55pc of world�s poor out of safety net coverage: WB
BSS
Over half of the worlds poor people are still out of social safety net coverage despite the fact that the investment in the social safety net programmes saw a significant increase in the recent years, according to a new report published by World Bank Group, reports BSS.
A growing number of developing countries are investing in social safety nets to improve the lives and livelihoods of billions of poor and vulnerable people, yet around 55 per cent of the worlds poor or 773 million people with acute needs still lack safety net coverage - especially in lower-income countries and in urban areas-and countries must take action to close this coverage gap the report said.
According to The State of Social Safety Nets 2015, released in Washington DC yesterday, more than 1.9 billion people in 136 low and middle-income countries are now on beneficiary rolls of social safety net programmes. In Africa alone, the number of countries setting up social safety net programmes has doubled over the past three years, as evidenced by rigorous evaluations that prove these programs work. But three quarters of the poorest people in low and lower-middle income countries, and more than one-third of the poorest people in middle-income
countries, lack safety net coverage and remain at risk.
The report follows the recent joint statement by the heads of the World Bank Group and the International Labour Organisation (ILO), endorsing the goal of universal access to social protection - including safety nets - by 2030.
The Third Financing for Development Conference in Addis Ababa next week is an opportunity to ensure that the international community has the means to make this vision into a reality.
The World Bank Group and the ILO share a vision of social protection for all, a world where anyone who needs social protection can access it at any time, said Jim Yong Kim, president of the World Bank Group, and Guy Ryder, executive director of ILO, in their joint statement. The statement also mentioned that the new development agenda that is being defined by the world community - the sustainable development goals (SDGs) - provides an unparalleled opportunity for our two institutions to join forces to make universal social protection a reality, for everyone, everywhere.
