Providing social security services

Ensuring and, where appropriate, increasing provision of social services support.

This strategy features in the framework of Agenda 21 as formulated at UNCED (Rio de Janeiro, 1992), now coordinated by the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development and implemented through national and local authorities.

UNICEF is increasingly involved in strengthening social infrastructure and support services, including support services at the workplace (notably special privileges for breast-feeding mothers), better wages and improved working conditions, child-care centres and teachers, provision of equipment and teaching materials. All UNIFEM activities have the improvement of social infrastructure as one of their objectives. It is one of the main aspects of improving the situation of women in the urban informal sector, cottage industries and independent or family trade, as well as in rural areas. Increasingly WFP-assisted projects include social support services that reduce constraints on women's labour availability, time and incomes.

Social service officers of the UN High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR) ensure that the needs of the most disadvantaged refugee groups, especially women, are not overlooked.

ILO assists governments in the development of income maintenance, support and medical systems that are in harmony with prevailing national economic and social conditions. By promoting international labour standards, ILO endeavours to ensure minimum social security protection. ILO also endeavours to ensure equality of treatment between national and non-nationals with respect to social security, notably with respect to the social security rights of migrant workers.