Le Monde (13.12.2018) Selon le ministère du travail, l’augmentation touchera de manière directe 1,3 million de travailleurs, dont la rémunération se situe actuellement sous la barre des 900 euros.  « Un pays riche ne peut pas avoir des travailleurs pauvres. » Le chef du gouvernement espagnol, le socialiste Pedro Sanchez, a justifié en ces termes l’augmentation, dès janvier 2019, du salaire minimum (SMI) de 22,3 %, qu’il approuvera lors du conseil des ministres du 21 décembre. Le SMI passera de 637 euros mensuels actuellement à 900 euros (sur quatorze mensualités, soit 1 050 euros par mois sur douze mois). Il s’agit de sa plus forte hausse depuis 1977.

gulf-times (12.12.2018) Since its establishment in 2002, the General Retirement and Social Insurance Authority worked on being a safe haven for Qatari citizens, as well as on supporting the 2030 National Vision and other national development strategies.  The authority is also looking to reach the highest levels of efficiency, and the most prestigious status among its peers, reflecting the values of the Qatari society in terms of respecting privacy and enjoying its prosperity

Journal du Senegal (11.12.2018)  L’Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS) a approuvé le programme de couverture maladie universelle (CMU) du Kénya, dont la phase pilote doit être lancée jeudi à Kisumu (ouest) par le président Uhuru Kenyatta.En signe de soutien, le Directeur général de l’OMS, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesos a déclaré lundi qu’il mobilise les hauts responsables de son organisation pour assister à l’événement de lancement de Kisumu, qui marquera le début de la phase pilote du programme de la CMU dans quatre comtés de la région.

WHO (07.12.2018) More people can access essential health services today than ever before, but at least half of the world’s population still go without.  Those living in the poorest countries, in the most marginalized communities, face the greatest challenges in access, the highest burden of disease, and the worst health outcomes. 

medicalxpress (11.12..2018) Workplace exposure to metals and pesticides is linked to a heightened risk of heart disease in Hispanic and Latino workers, reveals research published online in the journal Heart.   Language barriers and low levels of education, coupled with fears about job security and immigration status, may make this rapidly growing ethnic group especially vulnerable, say the researchers.

Eurostat (12.12.2018) Social protection expenditure in the European Union (EU) stood at 28.2% of GDP in 2016, slightly down compared with 28.4% in 2015, according to data from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. In 2016, the two main sources of funding of social protection at EU level were social contributions, making up 55% of total receipts, and general government contributions from taxes at 40%. The EU average continued to mask major disparities between Member States. In 2016, social protection expenditure represented at least 30% of GDP in France (34%), Finland and Denmark (both 32%) as well as in Austria, Belgium, Italy, Sweden and the Netherlands (all 30%). In contrast, social protection expenditure stood below 20% of GDP in Romania, Latvia and Lithuania (all 15%), Ireland (16%), Estonia and Malta (both 17%), Bulgaria and Slovakia (both 18%) as well as Czechia, Cyprus and Hungary (all 19%).

ippmedia.com (30.10.2018) After a prolonged period of economic stagnation and decline, African economies have experiences rapid growth over the last two decades. 

Cinco Días (10.12.2018) Se revisará el diseño del complemento por productividad, que es el mismo desde que se creó en 1998, hace 20 años

Newsday (08.12.2018) Regional health systems are expanding what they predict will be the next frontier in treatment: telemedicine, a form of remote care where doctors interact with patients via a phone, tablet or other devices with a camera. Remote visits can range from having a physician check a sore throat with a flashlight on a patient's smartphone, to routine post-operation checkups, where a doctor directs a subject to push parts of their body and asks for feedback on pain levels. 

Graphic Online (07.12.2018) The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, has held a stakeholders’ consultative meeting with the private sector and state-owned institutions, to discuss how to improve on, and facilitate the passage of the revised Social Protection (SP) Bill, 2018

Belta (07.12.2018) On the initiative of the Labor and Social Security Ministry of Belarus, the draft new general agreement between the government, the national employers' associations and trade unions has incorporated the basic approaches that will contribute to the promotion of the zero occupational accident concept in the country, Labor and Social Security Minister Irina Kostevich told the media, BelTA has learned.

