Ep. 17 | Social protection as an SDG accelerator

In Southeast Asia the gig economy is growing fast. Attracted by the promise of flexibility, independence, and low entry costs, gig workers offer their services on a task-by-task basis facilitated through a digital platform or app. The appeal of this model has attracted millions of workers in the region, however, unlike traditional employees, gig workers often lack access to essential social protection schemes, such as health insurance, old-age pension, and unemployment benefits. In this episode, we examine the challenges presented by this new employment trend. Workers often face precarious working conditions which leave them vulnerable to shocks and unexpected events.  We discuss how governments, unions, and the platforms themselves can work to bridge social protection gaps and extend coverage to this growing group. This is the second episode of a three-part series titled "Emerging trends for Social Protection in the Indo-Pacific", presented by socialprotection.org. We extend our gratitude to Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) for their invaluable support in shaping this series and facilitating connections with the most suitable guests for each episode.   Meet our guests: Brendan Chia, Head, Regional Public Affairs and Policy for Grab. Francis Kim Upgi, Director of Economic and Social policy for ITUC Yesim Elhan-Kayalar, Advisor, Office of the Chief Economist at ADB   For our Quick Wins segment, we are joined by Cyrus Afshar, Social protection Officer at WIEGO and host of WIEGO’s Informal Economy Podcast.   Episode Resources: Publication | Gig Economy Employment during the Pandemic: An Analysis of GrabFood Driver Experiences in the Philippines Publication | Social Protection as a Solar System Podcast | Informal Economy Podcast Publication | Challenges and strategies to increase social protection financing for workers in informal employment Webinar | Is social protection to blame for informality? Podcast episode | Challenging Global Social Protection Orthodoxies

This episode will explore the ways social protection has evolved in Pacific Island countries, starting with provident funds to the slow growth of lifecycle schemes for the elderly and people with disabilities. It will then look at how the COVID-19 crisis and the impacts of disasters and climate change have changed the way Pacific nations are thinking about social protection.  This episode will ask, how do governments see the social protection landscape evolving in the future? Will countries continue to take a slow and gradual approach, focused on incremental growth of lifecycle schemes? Or has the growing interest from development partners and the growing pressures of climate change shifted priorities and approaches?  This marks the inaugural episode of a three-part series focusing on emerging trends for Social Protection in the Indo-Pacific, presented by socialprotection.org. We extend our gratitude to the Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) for their invaluable support in shaping this series and facilitating connections with the most suitable guests for each episode.    Meet our guests: Veremo Muria, Director, Fiji’s Department of Social Welfare (MWCSP)  Shirin Gul, Technical Specialist for Social Protection, Kiribati's Ministry of Women, Youth, Sports and Social Affairs (MWYSSA)  Karishma Houda, Team Leader, Partnerships for Social Protection (P4SP)  For our Quick Wins segment, we are joined by Lisa Hannigan, Senior Social Protection Specialist, Australian Government/Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Lisa discusses the significance of dignity in social protection, drawing from discussions and publications on the subject.     Quick Wins  Publication | Crowding-out or crowding-in? Effects of LEAP 1000 unconditional cash transfer program on household and community support among women in rural Ghana

