In this year’s autumn edition of Unity newsletter, we briefly highlighted a major international collaboration, the Social Protection Floor Initiative (SPFI), to reduce poverty across the globe. The SPFI ensures, ‘a basic set of essential social rights and transfers (cash and in kind) to provide a minimum income and livelihood security for all…’ What makes this initiative critical is because at present over 75% of the global population does not enjoy a set of social protections that allow them to deal with life’s risks. Partners in the initiative include the United Nations, UNHCR, International Labour Organisation (ILO), World Health Organisation and the International Council on Social Welfare (ICSW) of which ACWA is a member.

In September, at the invitation of the ICSW I attended a series of their South-East Asia and Pacific regional workshops, the focus of which was to discuss the Social Protection Floor Initiative. I also had the opportunity to attend an additional two days of meetings between senior officials of government and non-government organisations.

The Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) consists of 10 member countries but I was there, along with a New Zealander as an observer. Representatives from each of the member countries gave presentations on a particular aspect of their social protection policies. Cambodian, Lao PDR, and Thai representative focussed on essential healthcare initiatives, whereas representatives from Indonesia and The Philippines highlighted programs dealing with basic income security, nutrition, education and care.

Viet Nam and Myanmar delegates discussed access for all persons of working age to basic income security. People involved in farming, craftwork etc which are outside the taxation system make up a significant proportion of the population and illness, climatic conditions and local economic challenges can have devastating effects them. Many nations in South-East Asia are tackling the issue of basic income support for people who are outside the formal system of work.

The take away for me from these workshops and meetings was, despite the reality of extreme poverty that exists in many of the ASEAN nations, there has been a great deal of progress towards introducing social protection conditions such as human rights. The contribution of wealthier nations through international aid is critical to ensuring the continuation of these initiatives and should not be reduced during times of western financial crises. Finally, there is significant goodwill between government and non-government organisations to work together to improve cross-border co-operation and a regional approach to learning about social protection systems that may be replicable in other countries within the ASEAN region.

During the International Council on Social Welfare regional workshops, I was somehow voted in as the treasurer of the South-East Asia and Pacific region – it happened too quickly for me to pass the ball as is often the case with the treasurer’s role - and I will be working alongside Regional President Ms Braema Mathiapranam of Singapore and Regional Vice President Madame Khatija Sulaiman of Malaysia to strengthen the work of the ICSW in the region. I look forward to working with them and colleagues who also attended the regional workshops.

I am very appreciative of the unique opportunity I have had to attend the workshops and meeting. I encourage community workers in Australia to understand social protection initiatives throughout the region and the profound effects these programs will have on the economies of our neighbours and the lives of hundreds of millions of people in South-East Asia.

Lynda Ford, CEO