UNICEF Social Protection Training Course Summary of Day 6 Mark Davies 20th July 2009
Issues Covered Social protection , politics and wellbeing Making the links - politics and influencing How does UNICEF speak to the prevailing governance paradigm? What role/challenge function can/should UNICEF play? Challenges/opportunities for UNICEF: partners and partnerships; The role of rights
Politics of social protection Concept of a “politically optimal programme design” Considering political as well as technical solutions Social protection is rarely about poverty per se Ideas and ideology matter even more than data Does it reflects the reality we work in?
Politics of social protection Design and politics balancing act: What about the implications of bad design But perhaps politics is the ultimate design issues – start it and then improve through CSP advocacy etc… Building social contract between state and citizens particularly previously excluded citizens Donors need to understand and support (not undermine) the social contract
Links between politics and influence Enables us to consider our role and objectives Useful to create space and time to do this and reflect How can UNICEF get engaged in the political system but not be co-opted? How well do we understand the policy making process Are UNICEF looking in the right place? New or old? Start afresh or build on the old? Are UNICEF working with the right players? CSOs or the political movers
Links between politics and influence Opportunities for UNICEF: Country presence and responsiveness and influencing: DFID has, WB hasn’t – this is relevant in relation to responsiveness UNICEF also has a strong country presence Policy influence long-term process Are stakeholders able to be engaged over long-term? Multi-laterals in a better position than bi-laterals? Or constrained by funding?
Wellbeing vs rights Takes us beyond rights and needs – going beyond the minimum so we are going to issues around flourishing Using terms/approaches in the appropriate context Need to define terms we use for research but not necessarily for advocacy RBA not very good for analysis but good for advocacy
Use of wellbeing and rights But limits of rights and advocacy: Wellbeing language more acceptable with politicians or too sensitive They are less likely to talk about rights Also limits of rights – achievement of rights does not equal wellbeing Does wellbeing therefore help UNICEF examine an appropriate role for rights – complements/strengthens
Wellbeing and politics – what next? Wellbeing could be a useful framework for children Moving beyond material matters Takes us beyond rights and needs beyond minimums Balanced or supporting an appropriate rights based approach? A way to measure transformative SP – subjective measures of wellbeing Politics of social protection: part of a comprehensive framework that often isn’t considered Influencing strategy for UNICEF perhaps two, one public one not Make sure you know what you are counting