Social protection issues are getting more attention than ever as the international community attempts to pull people out of poverty, provide decent employment for the jobless, and protect the vulnerable from disaster and health risks through the Sustainable Development Goals. Appropriate social protection systems and policies figure strongly across five of the 17 SDGs.
“Social protection is a human right,” Tomoko Nishimoto, Asia-Pacific regional director for the International Labor Organization, told Devex during the Asia-Pacific Social Protection Week at the Asian Development Bank headquarters in Manila, Philippines, last week.
“It’s very important that we see this as a right which is applicable to everyone. The universality is a very important point,” she said.
Duncan Campbell, a visiting professor at Cornell University, also emphasized that social protection is a form of investment in people — something governments around the world should understand. “There is significant evidence that the earlier you invest in people, the better the return on that investment,” he said.
The weeklong event gathered hundreds of development professionals, government officials, civil society representatives, private sector players and members of the academy. Participants shared insights and experiences on social protection programs and how they can be replicated, expanded and scaled up effectively.
Watch the video above to hear from experts about what makes a good social protection program, emerging trends on the topic, and what social protection issues governments should be monitoring.
Devex is the exclusive media partner of the Asian Development Bank’s Asia-Pacific Social Protection Week.
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