By Own Correspondent

AS countries across the globe strengthen social safety nets, Zimbabwe, together with 14 of her fellow Sadc countries, have exhibited a continued reluctance to ratify the ILO Convention 102 on Social Security. 

This is despite the glaring social protection gaps existing in the country, where pensions have been eroded, leaving pensioners wallowing in abject poverty. 

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is so far the only country in the region that has ratified the Convention, albeit partially. 

All other Sadc member States have not ratified it.  

The convention is considered the benchmark for social security systems globally, yet adoption in southern Africa has lagged due to capacity, legal alignment and economic constraints.  

Other countries such as Angola, Mozambique, South Africa and Tanzania have been considering or moving toward ratification, but most have not yet formally ratified

Zimbabwe has not ratified the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No. 102).

“This convention is the landmark ILO social security instrument, establishing internationally agreed minimum standards for national social protection systems. It covers nine primary areas: medical care, sickness, unemployment, old-age, employment injury, family, maternity, invalidity, and survivors’ benefits,” an ILO dossier on the instrument said.

The ILO is actively running a global campaign to promote the ratification of C102 to close the wide social safety net gaps exposed by recent global economic and health crises. You can review the exact criteria and country ratification statuses on the ILO NORMLEX Database.

To date , Zimbabwe has ratified 26 Conventions and 1 Protocol, making a total of 27 ILO instruments.