Social Protection Podcast

Over recent decades, global shocks such as the Global Food, Fuel and Financial Crisis of 2007–2009, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the war in Ukraine, have driven countries to rapidly scale up social protection measures, including subsidies, to cushion households from rising food and energy prices. Increasing attention has also been placed on shock-responsive measures to address climate disasters and...

In this episode of the Social Inclusion Series*, we explore how social protection systems can support greater inclusion for persons with disabilities across the Asia-Pacific region. Most of them face multiple and interconnected barriers, ranging from inaccessible environments and social stigma to the high costs of healthcare, assistive technologies, and care. When these needs go unmet, they can le...

In this second episode of the Social Inclusion Series*, we explore how ageing populations are reshaping social protection needs and development across Asia and the Pacific. While demographic trends vary widely across the region, countries are increasingly facing issues on how to support income security, health, care, and dignity in later life. The episode explores the links between ageing, pension...

In this first episode of the Social Inclusion Series*, we shine a spotlight on adolescent girls. Adolescence is a turning point—but one that often goes overlooked in social protection. These years are filled with major transitions, especially for girls, who often face greater challenges in staying in school, taking on care responsibilities, navigating sexual debut, and making decisions about their...

 Between 2015 and 2025, the number of displaced people worldwide nearly doubled. Today, more than 123 million people are forcibly displaced globally, including around 42 million refugees. Many of the countries that host refugees internationally are low- or middle-income, often lacking adequate social protection systems for their own citizens, let alone for displaced populations. As conflicts becom...

The Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty, launched under Brazil’s G20 Presidency in 2024, seeks to accelerate progress towards ending extreme poverty and hunger while tackling inequality. Bringing together over 200 members including governments, international organisations, and other partners, the Alliance aims to mobilise political commitment, align public and private financing, and promote...

In this episode, we explore how TRANSFORM is being institutionalised as a core approach to continuous capacity building for social protection practitioners and leaders across Africa. The conversations focus on how the initiative has supported the development of rights-based, inclusive social protection systems and how its content and methodology are being embedded within training programmes to str...

In this episode, we explore how TRANSFORM has helped promote a ‘culture of social protection’ across Africa, shaping how civil servants approach their roles and how institutions adapt to address lifecycle challenges using TRANSFORM’s building-block methodology. The conversations highlight the initiative’s leadership effects and its influence at national and sub-national levels, while also examinin...

In this special episode with Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, we explore where global efforts stand today to combat poverty and how international actors can strengthen their support, particularly through a human-rights lens. The discussion brings what an effective path forward might look like in today’s complex global context, and how poverty, as a de...

 Do cash transfers drive inflation? Is social protection a cost to the economy, or an investment in its future? And who should these systems ultimately serve? In this second and final episode on social protection myths and misperceptions, we turn to the economic and systemic dimensions — how social protection interacts with markets, fiscal policy, and national development. Drawing on global eviden...

This episode introduces listeners to the origins and essence of the TRANSFORM initiative—an innovative, leading capacity-building program designed to strengthen social protection systems in Africa. It explores what sets TRANSFORM apart from other training programs and how it was designed as a uniquely African initiative, tailored to the continent’s context and adaptable to the needs of its countri...

Thirty years after the landmark World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen, the world reconvenes in Doha for the second edition of the Summit — a defining moment to assess global progress in poverty eradication, employment, and social inclusion. As nations prepare to renew their commitments to the Copenhagen Declaration, the Summit offers a crucial opportunity to reflect on the evolving rol...

In this bonus episode, we explore the critical role of social protection in Gaza. Our guest expert unpacks how humanitarian community has found creative ways to deliver and scale up cash assistance through particular digital systems amid extreme adversity. How can social protection systems adapt in the face of prolonged instability? How can data be better managed in crisis situations? Where do fun...

Is social protection just a handout? Does it discourage work? Or are the systems plagued by fraud? In this episode, we unpack some of the biggest myths surrounding social protection systems and explore the real data behind the rhetoric. Despite the strong evidence base available and data which overwhelmingly proves the strengths of social protection in combating poverty and vulnerability, social p...

This year, 2025, marks the 10th anniversary of the socialprotection.org platform—a milestone that offers the perfect opportunity to reflect on how far social protection has come over the past decade, and where it is headed next.   Since 2015, when social protection was anchored in the Sustainable Development Goals (mainly under SDG 1 as a pillar of poverty reduction), the field has expanded and ev...

In face of the climate emergency, integrating social protection into countries’ nationally determined contributions (NDCs) is essential for supporting vulnerable communities, advancing low-carbon transitions, and unlocking climate finance to expand adaptive social protection systems. With many countries set to update these critical climate instruments under the scope of the Paris Agreement, this i...

As the world prepares for the  4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) , the need to rethink how we fund social protection has never been more urgent. Debt burdens, shrinking official development assistance (ODA), and growing global inequalities are squeezing fiscal space, especially for low- and middle-income countries, putting the goal of Universal Social Protection by 2...

Health is a human right, as well as a cornerstone of social protection systems. Yet globally, millions remain excluded from essential care, with financial hardship and systemic gaps still standing in the way of universal health coverage. In this episode, numbered as the 50th of the Social Protection Podcast, we take a close look at Zambia’s National Health Insurance Scheme as a case study for how...

In conflict settings, ensuring that social protection is responsive, durable, and conflict-sensitive is critical, yet often underexplored. In this episode, we delve into the intersections between humanitarian assistance, development cooperation, and peacebuilding – the so-called "Triple Nexus" – and how social protection fits within it. We examine how social protection actors, humanitarian agencie...

The need for greater ‘localisation’ of humanitarian and social assistance is clear in conflict and protracted crisis settings. The increasing difficulty for international organisations to operate is a key driver of localisation, as is the recognition of the essential role local actors (including government and civil society) play in improving the relevance, legitimacy, sustainability and effective...

In times of conflict and protracted crises, social protection systems are often strained, yet they remain vital in supporting the most vulnerable populations. In this episode, we examine how gender-responsive social protection can mitigate the impact of crises on women, children, and other marginalised groups. This episode examines the specific vulnerabilities of women and marginalised groups in t...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming industries worldwide, and social protection systems are no exception. From improving targeting and service delivery to enabling predictive interventions, AI has the potential to make social protection and humanitarian programs smarter and more responsive. But with these opportunities come significant challenges: data privacy concerns, biases in algorith...

Join us for the 2024 Year in Review episode of the Social Protection Podcast! In this year’s special (and final) episode, we delved into pivotal discussions and transformative insights that shaped the evolving landscape of social protection. From the growing recognition of social protection’s role in responding to climate change, to exploring gender-responsive approaches, and rethinking program de...

Data and information systems are fundamental building blocks of social protection programmes. They all need a process and a mechanism for collecting, storing and processing data. However, developing these registries presents enormous challenges. Especially in finding ways for these to become truly dynamic, so that social protection systems can respond effectively to peoples’ changing circumstances...

The World Social Protection Report is the ILO's flagship publication, offering an in-depth look at the state of social protection globally. The 2024-26 edition focuses on universal social protection as a key factor for just transitions and climate action. In this episode, we dive into the latest findings, exploring both the progress made and the gaps that remain. Our conversation covers how countr...