The Daily Star - ESCWA holds meeting on social development - September 08, 2011

BEIRUT: A multicountry workshop on “Social Protection as Development” concluded at ESCWA Wednesday. ESCWA deputy executive secretary Nadim Khoury said that the workshop aimed to present different approaches to social protection that could aid in developing Arab societies, according to a statement from ESCWA. He said that the meeting would enhance “South-South cooperation” in the area.
Jordanian Labor Minister Mahmoud Kawafin discussed the lack of statistics in the field, as well as confusion about the terminology involved. He said that social protection should be considered a right and not a charity.
Maya Yehya, ESCWA’s regional adviser on social issues, also advocated an approach to social development “based on the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.” She told The Daily Star that private programs that target the needs of specific populations should not replace rights of the general population to, for example, a healthy life and a decent education.
She also emphasized the developmental benefits of social protection, saying “healthy populations [and] educated populations lead to growth, lead to greater investment, [and lead to] greater employment.”