Delivering on national commitments: Korea’s support to the implementation of the Global Accelerator

Background and context

The Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions (GA) addresses critical global gaps in employment and social protection. An estimated 453 million people unable to find jobs, while over 4 billion people lacking access to social protection.

Launched in September 2021 by the UN Secretary-General as a High-Impact Initiative to accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Global Accelerate operates through a group of selected “pathfinder” countries. These countries have demonstrated strong political commitment to advancing employment and social protection in the context of just transitions and are developing or implementing national roadmaps that define priority actions and strategic approaches to improve labour market outcomes and expand social protection coverage.

Project approach and implementation

Within this framework, the project has supported the implementation of the Global Accelerator, advancing progress from early-stage engagement to more mature phases across an expanding number of pathfinder countries. This has been achieved through a combination of global-level technical development and targeted country support.

At the global level, the project supported the development and operationalization of a standardized Active Labour Market Policies (ALMP) data collection tool across 10 pathfinder countries. This has enabled the establishment of a comparable cross-country dataset to inform diagnostics, policy design, and analytical work.

At the country level, the project contributed to the development of integrated employment–skills–social protection frameworks in Paraguay and Cambodia. Implementation has been initiated in Paraguay, while preparatory work has advanced in Cambodia.

Analytical, capacity-building and knowledge-sharing contributions

At the macroeconomic and financing level, the project supported the rollout of key analytical instruments under the Global Accelerator, including macroeconomic diagnostics in Senegal and Employment and Social Protection Expenditure Reviews in Cambodia, Paraguay, and Viet Nam. These tools have strengthened the evidence base for policy prioritization, improved alignment of public expenditure, and supported the development of sustainable financing strategies.

The project also advanced forward-looking analytical approaches, including Employment Impact Assessments in Namibia and Malawi, and supported the institutionalization of the Structural Model for Sustainable Development (SMSD) in Cambodia. This has enabled ex ante analysis of policy and investment scenarios.

In parallel, it played a catalytic role in strengthening institutional capacity and promoting knowledge exchange through major global and regional platforms, including the Asia-Pacific Policy Forum and the first Global Accelerator Capacity Building and Knowledge Exchange Forum. These initiatives facilitated peer learning and supported the dissemination of integrated policy approaches across pathfinder countries.

Recently, with the support of the Government of Korea, Cambodia held a Technical Consultation Workshop on the Results Monitoring Framework (RMF) for its GA Roadmap, strengthening national capacity for monitoring progress and enhancing coordination among key stakeholders.