Social protection has long been used in industrialized countries to help ensure that the benefits of economic growth reach the poorest and most marginalized, helping to fulfil the internationally accepted right to a decent standard of living. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the International Labor Organization's constitution and legal instruments on social security all establish social protection as a means for States to protect their most vulnerable citizens. Yet for most of the world's population, adults as well as children, such protection is far from the norm. Also available in French.
The agencies involved in the development of the statement: DFID, HelpAge International, Hope & Homes for Children, Institute of Development Studies, International Labour Organization, Overseas Development Institute, Save the Children UK, UNDP, UNICEF and the World Bank