LONDON – The organization International Amnesty (AI) has called on the States of the world to work for social security available to all, in the face of the series of crises that have left hundreds of millions exposed to hunger and a cycle of poverty and deprivation.
Agnès Callamard, AI Secretary General, stated that “a series of crises has come to show how ill-prepared many states are to provide the population with essential help.”
“It is impressive to think that more than 4,000 million people -that is, around 55% of the world population- do not have access to even the most basic social protection, despite the fact that the right to social security has already been enshrined in 1948 in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” Callamard said.
In a document published this Wednesday 10, “Rising prices, growing protests: arguments in favor of universal social protection”, AI calls for relief from international debt, and urges States to reform their tax systems and prosecute tax fraud , in order to free up funds with which to pay for social protection.
His analysis shows how rising food prices, climate change and the economic fallout from the covid-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are fueling a catastrophic humanitarian crisis and sparking increasing social unrest and protests.
The text urges States to guarantee that social security coverage -such as sickness or disability benefits, medical care, pensions for the elderly population, child support, family benefits and income assistance- is available to any person who may need it.
In addition, it describes how, in many states, the lack of social security has left communities more exposed to sudden economic downturns, the consequences of conflict, climate change or other shocks.
The consequences of these crises – including widespread hunger, rising unemployment and outrage at declining living standards – give rise to protests around the world that are often brutally suppressed.
“Universal social protection can address the violations of economic and social rights that often lead to demands and protests,” Callamard observed.
He argued that “instead of seeing peaceful protest as an attempt by the population to claim their rights, the authorities have often responded to demonstrations with unnecessary or excessive use of force. Peaceful protest is a human right, and Amnesty International fights to protect it.”
“These crises have left the population prostrate, and when we talk about solving the world’s problems, there is rarely a simple solution, but what we do know is that States must take the prosecution of tax fraud seriously”: Agnès Callamard.
Rising food and other basic items have hit populations in low-income countries particularly hard, but the increased use of food banks in wealthier countries shows that the cost-of-living crisis and of food affordability is widespread.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a major grain producer, dealt “a devastating blow to the world’s food supply”, driving food prices to their highest levels since 1990.
Likewise, climate change and the constant increase in fertilizer prices have also had an impact on agricultural production, with drought being the factor that contributes the most to the decrease in harvests.
The report calls on international creditors to renegotiate or cancel debts to facilitate better financing of social protection.
It highlights that, according to the International Labor Organization (ILO), the cost of providing basic social security coverage in low- and lower-middle-income states is estimated to be US$440.8 billion per year.
That sum is less than the 500 billion dollars that, according to the network of investigators and activists Tax Justice Network, States fail to receive annually due to tax havens.
“These crises have left the population prostrate, and when we talk about solving the world’s problems, there is rarely a simple solution, but what we do know is that States must take the prosecution of tax fraud seriously,” he said. Callamard.
AI supports the establishment of a Global Social Protection Fund under international management, “a concept that has been endorsed by the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights (Olivier De Shutter), the UN Secretary General ( António Guterres) and the ILO”.
The creation of this fund would make it possible to offer States technical and economic assistance so that they, in turn, can offer social security and, ultimately, would strengthen the capacity of national social security systems to increase their responses in times of crisis. , according to the organization.
The document stresses that the lack of adequate social security can be catastrophic for the growing number of people who can barely afford to eat.
He recalled that according to the World Food Program (WFP), worldwide 349 million people are in imminent danger of suffering food shortages, while 828 million go to bed hungry every night.
Against this background, “protecting the population from suffering losses due to disturbances -from natural catastrophes to economic regressions- can have transformative effects, by reducing social tensions and conflicts, and fostering recovery,” concluded Callamard.
A-E/HM
2023-05-10 18:37:37
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