Universal Social Floors

The document advocates for Universal Social Protection Floors (SPF) as a means to ensure basic healthcare and income security globally. It highlights South Africa's role during its G20 Presidency to promote a voluntary framework for SPFs and the integration of social protection with industrial strategies. The text emphasizes the need for political will and funding, noting that only 12% of global development targets are currently on track.

• Universal Social Protection Floors (SPF) are defined as national sets of basic social security guarantees providing essential health care and basic income security, specifically for the most vulnerable. They are intended to reduce poverty, inequality, and social exclusion while building resilience during crises and stimulating economic activity.
• South Africa's G20 Presidency aims to use Task Force 1 on Inclusive Economic Growth, Industrialisation, Employment, and Reduced Inequality, and the Development Working Group to develop frameworks integrating social protection with economic strategies and to encourage the adoption of a voluntary framework for SPFs.
• Global poverty and hunger remain critical, with nearly 29% of the population struggling for food and 575 million people projected to live in extreme poverty by 2030. Only 12% of global development targets are currently on track to be met.
• South Africa utilizes a social grant system for children, pensioners, and people with disabilities, and has implemented a temporary social relief of distress (SRD) grant of R370 for unemployed working-age adults, though the document argues this should transition into a permanent basic income.
• Previous G20 Presidencies have addressed social protection: Indonesia introduced 'adaptive social protection' in 2022 to link systems with disaster risk management, and Brazil in 2024 launched the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty.

APA

Institute for Economic Justice (2025). Universal Social Floors. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IEJ-G20factsheet8-Universal-social-floors-web-3.pdf

Chicago

Institute for Economic Justice. Universal Social Floors. 2025. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IEJ-G20factsheet8-Universal-social-floors-web-3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Economic Justice |title=Universal Social Floors |date=August 2025 |url=https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IEJ-G20factsheet8-Universal-social-floors-web-3.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforeconomicjustice2025universal, author = {{Institute for Economic Justice}}, title = {{Universal Social Floors}}, institution = {Institute for Economic Justice}, year = {2025}, month = aug, url = {https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IEJ-G20factsheet8-Universal-social-floors-web-3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }