Universal health coverage and universal social protection workshop 2024

A joint agenda to improve health equity and well-being in the informal economy

Date: 12 December 2024

To celebrate Universal Health Coverage Day 2024, the ILO and the WHO organized a discussion addressing inter-sectoral action to improve health and wellbeing, particularly in the informal economy. Looking at the challenges faced by workers, enterprises, and households relying on the informal economy for their livelihoods, achieving the SDG targets 1.3 and 3.8 requires more than ever coordinated efforts across health, social protection and employment policies to achieve equity and social justice.

Launch of WHO publication: “Role of social protection in reducing the burden of public health and social measures during the COVID-19 pandemic”

Overview of the results by Salla Atkins, Social Scientist and Professor in Public Health, Tampere University
Consult the publication “Role of social protection in reducing the burden of public health and social measures during the COVID-19 pandemic”
Watch the video of the session

Joint advocacy for UHC and USP can leverage health and social protection sectors together in a push for social justice at the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development and the Second World Summit on Social Development.

- Shahra Razavi, Director, Universal Social Protection Department, ILO

The interplay between informal employment, the absence of social protection and health and well-being

Presentation - Salla Atkins, Social Scientist and Professor in Public Health, Tampere University
Presentation - Systematic review of evidence on the impact of informal employment on health by Orielle Solar, Head of Health Promotion and Social Determinants of health Unit, WHO PAHO
Presentation - Overview of working conditions and occupational risk-factors that impact the informal economy workers' health by Jukka Takala, Adjunct Professor in Public Health, Tampere University and Past President of the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH)
Presentation - Social protection coverage gaps in the informal economy and practical experience in extending coverage, by Christina Behrendt, Unit Head, Universal Social Protection Department, ILO
Watch the video of the session

Launch of ILO report “Bridging Social Protection and Occupational Health to Advance Sustainable Development Goals.”

Presentation - Overview of the report results by Nathalie Both, Social Protection and Health Officer, Universal Social Protection Department, ILO

Consult the publication - “Bridging Social Protection and Occupational Health to Advance Sustainable Development Goals.”

Practical experience of integration & coordination

Presentation - Magalie Cayon, Head of Occupational Risk Prevention Department, Mutualité Sociale Agricole of France
Watch the video of the session

The Political Declarations on Universal Health Coverage adopted by the UNGA underlined the importance of occupational health. Workers, including those in the informal economy, need to have health coverage, and health coverage needs to include occupational health, and we need to foster inter-sectoral collaboration towards this goal.
- Ivan Ivanov, Team Leader of the Global Occupational Health Programme, WHO

Addressing informality within the health and care workforce

Presentation - The role of skills and flexible pathways in tackling informality and advancing decent work for health and care workers by Dzana Topalovic, Labour Economist, Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs, OECD
Presentation - Health workforce policies for reducing informality and strengthening health systems by Michelle McIsaac, Economist, Health Workforce Department, WHO
Presentation - Including community health workers in social protection: Lessons from Nepal, India and Pakistan by Banaani Deka Gender Equality Officer, Public Services International (PSI)
Watch the video of the session

Collaboration across health, employment and education sectors is key to address informality in the health and care workforce. The Working for Health partnership has shown that inter-sectoral work at country level is feasible and gets us closer to reaching the objective of UHC.
- Michelle McIsaac, Economist, Health Workforce Department, WHO

Universal Social Protection for health and well-being in the context of multidimensional crises

Presentation - Framing by Nicole Valentine, Senior Technical Officer, Social Determinants of Health, Equity, and Health, WHO and Mathilde Mailfert, Health Financing and Social Health Protection, Technical Officer, Universal Social Protection Department, ILO
Presentation - Bridging research gaps between health and social protection: The case of SPARKS Network by Tom Wingfield, Reader in Tuberculosis and Social Medicine, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
Presentation - Shaping a narrative and advocating for USP and UHC - Protecting forcibly displaced populations: The example of Kenya by Mike Woodman, Senior Public Health Officer, UNHCR
Watch the video of the session

Health equity is our objective, it's not only a moral posture, it's also an economic imperative and one that can be achieved only once we consider the inter-dependency between universal health coverage and universal social protection.
- Erika Placella, Head of Global Health Swiss Development Cooperation Agency

Main Takeaways

“Protecting people against health care costs and income insecurity is a shared objective of UHC and UPS. If we are serious about improving the health and well-being of people who rely on the informal economy to survive, we need to make social justice a cross-sectoral priority. No single policy or actor can do it alone.”
Mia Seppo , Assistant Director General for Jobs and Social Protection, ILO

“COVID-19 illustrated how inequalities operate and impact health outcomes. In this context, social protection is more than a safety net, it is a lifeline especially for those in the informal economy.”
Ailan Li , Assistant Director General for UHC and Healthier Populations, WHO

“Securing decent work for the health and care workforce is the cornerstone of successful universal health coverage strategies and a critical pathway to advancing social justice. Tackling informal employment in this sector requires targeted investments to ensure safety, health, and adequate working conditions, along with effective access to social protection for those who dedicate themselves to the health and well-being of others. Moreover, amplifying the voices of health and care workers is essential to shaping inclusive policies that reflect their needs and contributions, reinforcing their pivotal role in building equitable and sustainable health systems.”
Sana de Courcelles, Director Global Coalition for Social Justice, ILO

“To create a more resilient, equitable and fairer future, we must combine efforts in health, social protection, and decent work. Universal Health Coverage can only be achieved if the health and care workforce is protected and if all workers see their fundamental right to a safe and healthy working environment realized. The ILO's international labour standards remain a cornerstone of this effort.”
Manuela Tomei, Assistant Director-General for Governance, Rights and Dialogue, ILO