Towards universal social protection for children: Achieving SDG 1.3

The importance of ensuring adequate social protection for children has long been high on the agenda of both the ILO and UNICEF. The right to social protection applies to everyone at every stage of life, and is clearly spelled out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ILO Conventions and Recommendations and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. For children, social protection takes on a special significance, since the negative effects of poverty and deprivation in childhood have ramifications that can last a lifetime.