Social Protection Department

The Social Protection Department provides ILO member States with tools and assistance to achieve and maintain the human right to social protection. Since its creation in 1919, the ILO has actively promoted policies and provided assistance to countries to supply adequate levels of social protection to all members of society guided by international social security standards adopted by its tripartite constituents, in particular its flagship Convention concerning Minimum standards of social security, 1952 (No. 102) and the Social Protection Floors Recommendation, 2012 (No. 202)

Highlights

  1. ILO Live

    SDG Action Weekend, High Impact Initiatives: Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions

    17 September 2023

    During the UN Sustainable Development Goals Action Weekend, on the eve of the SDG Summit, the ILO will co-hosted a session on the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection, as part of SDG Acceleration Day on Sunday 17 September.

  2. 13 million people enjoy better social protection through improved financing

    27-28 June 2023

    Thirteen million people in 24 countries have benefited from increased access to improved social protection systems through the Improving synergies between social protection and public finance management programme funded by the European Union and implemented jointly by the ILO, UNICEF and the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors.

  3. ILO Live

    Development partners meeting of the Global Flagship Programme on building social protection floors for all

    24 March 2023 at 09:00 (Europe/Zurich)

    The annual Development Partners meeting of the ILO’s Global Flagship Programme on Building Social Protection Floors for All, noted significant progress in expanding and improving access to social protection globally.

  4. Joint ILO-UNICEF report

    Number of children without critical social protection increasing globally

    Press release | 01 March 2023

    Multiple crises set to plunge more children into poverty creating an urgent need to scale-up social protection, new joint ILO-UNICEF report warns.

  5. News

    ILO launches Massive Open Online Course "Making Universal Social Protection a Reality"

    26 January 2023

    This Massive Open Online Course enables learners to understand the key social protection concepts and the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to social protection. It also provides participants with critical insights into policy options and social protection strategies in the context of decent work and general socio-economic development.

  6. Multilateralism

    ILO Director-General warns of threat to social justice at meeting with Chancellor Scholz and other international organization leaders

    30 November 2022

    Social justice, social protection and creating enough decent jobs were discussed during the Director-General’s visit to Berlin, which also resulted in new cooperation agreements with the World Bank and the German government.

  7. Annual Meetings of the World Bank and the IMF

    ILO Director-General calls for social protection and minimum wages to respond to cost-of-living crisis

    17 October 2022

    In statements to the World Bank and International Monetary Fund Annual Meetings, ILO calls for a crisis response that reduces inequalities and promotes sustainability, through universal social protection, adequate wage increases, greater support for vulnerable economies and respect for labour rights.

  • Universal social protection is a human right and a State responsibility. 

    Gilbert Houngbo,
    Director-General of the
    International Labour Organization