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First Ministerial Conference on Social Development in Africa

www.helpage.org


October 27, 2008

Africa

 

Older woman takes her grandson for a medical check-up. Photo: Kate Holt/HelpAge International.

 

A “minimum package” of social protection would provide improved access to healthcare for children and older people.
 
The first-ever conference of African Ministers in charge of Social Development is taking place in Windhoek, Namibia from 27 to 31 October 2008.

Ministers and senior officials from the African Union’s (AU) 53 member states will convene under the theme "Towards a Sustainable Development Agenda for Africa". They will review progress on implementing social development commitments, including the 2002 Policy Framework and plan of Action on Ageing.

They will also consider a revised Social Policy Framework for adoption by AU member states, review the outcomes of regional consultations on social protection held in 2008 and explore the development of an African social security system.

Tackling poverty and inequality
 
A core outcome of the conference will be the adoption of a Social Policy Framework for Africa. Member states will use this to tackle poverty and inequality and promote longer and healthier lives for their citizens. 

The conference will also deliver a Declaration and an African Common Position on Social Integration to constitute Africa’s contribution to the 47th UN Commission on Social Development. 

It is expected that the Social Policy Framework will incorporate social protection recommendations from the ‘Investing in social protection across Africa’ consultation process. 

HelpAge International worked in collaboration with the African Union to deliver a series of national and regional consultations on social protection throughout 2008. Participants were drawn from national governments, civil society organisations, NGOs and bilateral and multilateral agencies.
 
They shared expertise and best practice and looked at the challenges of introducing social protection schemes such as pensions and disability grants to support the most disadvantaged groups in society.

Incorporating social protection

Each regional consultation concluded with agreement on a series of key recommendations to advance social protection. The recommendations will be presented as a consolidated report at the Ministerial Conference by Eric Kimani, Chairman of HelpAge International.

Key recommendations include:

• Social protection is a state obligation. Provision for it must be embedded in national legislation and state constitutions as a right of all citizens.
 
• Costed national plans for a “minimum package” of social protection should be developed consisting of cash transfers and access to healthcare for children, older people, and people with disabilities.

• Existing social protection programmes should be expanded, and new programmes developed to ensure wider coverage of all citizens, with a special focus on informal sector workers and marginalised groups.

• Civil society and government should work together to raise awareness on and campaign for social protection.
 
The national and regional consultations took forward commitments made by a number of African governments who adopted the Livingstone and Yaounde Calls for Action on Social Protection in 2006. This committed them to further social protection in support of disadvantaged groups including children, older people and those with disabilities. 

Dr Tavengwa Nhongo, HelpAge International Africa Policy Director, says:

“We hope that the conference of Ministers of Social Development will take forward the commitments made at Livingstone and Yaounde to ensure that marginalised groups across Africa benefit from increased investment in social development and expanded social protection schemes.” 


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