Minister Calleary attends OECD meeting of the Employment, Labour and Social Affairs Committee (ELSAC)
- Published on: 14 February 2025
- Last updated on: 21 February 2025
Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary is attending a Ministerial meeting of the OECD Employment, Labour, and Social Affairs Committee (ELSAC) this week.
The theme of the event “New Frontiers for Social Policy: Investing in the Future” is providing a platform for Ministers to exchange ideas on future trends and challenges in the social policy arena. The focus of the event is on the impact of changing population demographics on social protection systems, addressing inequality and promoting child well-being.
Minister Calleary emphasised that targeting poverty and supporting vulnerable members of society requires a whole of government response to deliver on commitments in the Programme for Government. He highlighted that social protection expenditure should be viewed as an investment rather than cost. “It is an investment in improved outcomes for our citizens, our communities, our families and in future generations” he added.
The Minister acknowledged the importance of the OECD in setting standards and providing evidence-based policy analysis through their contribution to policy development, which reflects the needs of society.
The meeting was jointly chaired by Spain and Portugal, with Ireland, Canada and Belgium participating as co-vice chairs. It was preceded by a policy forum between civil organisations and policy makers to learn from their direct experiences of the challenges for citizens.
Commenting on the meeting, Minister Calleary said:
“I welcome this opportunity to collaborate and explore with Ministerial counterparts’ ideas to ensure that Ireland’s social policy is responsive to what the future may bring.
“In recent years, the government has implemented and continues to support reforms to address child poverty, protect vulnerable people in our society and prepare for the impact of an ageing population on the social protection system.
“The learnings from these discussions and importantly, the invaluable inputs of civil society organisations on the challenges faced by people in our communities will help us to continue to build on these reforms to ensure that we meet the needs of those in our society into the future.”
Notes
The 2025 OECD Social Policy Ministerial meeting is taking place on 14 February 2025 and will focus on the theme New Frontiers for Social Policy: Investing in the Future. The meeting provides a platform for Ministers to come together and exchange ideas, ambitions, and approaches on the new frontiers for social policy, with a view towards investing in the future.
The meeting is co-chaired by H.E. Ms. Maria do Rosário Palma Ramalho, Minister of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security of Portugal, and H.E. Ms. Elma Saiz Delgado, Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration of Spain. The Vice-Chairs are H.E. M. Frank Vandenbroucke, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health and Social Affairs of Belgium; H.E. Ms. Jenna Sudds, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development of Canada; and H.E. Mr. Dara Calleary, Minister for Social Protection and Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht of Ireland.
A high-level social policy forum took place on 13 February, and enabled discussions between Ministers, other high-level policy makers, and a range of different stakeholders, including social partners, civil society and academia, on the same themes of the Ministerial meeting.