For more information, visit www.genevapm.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHinGenevaUN/.