 Daily Times (06.12.2018) The Labour & Human Resource Department organised a conference on Vision Zero on Wednesday with support of German development agency GIZ. Labour & HR Department Additional Secretary Dr Sohail Shahzad welcomed the participants for the event and highlighted the framework of occupational safety and health in the light of priority area of the government. He introduced the relationship of this event with concept of improved governance. He appreciated that the role of GIZ, CIWC, Labour Welfare director general and Punjab Employees Social Security Institution in bringing commitment to introduce Vision Zero as a guiding principle for the safety of workers.

ILO News (05.12.2018) The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that 164 million people are migrant workers – a rise of 9 per cent since 2013, when they numbered 150 million. According to the 2nd edition of the ILO’s Global Estimates on International Migrant Workers , which covers the period between 2013 and 2017, the majority of migrant workers – 96 million – are men, while 68 million are women. This represents an increase in the share of men among migrant workers, from 56 per cent to 58 per cent, and a decrease by two percentage points in women’s share, from 44 per cent to 42 per cent.

The Social Outlook for Asia and the Pacific lays out new arguments and evidence for the critical and urgent need to increase investment in people, particularly in social protection.

ILO (2018) This policy paper: (i) provides a global overview of the organization of pension systems
and their contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG); (ii) monitors SDG
indicator 1.3.1 for older persons, analyses trends and recent policies in 192 countries,
including the extension of legal and effective coverage in a large number of low- and middleincome
countries, through a mix of contributory and non-contributory schemes; (iii) looks
at persisting inequalities in access to income security in old-age; (iv) presents lessons from
three decades of pension privatization and the trend to returning to public systems; (v) calls
for countries to double their efforts to extend system coverage, including the extension of
social protection floors, while at the same time improving the adequacy of benefits.

IMF Finance & Development Magazine - December 2018- New systems that do not rely on standard employment contracts are needed

ANSA (03.12.2018) Italy is the OECD country that spends the most on survivor pensions in relation to its gross domestic product, according to a new report released by the Paris-based organization on Monday. It said that spending on pensions that pass on to a partner after a person's death amounted to 2.5% of GDP in 2017, compared to an OECD average of 1%. The OECD linked the high level of spending to a relatively low level of employment among women in Italy and called for corrections so that survivor pensions are not a disincentive for people to find a work and do not favour couples over single people.

Nikkei Asian Review (01.12.2018)  Deal will relieve Japanese employees from double-paying pension contributions. The plenary session of Japan's upper house unanimously on Friday morning approved a bilateral social welfare agreement with China that will eliminate the requirement for their nationals to pay contributions into both countries' systems when they reside in each other's territory.

irishtimes.com (30.08.2018) Child and Family Agency launches €10m childcare database to replace 17 separate systems across the State

allAfrica (01.12.2018) The first ever Draft Policy on Social Protection that is expected to create a comprehensive social protection system, which is efficient and effective in addressing risks and vulnerabilities that people face at different stages of their lives, is ready for public input

VnExpress International (04.12.2018) Its rapidly aging population is imposing a big burden on Vietnam’s healthcare system.  According to the World Bank’s 2016 report titled "Live Long and Prosper: Aging in East Asia and Pacific" the ratio of the elder people in Vietnam is 11 percent and will account for a fifth of the population in the next 10 years.

Times of India (12.11.2018) While the CPM has been vociferously expressing concerns on surveillance and privacy regarding the use of biometric-based identity, the state government’s proposed verification process of welfare pension beneficiaries will be based on biometric authentication.

 Channel5Belize.com (03.12.2018) A five-day conference kicked off today in Belize City. Policy makers are attempting to strengthen what is in place to eliminate poverty among the various pockets of the vulnerable populations. Issues of healthcare, income security for children, the elderly or the disabled are also on the table. On the first day, social protection registries and an improvement on deliverables were the focus. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.

BreakingNews.ie (03.12.2018)  80,000 people in Ireland are living in poverty, according to the latest report from Social Justice Ireland. This figure includes 250,000 children as detailed in the think-tank's National Social Monitor for winter 2018.

OECD (03.12.2018) Improvements in the design of pension systems over the last decade in OECD countries have made them more financially sustainable and governments should now focus on ensuring they provide people with an adequate retirement income, according to a new OECD report. The OECD Pensions Outlook 2018 says that governments face challenges includng population ageing, low returns on retirement savings, low growth, less stable employment careers and insufficient pension coverage among some groups of workers. These issues have eroded the belief that pension systems, pay-as-you-go or funded, will deliver on their promises once workers reach retirement age. “Pension reform remains a continuing challenge as countries need to ensure people get an adequate pension while remaining affordable,” said OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría, launching the report in Paris.