The New School Graduate Program in International Affairs

UNICEF Social Security for Children

Background: Many low and medium income countries have a collection of disparate social assistance (social safety nets) which evolved partially as a response to mitigate the cost of structural adjustment policies. These can be used as the launching pad for strengthening or  establishing universal social security programmes. Many medium (and low??) income countries have or plan to have social security systems. Their impact on children is unclear.
Long/medium term objective: Develop a UNICEF policy position on social safety nets, or "social security," for children. Provide a set of principles and a menu of recommended policy options, as well as elements to avoid, in setting up or reforming social security for children.

Short term activities: Map out the current situation in terms of cash transfers, social assistance, social safety nets, etc affecting children. Create a "Child and Family Policy" database.
Literature review of the origins and early stages of child-focused social security programmes and polices in now-industrialized countries.
Literature review of the origins and early stages of child focused social security programmes and polices in middle income countries.
Literature review and database of current efforts at providing children with social assistance and social security.
Review of issues regarding social security in middle income and low income countries in order to explore possible entry points for child rights and child-related topics

Immediate steps and overall strategy: Set up list of experts/institutes that can assist UNICEF with the various activities described above.
Expand the points above into a full-fledged funding proposal.
Extract from the above points the TORs for the different components of the short term activities.
Use the literature reviews and database as the background for further analysis and consultations (within UNICEF and with external partners) in order to draft a UNICEF position on children and social security which goes beyond providing for orphans or mitigating impact of economic policies/crisis.
External conferences and a set of publications to insert the topic of children and social security in the international policy debate
Global consultation within UNICEF to finalize the menu of policy options to be advocated at country level.

Core Documents

Additional Documents