2023-05-10 14:52:29
Amnesty International is focusing on social rights in Austria and is planning a comprehensive human rights analysis of the social welfare system in Austria.
Social security costs less than tax abuse
In order to give people of all countries access to social protection, Amnesty International calls, among other things, for international debt relief. In addition, the international community must pass tax reforms and crack down on tax abuse so that funds are released to finance social security measures. The report highlights that the cost of providing basic Social Security coverage in all low- and middle-income countries according to the International Labor Organization (ILO) are estimated at a total of US$440.8 billion per year – an amount that is below the US$500 billion that states lose annually to tax havens around the world like this Tax Justice Network appreciates.
A lack of social security makes a state vulnerable to multiple crises
The report also shows how rising food prices, climate change and the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have led to a catastrophic humanitarian crisis that is increasingly turning into social unrest and protests. It is also clear how a lack of social security in many countries has made them more vulnerable to economic downturns and less able to deal with the consequences of conflicts, climate change or other upheavals. The consequences of the current crises – such as widespread hunger, rising unemployment or anger about the falling standard of living – have led to protests worldwide, which are often brutally suppressed.
Universal social protection can prevent violations of economic and social rights, which are often the cause of resentment and protests.
Agnès Callamard, International Secretary General of Amnesty International
Global Social Security Fund
To guarantee the right to social security, Amnesty International advocates the establishment of an internationally managed Global Social Security Fund, as supported by the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, the UN Secretary-General and the ILO. Establishing such a fund would provide states with technical and financial support to set up social security systems. In addition, the capacities of the national security systems could be increased in this way in order to be able to guarantee their functionality even in times of crisis.
Further facts & figures
The lack of adequate social protection can have dramatic consequences for the growing number of people who cannot afford enough food.
Im World Food Program (WFP) states that 349 million people around the world face imminent food shortages and 828 million go to bed hungry every night. In addition, according to the Report on the Sustainable Development Goals 2022 The COVID-19 pandemic has wiped out almost four years of poverty reduction progress and pushed another 93 million people into extreme poverty. They have to get by on less than $2.15 a day.
The lack of effective measures to curb inflation and supply shortages in various areas has led to a downward spiral in the living standards of many people. This has recently sparked protests around the world, including in Iran, Sierra Leone and Sri Lanka.
The rising prices of food and other essential goods are hitting people in low-income countries hardest, but the increasing use of food banks in wealthier countries shows that the crisis in the cost of living and food affordability is widespread.
Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, a major grain producer, has dealt a devastating blow to the world’s food supply, pushing the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) food price index to the highest level since records began in 1990 brought. Climate change and rising fertilizer prices have also affected agricultural production. According to the FAO drought is the single largest cause of crop losses.
High levels of debt and the associated costs mean that highly indebted countries often do not have the financial means to implement social security programs. According to Oxfam Low-income countries spend four times more on debt repayments than on providing health services and 12 times more on debt payments than on social protection measures.
According to that Annual report of the IMF Around 60 percent of low-income countries are over-indebted or at high risk of over-indebtedness and are at risk of not being able to repay their debt. Debt cancellation or debt restructuring would free up significant resources to fund social protection in many countries.
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