Patrick Lamboi (far right) and David A. Kargbo (center left), who work for Splash, make cash transfer payments to women in Freetown, Sierra Leone on June 21, 2015.

Webinar

ILO strategy on financing social protection

The ILO is organizing a webinar to discuss how countries can create fiscal space to extend social protection coverage by at least 2 percentage points per year, in light of Sevilla Declaration adopted in 2025.

© Dominic Chavez/World Bank

The FfD4 outcome document, which was presented and adopted in Seville at the beginning of July 2025, outlines a bold agenda to strengthen the global financial architecture in support of sustainable development. Crucially, the document positions social protection as central to inclusive development, urging countries to increase coverage by at least two percentage points per year in line with ILO standards (¶27i), and calls for predictable financing of social protection, especially in times of crisis, including within IMF-supported programmes (¶54h). These two key paragraphs, which are endorsed by Member States, will serve as a guiding framework for the ILO’s work on financing social protection over the next decade.

The webinar will highlight countries’ progress in expanding social protection coverage by at least two percentage points. It will also examine how countries have created additional fiscal space to support this expansion, present the ILO’s engagement with the IMF on social protection at the country-level, and outline the ILO proposal on social protection under the UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation.

Programme

Moderator

Shahra Razavi, Director, Universal Social Protection Department, ILO

Opening remarks

  • Valerie Schmitt, Deputy Director, Universal Social Protection Department, ILO

Government perspectives on the financing challenge

  • H.E. Cristina Díaz, Ambassador on Special Mission for Development Financing, Spain
  • Débora Freire Cardoso, Secretary on Fiscal Policy of the Ministry of Finance, Brazil
  • Willis Chipango, Director of Budget, Ministry of Finance, Zambia

Are we progressing on the 2 PP target? A reality check

  • Umberto Cattaneo, Public Finance Specialist, Universal Social Protection Department, ILO

Looking ahead: How to finance investments in social protection and care services?

  • Shea McClanahan, Technical Specialist in Social Security, ISSA
  • Kate Donald, Head of Office, Washington DC, Oxfam International

Questions & Answers

Closing remarks

  • Helmut Schwarzer, Head of the Public Finance Actuarial and Statistical Services Unit, Universal Social Protection Department, ILO

Resources