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THEMATIC PAPER 1: Universal Social Protection Floors for Better Health

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THEMATIC PAPER 1: Universal Social Protection Floors for Better Health THEMATIC PAPER 1 Universal social protection floors for better health and well-being for all children and adolescents WORKING TOGETHER FOR BETTER HEALTH AND WELL-BEING Promoting Intersectoral and Interagency Action for Health and Well-being in the WHO European Region High-level Conference 7–8 December 2016, Paris, France Address requests about publications of the WHO Regional Office for Europe to: Publications WHO Regional Office for Europe UN City, Marmorvej 51 DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark Alternatively, complete an online request form for documentation, health information, or for permission to quote or translate, on the Regional Office website (http://www.euro.who.int/pubrequest). © World Health Organization 2016 All rights reserved. The Regional Office for Europe of the World Health Organization welcomes requests for permission to reproduce or translate its publications, in part or in full. The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the World Health Organization concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Dotted lines on maps represent approximate border lines for which there may not yet be full agreement. The mention of specific companies or of certain manufacturers’ products does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by the World Health Organization in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. Errors and omissions excepted, the names of proprietary products are distinguished by initial capital letters. All reasonable precautions have been taken by the World Health Organization to verify the information contained in this publication. However, the published material is being distributed without warranty of any kind, either express or implied. The responsibility for the interpretation and use of the material lies with the reader. In no event shall the World Health Organization be liable for damages arising from its use. The views expressed by authors, editors, or expert groups do not necessarily represent the decisions or the stated policy of the World Health Organization. CONTENTS Page Acronyms ....................................................................................................................... iv Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 2 Providing social protection floors and facilitating intersectoral collaboration ............................. 3 Make universal social protection a priority for a healthy future for all .............................. 3 Collaborate across sectors to deliver on safe pregnancy and neonatal survival ................ 3 Coordinate across sectors to improve antenatal and children’s health services ................. 4 Health-promoting nurseries and pre-schools for all children ........................................... 4 Adequate resources and income support for all families and young people ...................... 5 Ensure that adequate parental leave is available to all to give children the best start in life5 Ensure proper living conditions – essential for children’s health and well-being ............... 6 Take intersectoral action to identify children at higher risk early ..................................... 6 Ensure intersectoral information-sharing, referral procedures and follow-up .................... 7 References ........................................................................................................................ 8 page iv Acronyms ILO International Labour Organization IMF International Monetary Fund SDG Sustainable Development Goal Universal social protection floors for better health and well-being for all children and adolescents page 1 Executive summary This Thematic Paper on universal social protection floors for better health and well-being for all children and adolescents was produced to support and inform the discussion at the high-level conference on Working Together for Better Health and Well-being: Promoting Intersectoral and Interagency Action for Health and Well-being in the WHO European Region, held in Paris, France on 7–8 December 2016. It is well understood that countercyclical social protection is an important protector against poverty, plays a key role in the health and well-being of families, and is a determinant of the education, health and life satisfaction of children and adolescents. Access to adequate social protection, which includes universal health coverage and basic income security for all children, adolescents, their families and communities, is essential, as is access to nutrition, education, care and any other necessary goods and services based on fair funding mechanisms. An adequate mix of interventions helps create the family conditions that allow children and adolescents to thrive. This starts before birth and continues throughout the life-course, including, but not limited to: joined-up community-based prenatal and antenatal services and programmes; quality nursery and day-care programmes that support early childhood development and allow parents to return to work; labour market policies that provide adequate income for families and (in particular) support young people’s transition from education to employment; maternity, paternity and parental leave for all families; decent living conditions; and measures to identify children at risk and ensure referral and follow-up procedures being in place. Enhancing social protection is also integral to achieving the United Nations 2030 Agenda goals and targets related to the eradication of poverty (Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1 and 3), promotion of gender equity (SDG 5), promotion of decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), and reduction of inequality (SDG 10). This thematic paper is not an exhaustive review of the relationship between health and social protection, but touches on a number of key areas addressed in the high-level conference in Paris. Universal social protection floors for better health and well-being for all children and adolescents page 2 Introduction Ensuring that all Member States of the WHO European Region have adequate social protection – including universal health coverage and income security for all children and adolescents and their families and communities – is critical to giving all children the best start in life. The installation of social protection floors, which guarantee basic income security and access to essential goods and services for all (including those most at risk of vulnerability), is therefore a critical investment in the health and well-being of young people and future generations (1). Taken together, evidence suggests a bidirectional relationship between social protection and health (2), and good health is a form of social protection. Ill health has been shown to reduce employment prospects – working against SDG 8 – and increase the likelihood of premature retirement and older-age poverty in later years (3). Supporting universal health coverage for all children and adolescents therefore enhances social protection by ensuring access to programmes and services of sufficient quality and protecting children and families against financial hardship over the life-course. Societies pay a high cost for failing to act early and on time to promote child health and development, particularly for children at risk of vulnerability. It is estimated that children at risk of poor development in low- and middle-income countries are likely to lose out on as much as a quarter of average adult income per year, severely diminishing not only their own social protection, but also potentially that of future generations – the correction of which is critical for the achievement of targets related to SDG 10 (4). Social protection affects health not only by helping to prevent sickness and disability, but also by ensuring financial protection, thereby contributing to universal health coverage and effective access to health care. For example, progress in reducing unmet health need across Europe in the wake of the 2008 economic crisis was not only stalled, but reversed: an additional 1.5 million people had unmet health needs, with deprived groups disproportionately affected (5). The relationship between social protection and health is critical not only to employment and cycles of production, but also to care work and cycles of reproduction. Ensuring access to sexual and reproductive health services – as called for in SDG 3 – can ensure social protection for all across the life-course. Safe and wanted pregnancies, for instance, are key to ensuring the best start in life for all children by safeguarding the health and well-being of newborns, mothers and, by extension, families and communities. Access to sexual and reproductive health services during the adolescent years is vital to decreasing the risk of sexually transmitted infections and unwanted and unplanned pregnancies (6), and consequently improving employment and career prospects across the life-course . When carefully designed, and when taken together, social policies such as parental leave, child and family allowances, accessible quality child care services, unemployment benefits, active labour market policies and affordable housing have the potential to strengthen social protection for parents, with indirect benefits for children and adolescents, families
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