Integrated Social Protection
Why Integrated policy for SDG acceleration
The investment strategy is based on driving transformation, understood as delivering solutions that accelerate the SDG progress through unlocking systemic policy shifts that improve the situation of the most vulnerable. The focus is on identification and activation of “leverage points” - those policy and/or institutional changes that produce a catalytic “chain-reaction” across sectors and stakeholder groups. The joint programmes aim to spearhead systemic changes that yield social impact across the whole spectrum of the SDGs with the spotlight on social groups left behind.
The impact of joint programmes contributes to progress on multiple SDGs, producing catalytic results at scale within reduced timeframes. Given the interdependence of the SDGs, joint programmes facilitate change by working across sectors and silos through an integrated, multidimensional approach that addresses vulnerabilities across the whole life cycle and among priority target groups.
António GuterresA new era for social protection systems would be a foundation for peaceful societies and other measures to leave no one behind and eradicate extreme poverty. I urge States to accelerate steps to achieve universal social protection coverage, including for the remaining 4 billion people currently unprotected, in line with target 1.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals.
To Leave No One Behind we have to fast track SDG gains while mainstreaming issues related to human rights, gender, youth, the environment, and people living with disabilities. The Fund’s ‘whole-of-society’ approaches, and its agility and responsiveness, has assumed even greater relevance since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Small Island Developing States Integrated Policy for LNOB
The Joint SDG Fund is about to invest USD 18 million, and mobilize USD 5 million in co-funding, into 27 Small Island Developing States (SIDS) on integrated policy solutions to Leave No One Behind (LNOB). The broader Call for Concept notes for SIDS was launched in June 2021 with 18 proposals that focus on LNOB that will be launched in 2022. The SIDS LNOB joint programmes will contribute to SDG acceleration while addressing vulnerabilities and resilience specific to this particular group of countries. They will produce impact across a wide spectrum of policy areas, including social protection, SDG data and statistical systems, food security and agri-businesses, digitization, disaster management, and community resilience. As in the case of the previous joint programmes, SIDS mainstream gender across all targeted vulnerable groups by scoring high in the Gender marker, which ensures that all joint programmes focus on gender-sensitive and gender-transformative solutions.
Social Protection
Social Protection
The reality of limited fiscal space makes it challenging for Governments to access financing for SDG implementation and fund modern and resilient social protection systems. Vulnerable groups have been more than proportionally hit by the recent economic crisis and COVID-19 pandemic. Strengthening the protection of vulnerable workers, women and girls’ economic empowerment, to reduce inequalities and strengthen socio-economic polices, urban planning, affordable housing, and community cohesion.
Multi-Dimensional Vulnerabilities
Multi-Dimensional Vulnerabilities
With limited fiscal space to fund the recovery, prospects of economic recessions have led to massive increases in unemployment, poverty, inequality, reversing progress achieved in towards meeting the SDGs. At the same time, SIDS over-reliance on economic sectors such as tourism and fisheries, high-debt-levels, and severe constraints to mobilizing both private and public finance amplify vulnerabilities.
ADAPTING AND RESPONDING TO COVID-19
COVID-19 increased the salience of social protection for the most vulnerable. For this reason, the Fund to provided an opportunity for re-purposing 20% of programme budgets in 2020 to adapt and respond to the pandemic. The priority was to support the most vulnerable, build back better, and contribute to SDG acceleration by:
- Designing and institutionalizing comprehensive social protection systems that mainstream human rights to address inequalities, vulnerabilities, and systemic poverty;
- Making social protection systems more adaptive and resilient in preparation for future shocks due to pandemics, natural disasters or climate change;
- Facilitating innovation that “break down the silos” and produce coherent, just and sustainable policy outcomes.
Partners
Lisa.kurbiel [at] un.org (Get in touch)
nenad.rava [at] un.org (Get in touch)
