From 1 to 5 December 2025, the International Young Christian Workers – Asia Pacific (IYCW ASPAC) participated in the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF) meeting held at the Margala Hotel in Pakistan, represented by Nanang Ibrahim.

The meeting brought together a diverse group of social protection advocates from around the world. It was attended by 22 international delegates representing every continent, 21 participants from Pakistani organizations, and 12 participants joining online through a hybrid format. The event was hosted by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) Pakistan and Brot für die Welt, reflecting strong international and local cooperation.

GCSPF: A Global Platform for Social Protection

The GCSPF is an international alliance composed of networks from all regions of the world, working collectively on campaigns, advocacy, and policy engagement related to social protection. It serves as a key platform for engaging governments, international institutions, and civil society in advancing the idea of universal social protection floors—ensuring that everyone, without discrimination, can access social security and basic protection throughout their lives.

This meeting in Islamabad was a continuation of GCSPF’s 2024–2025 work and focused primarily on strategic planning for 2026 and beyond.

IYCW-ASPAC, AROSP, and the Voice of Asia

IYCW ASPAC participates in GCSPF through its membership in Asia Regional Organization for Social Protection (AROSP) and INSPIR Asia, two of the largest social protection alliances in the region.

During the meeting, IYCW-APAC in representation of Nanang Ibrahim was invited to present the state of social protection in Asia, with a specific focus on Indonesia. Together with other AROSP members, IYCW shared experiences, challenges, and analysis from the region.

The AROSP coordinator emphasized that the coalition’s primary advocacy focus is to ensure that social protection systems in Asia are accessible to all, particularly: for formal and informal workers, young people and women

Despite existing policies, many of these groups continue to be excluded in practice from social protection benefits provided by governments or employers.

Challenges in Social Protection: The Case of Indonesia

In the Indonesian context, the social protection system is conceptually well designed, but its implementation faces persistent challenges. These include weak data integration, limited coordination between institutions, incomplete coverage, especially for informal workers, uneven quality of services and lack of public education and awareness.

For workers, access to social protection largely depends on individual contributions to schemes such as BPJS Ketenagakerjaan (labor social security) and BPJS Health. These contributions cover work accidents, death benefits, old-age security, pensions, unemployment, and health services.

However, the role of the government in directly financing social security contributions remains limited. In practice, workers—especially those in informal or precarious employment—are required to shoulder the cost of their own protection, while the government primarily provides the administrative system.

Government social protection efforts are often focused on cash transfers, food assistance, job training, small business support, fuel and electricity subsidies, and health services for low-income communities. While important, these programs frequently suffer from: inaccurate targeting, short-term or temporary impact and limited effectiveness in addressing structural insecurity

Towards Universal and Rights-Based Social Protection

Through the GCSPF platform, IYCW, AROSP, and their partners continue to advocate for a universal, rights-based social protection system—one that:

• Covers all sectors of employment, including informal work
• Applies to all age groups and genders
• Is non-discriminatory and inclusive
• Is fully guaranteed and financed by the government, not shifted onto workers

The GCSPF meeting in Pakistan reaffirmed the importance of global solidarity and collective advocacy in advancing social protection as a fundamental human right, not a privilege.

For IYCW, participation in GCSPF is part of its broader mission to ensure that young workers’ voices and realities are heard at regional and global levels, and that social protection systems truly serve those who need them most—today and in the future.