Figure 6 - Coverage of current and new cash transfers
Source: (Blofield, Lustig y Trasberg 2021) Social protection is a right. It is, therefore, crucial that the beneficiaries, specially informal workers, are made aware of their entitlement and that they can seek accountability should such rights not be exercised. Finally,
for any social protection measure to be successful, potential recipients must be made aware of its existence and the applicable criteria to be eligible to receive assistance. In terms of communication and outreach, both in Colombia and Brazil, outreach and information campaigns were conducted on nationwide media, social media, and through content-rich websites for the emergency cash transfers. Part of the
campaigns, to the extent we could assess at time of writing (Q1 2021), was also information on the grievance mechanisms in each country. In Colombia, the available grievance mechanisms found to date were: hotline phone numbers (including through WhatsApp) and presenting in person at the municipal offices of the program (which was not very efficient during the mobility restrictions imposed by the pandemic). In
Brazil, people could mainly call to submit complaints or could receive additional help from the FAQs in the respective Auxilio Emergencial website. At time of writing, we could not assess to what extent the grievance mechanisms were effective in achieving their goals. 3.2.
Comparative analysis with regards to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Informal workers have received more attention after the pandemic, nevertheless, how can policy makers get closer to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals engagement on social protection for this
vulnerable group? Unfortunately, COVID-19 pandemic caused a strong step-back towards the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The financial and sanitary crisis harmed the world's
socioeconomic development, but it provoked a wide endorsement on social protection (Barca, Archibald, et al. 2020). We thus now focus on how Brazil and Colombia’s strategies embraced the SDGs targets related to social protection.
The first SDG aims to end poverty. In SDG1.3, it is acknowledged that poverty reduction cannot be overcome
without proper social insurance (United Nations 2015). Before the pandemic, it was estimated that 6% of the world population would be living in extreme poverty by 2030. Now, the projection includes 71 million people
more in this group, which represents close to 1% of the total world population (The Lancet Public Health 2020). The target of leaving no one behind highlights the global commitment to building social protection floors, as the fundamental element of each country’s social protection system.Such social protection floors are essential for alleviating and preventing poverty, vulnerability and social exclusion by guaranteeing a basic
level of income and effective access to health care throughout the life course, in line with the ILO Social Protection Floors Recommendation, 2012 (No. 202) (ILO, 2012). Brazilian and Colombian reactions to the crises 36
