Social Security

When people speak of human rights, they generally refer to civil liberties and political rights such as the right to freedom of expression, the right to hold free and democratic elections, the ban on torture, the guarantee of equal treatment under the law, or the right to assembly. These rights, also known as the civil pact, have always been accorded more attention than economic, social and cultural rights (ESC rights). We often forget that the rights set out in the social pact – among them the right to a place to live, food, health, water, and education – are just as important a part of human rights. Human rights activist Michael Windfuhr, currently the director of the Bread for the World assistance programme’s human rights team, once called these "the forgotten rights", noting that too little attention was paid to them in many places. If a government simply has corrugated metal huts torn down and arbitrarily relocates their former residents, the social pact has been broken and a basic human right violated. This also applies when firms pay wages well under the legal minimum or pay men and women differently for the same work.

The 1995 World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen was the first time United Nation member states officially recognised the ESC rights as true civil liberties. Liberalised, fair economic policy and world trade alone were, the summit concluded, not enough to end poverty and inequality in the world. Participants in Copenhagen also publicly announced that the ESC rights were not merely political goals, but deemed international human rights under international law. The Federal Republic of Germany also agreed to protect these rights and make every effort to ensure their fulfilment.

This requires an efficient social security system both in industrialised countries and in developing and transition countries. Inwent offers a range of different programmes and dialogues aimed at creating and further developing these systems. Our capacity building measures are directed at employees from the government and state institutions, and at representatives of non-governmental organisations and civil society groups. Participants share experience in international dialogue forums. Experts from both the state and civil society network in this informal setting and discuss sustainable examples and possible forms of adaptation.

Our "Strengthening Social Security Systems in India" programme in cooperation with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) is aimed at representatives from state and non-governmental institutions who work in the Indian state of Karnataka. They seek to provide residents with access to social security systems in a manner that shows solidarity and is both equal and sustainable. Inwent qualifies local training institutions and works with partners in the area on effective professional training programme curricula. Capacity building enables social system employees to develop the necessary administrative services such as customer registration, the setting and collection of fees, and proper mechanisms for control and evaluation. Inwent supports dialogue between central and local governments. The ultimate goal is to implement social laws effectively throughout the entire country.

Our "Social Security: Governmental mandate and private initiative" programme trains experts and executives from social insurance institutions and from the respective ministries. This is just one way Inwent contributes to strengthening social insurance carriers in Southeastern Asia. We provide support in creating equal access to social security systems and ensuring that such systems are sufficiently financed.