In today's episode, we delve into a pressing topic: the evolving landscape of social protection systems and their critical role in addressing the unique needs of women and girls throughout their lives. There's a growing recognition of the importance of tailoring social programmes to meet these specific needs, but we're also becoming more aware of how these programmes may inadvertently perpetuate gender norms, assuming women's roles in work and caregiving. Can social protection systems be a catalyst for change? Can they challenge the very structures and norms that perpetuate gender inequalities? As we commemorate International Women's Day this month, join us as we explore the concept of gender-transformative social protection. We'll examine how these programmes and systems have the potential to drive transformative change, paving the way for a more equitable future.   Meet our guests: Tara Cookson, Canada Research Chair in Gender Development and Global Public Policy, University of British Columbia. Maja Gavrilovic, Social Protection Consultant. Lauren Whitehead, Social Protection and Gender Lead, UNICEF HQ. For our Quick Wins segment, we are joined by Tia Palermo, president at Policy Research Solutions—PRESTO, and associate professor at the University of Buffalo. She shared insights and highlights from several recent papers in the field.   Resources Publication | Promoting Gender-Transformative Change through Social Protection: An analytical approach Publication | Social protection systems and gender: A review of the evidence Publication | Changing rural women’s lives through gender transformative social protection: A paper on gender transformative social protection concepts, evidence and practice in the context of food security and nutrition.  Quick Wins Publication | Mapping gender and social protection data Publication | Leveraging social protection to support women’s and girls’ climate resilience in low- and middle-income countries Publication | Unconditional cash transfers and safe transitions to adulthood in Malawi  

Among the decisions made at the last Conference of Parties (COP28), was the establishment of the new Loss and Damage Fund, designed to assist countries most vulnerable to climate change.  We talked to our guests about the structure of this new fund and the possibilities for countries to draw on such climate financing mechanisms to build and enhance their social protection systems. In this episode, we delved into the role of social protection in supporting major transitions in energy, industry and food systems necessary to reduce carbon emissions and meet global targets, and how social protection systems can support a just transition for all. Meet our guests: Gala Dahlet, Social Protection Officer, FAO. Jana Bischler, Technical Officer for Social Protection and Climate Change, ILO. Ann Vaughan, Senior Advisor for Climate Change in the Bureau for Resilience and Food Security, USAID. For our Quick Wins segment, we are joined by Hazel Calderon, the leader of fisheries and aquaculture social protection for FAO, who shared insights and highlights from the latest FAO event on social Protection for fisheries.   Resources Publication | The Relevance of Social Protection Systems for the Loss and Damage Fund and Funding Arrangements Livestream | Events at the just transition pavilion at COP28   Quick Wins Website | Social Protection for Fisheries and Aquaculture (SocPro4Fish)

Join us for our special End-of-Year episode, where we unravel the tapestry of 2023, exploring the critical discussions and ground-breaking studies that shaped the landscape of social protection. From adaptive social protection initiatives to food security policies, we delve into the hot topics that ignited debates across the globe. Discover the key takeaways from eye-opening studies that explored climate adaptation, social protection impact, and migration. As we bid farewell to 2023, we invite you to reflect on the wins, challenges, and transformative moments that defined the year in social protection. In the Quick Wins segment, our guest Roberta Brito will highlight the latest content from socialprotection.org's Digest. She will offer a sneak peek into an upcoming piece, providing a glimpse into emerging trends.  Meet our guests: Rodolfo Beazley, Independent Consultant Roberta Brito, Researcher, socialprotection.org Resources: Publication | Social Protection in the Developing World Compilation | Social Protection Digest #1

In this episode, we’re talking about the G20 – an annual gathering of the world’s largest economies and a major global forum for discussing a wide range of economic issues. In recent years, that has included social protection, a set of policies used by many countries to stabilise economies in the face of successive crises. Brazil takes over the G20 presidency from India on 1 December 2023. At this crucial moment of handover, we have invited researchers from both countries to talk about how G20 agendas are shaped, how social protection has featured, and their shared goal of expanding the voice of the Global South in this premier international forum. Meet our guests: Jhanvi Tripathi, Associate Fellow, Observer Research Foundation, and Coordinator, Think20 India Secretariat. Fábio Veras Soares, Director of International Studies, Institute for Applied Economic Research (Ipea) For our Quick Wins segment, we are joined by Carla Mejia, Regional Nutrition Advisor for WFP in Latin America and the Caribbean. We discuss the evidence and impact of social protection interventions on nutrition and food security in light of a recent joint study by WFP, IDS and IFPRI, which proposes an analytical and operational framework linking social protection and better nutrition outcomes.   Resources Publication | G20 Policy for Health Systems: Promoting Holistic Outcomes and Addressing Vulnerabilities in Healthcare Publication | Leveraging Knowledge Sharing for Social Protection Publication | Towards a Robust Social Protection System in the Post Pandemic Era Speech | President Lula during Session 2 - One Family of the G20 Summit Quick Wins News | Social Protection Pathways to Nutrition

