Social Security: Basic Conditions for Sustainable Development
“EDP offers an impressive method and has an interesting group ‘compo-sition’: Experts from the economy, experienced development cooperation workers, representatives of non-governmental organisations, entrepreneurs and politics. Careful preparation and competent hosting will ensure best knowledge transfer.”
Gabriele Lösekrug-Möller, MP (Uganda EDP 2008)
India and exposure region around Ahmedabad (source: CIA world factbook)
The Exposure and Dialogue Programme will help decision makers and experts from the private insurance sector, development cooperation and politics to make hands-on experience of the prevailing conditions of the political, legal and economic environment of workers in the informal sector. This ‘reality-check’ will contribute to developing practical social security offers under consideration of the living conditions of vulnerable groups.
The programme starts with a three-day stay with host families working in the informal sector. As a member of SEWA (Self Employed Women`s Association) they are receiving support in social security issues. In India, only approx. 8 % of the workers can benefit from social minimum services, since the greatest part of the population is working in the so-called informal economy. The setup and the development of high-performance social security systems in developing and newly industrialized countries, as well as the integration of all population groups into a social security network decisively contribute to reducing poverty and thus reaching the millennium goals. Poor people are often subject to a relatively high risk, which governs their economic and social conduct and hinders their development. Therefore, insurance services are part of the most important framework conditions for sustainable economic and social development. Climate changes also increase the importance and requirements of security systems. The aim of the EDP is to find out which risks people working in the informal sector in India are subject to, and how they are dealing with it. Participants will gain insights into the manifold challenges in different areas of experience. Prevention and coping strategies, in particular for women, will be the focus. From this, services which will help them can be derived. In a final dialogue, participants will discuss with Indian experts about the design and implementation of social security systems for vulnerable groups.
