Developing Social Security Systems to Reduce Global
Developing Social Security Systems to Reduce Global
by Kevin Brabazon
United Nations representatives of Generations United are currently working to establish a unit or program at the United Nations that would advocate for, and offer technical assistance to, nations interested in developing social security systems. The concept behind this initiative is that social security systems – the main intergenerational policies implemented internationally – have had a major impact on poverty. The strategy developed by Generations United, began with symposium presented during the meetings of the Commission for Social Development presenting the social and economic arguments why these intergenerational systems could reduce global poverty significantly by 2030, while supporting nations’ economic growth and potentially providing sustainable financing for that growth.
The second step of the strategy is publishing the contents of the February 19, 2019 symposium which was convened and sponsored by Generations United and sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Argentina to the United Nations and the newly organized NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity, as well as being co-sponsored by the NGO Committees on Ageing and the Family. This is intended to lay the groundwork for the third step in the strategy.
The third step will be the most challenging: stabling an effective strategy for implementing an operating unit at the UN. Several approaches are under consideration at the moment – discussion of interested parties has already begun: introducing a resolution at the General Assembly of the UN; presenting a proposal to the Economic and Social Council; or seeking to add an administrative function to the existing structure of the UN. We plan to move ahead with this third step in the Fall and continue adding supportive NGOs, NGO committees and UN embassies. It is obviously a complex process to generate the level of support needed to create change at the United Nations, but using the impressive track record of[to date] the most widely recognized intergenerational program in history, we believe we have a real opportunity to do this.