The
Philadelphia Declaration (1944) and a number of
>international
labour standards drawn up by ILO – in particular the Social Security
(Minimum Standard) Convention, 1952 (No. 102) – recognize that access to an
adequate level of social protection is a fundamental right of all
individuals. However, in many countries the reality is still far from the
principles set out in the Philadelphia Declaration: “The Conference
recognizes the solemn obligation of the International Labour Organization
to further among the nations of the world programmes which will achieve […]
the extension of social security measures to provide a basic income to all
in need of such protection and comprehensive medical care”.
Indeed, at present over half the world′s population still does not benefit
from official social protection. In the face of this alarming fact, ILO
mobilized to enable its members to extend social protection to all sectors
of society and to improve the working conditions and security of workers.
This voluntarist policy spawned the
Global Campaign on Social Security and Coverage for All.
In June 2001, at the 89
th Session of the International Labour
Conference, the employers′ and workers′ organizations and the governments asked ILO to launch a global campaign on social security and coverage for
all. The campaign was officially launched in 2003 and has four main
objectives:
