PERSPECTIVE Social Security for All: A Call for Social Solidarity in Tunisia Mongi Amami June 2011 n Tunisia is often showcased as a prime example of how social protection was univer­salized by extending social security coverage to all socio-professional groups. n Even if the success in extending social protection and social development in Tunisia is hardly deniable compared to other countries in the MENA region, demographic trends will harm the financial equilibrium of the social security funds. n The economic strategy of»structural adjustment« initiated in the 1990ies in connec­tion with a government tolerated non-compliance of employers with their obliga­tions towards social security organizations has in effect led to the financial failure of the social security system. n Trade Unions in Tunisia encourage the state and the social security organizations not to confuse social security and social solidarity. Social solidarity is a form of assistance among social categories with very different profiles. Only the state is able to achieve social solidarity through various mechanisms, which levy the rich in order to help the poor.