In 2022, an estimated 100 million people were displaced, and more than 40 million of those were children. Many of these children were displaced for at least five years, often much longer, and most are hosted in low- and middle-income countries, where social protection systems often face many restrictions. In this episode, we discuss how some countries are taking steps towards extending social protection to displaced children and their families, while slowly building systems for host populations. We examine the consequences of displacement for host countries and host communities, the factors leading to children’s exclusion in these countries, and some examples of programmes taking an integrated approach. At the end of this episode, in lieu of our usual Quick Wins segment, we're featuring a special update on how cash and voucher assistance is being implemented in the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Meet our guests: Christina Lowe, Research Associate at ODI Nupur Kukreti, Policy Specialist, and lead on social protection in humanitarian and fragile contexts, UNICEF Rana Nassar, Regional Representative in the CALP network in the Middle East and North Africa. Resources: Publication | Strengthening inclusive social protection systems for displaced children and their families. Publication | A promise of tomorrow: the effects of UNHCR and UNICEF cash assistance on Syrian refugees in Jordan. Publication | Improving social protection for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Egypt: an overview of international practices. We have launched the Social Protection Digest, a quarterly compilation that brings together practitioner guides, evidence-based studies, and policy and conceptual discussions on a wide range of topics. Carefully hand-picked by our team at socialprotection.org The digest serves as an essential resource for you to keep up with what's new in social protection. After you have read the Social Protection Digest, let us know what you think by taking our three-minute survey.

In this engaging episode, we delve into the vital concept of accountability within social protection programmes and humanitarian initiatives. Our host, Jo Sharpe, joins experts Suchi Pande and Louisa Feres for a deep dive into why accountability is the lynchpin of programme effectiveness. Our guests shed light on the fundamental elements of accountability, including communication strategies, outreach efforts, grievance redressal mechanisms, and the crucial role of audits. Louisa provides unique insights into the various ways accountability is perceived and practiced within humanitarian contexts, challenging conventional wisdom. Join us as we unravel this intricate web that ensures the success of social protection programmes. Meet our guests: Suchi Pande, Scholar in Residence, Accountability Centre, American University Louisa Seferis, Independent Humanitarian Practitioner and member, Better Assistance in Crises (BASIC) research team Kamilla Adan Hassan, Independent Researcher from Baidoa, Somalia For the Quick Wins segment: Valérie Schmitt, Deputy Director, Social Protection Department, ILO Resources: Accountability in crises: connecting evidence from humanitarian and social protection approaches to social assistance Struggles for Accountability in the 2022 Cost-of-living Crisis: Lessons from the Global Protest Wave The Politics of Complaint: A Review of the Literature on Grievance Redress Mechanisms in the Global South   Quick Wins Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions

This September marks the eighth anniversary of socialprotection.org, and we are celebrating across the platform by looking at social protection and its impacts. This episode features a wide-ranging discussion on this theme, what we know about what social protection can do and how that evidence has influenced policy, practice and the global spread of ideas to shape the sector into what it is today. In the Quick Wins segment, we preview our Humans of Social Protection series, in which people who benefit from social protection programmes tell their own stories of how they have impacted their lives.

It is estimated that around 418 million children benefit from school meals—around 41 per cent of children enrolled in primary school, a figure that has been increasing despite interruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a social protection mechanism, school-feeding programmes play a crucial role for children and families, especially when combined with local procurement policies for local smallholder farmers. In this episode, we discuss how school feeding programmes impact vulnerable households and smallholder farmers, as well as how better to combine these two aspects in home-grown school feeding initiatives. We also explore the role of international cooperation in sharing experiences and advancing good practices.