Toolkit on the Right to Social Security

The right to social security is the right to access and maintain benefits, whether in cash or in kind, without discrimination in order to secure protection, inter alia, from (a) lack of work-related income caused by sickness, disability, maternity, employment injury, unemployment, old age, or death of a family member; (b) unaffordable access to health care; (c) insufficient family support, particularly for children and adult dependents. – Committee on the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, General Comment 19

- Availability: The right to social security requires, for its implementation, that a system, whether composed of a single scheme or variety of schemes, is available and in place to ensure that benefits are provided for the relevant social risks and contingencies.

- Adequacy: Benefits, whether in cash or in kind, must be adequate in amount and duration in order that everyone may realize his or her rights to family protection and assistance, an adequate standard of living and adequate access to health care.

- Affordability: If a social security scheme requires contributions, those contributions should be stipulated in advance. The direct and indirect costs and charges associated with making contributions must be affordable for all, and must not compromise the realization of other Covenant rights.

- Accessibility: All persons should be covered by the social security system, especially individuals belonging to the most disadvantaged and marginalized groups, without discrimination on any of the grounds prohibited. Social security services must be affordable, and should have physical access.

For more about key concepts on the right to social security, see:

Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, General Comment No. 19

The impact of austerity measures on ESCR, E/2013/82; 2013 
Arabic | Chinese | English | French | Russian | Spanish (PDF) 

OHCHR

• Report on social protection floors and economic and social rights, 2015
• Report on austerity measures on economic and social rights; 2013
• Key advocacy messages on austerity measures and the right to social security

International Labour Organization

• Social Protection Portal

Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights

• Report of the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Mr. Philip Alston, on the implementation of the right to social protection through the adoption of social protection floors. (2014)
• Expert Group Meeting on the Human Rights of Older Persons (2012)
• Statement on the “protection gap” impeding the full realization of the right of older persons to social security (2011)
• Report of the Independent Expert on the question of human rights and extreme poverty. Main focus: social protection and old age poverty (2010)
• Independent expert to the General Assembly on the importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (2010) 
• Second meeting of the Social Forum of the Human Rights Council: Social security as a human right (2009)
• Report to the General Assembly: social protection system and the financial and economic crisis (2009)

Treaty Bodies

• Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
• Complaints to Treaty bodies

Others

• Human Rights Council and complaints
• Universal Periodic Review
• Complaint procedures in a glance

• The Human Rights Approach to Social Protection: UN Human Right Council’s Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty (2012)
• World Social Protection Report 2014-15 (ILO)