ILO urges inclusive social protection for climate resilience at regional seminar
The ILO urged Caribbean governments to integrate climate risk into social protection systems to better protect vulnerable rural workers affected by climate change.
26 May 2025
ST. JOHN'S, Antigua and Barbuda (ILO News) - The International Labour Organization (ILO) called for urgent, inclusive social protection measures to shield Caribbean farmers, fishers, and rural workers from the growing impacts of the climate crisis. The message was delivered during the Regional Seminar on the Inclusiveness of Social Protection Systems in the Agricultural and Fisheries Sector, held from May 19–21, 2025, in Antigua and Barbuda.
“We must act now to protect the people who feed our region,” said Mr. Ian Orton, ILO Specialist in Social Protection and Occupational Safety and Health. He highlighted how the climate crisis was already disrupting food systems across the Caribbean, placing livelihoods and food security at risk.
Social protection framed as a climate strategy
The ILO emphasized that social protection should serve as a core strategy for climate mitigation, adaptation and just transition, not just as a safety net. Orton urged governments to build systems that are inclusive, shock-responsive, and integrated with climate risk and disaster response mechanisms. “Social protection is not charity. It’s climate resilience,” he said.
To improve resilience in agriculture and fisheries, the ILO outlined the following priority actions:
- Extend social protection coverage to all agricultural and fisheries workers, particularly those in informal or precarious jobs.
- Increase financing to enable timely and adequate responses to climate-related shocks.
- Integrate climate risk data into social protection policies for more apt interventions.
- Promote coordination among governments, civil society, and development partners to tackle complex climate-related challenges.
The seminar brought together regional policymakers, experts, and civil society representatives who acknowledged the Caribbean’s vulnerability to climate change. Discussions supported the ILO’s call to action: without inclusive, adaptive systems in place, the livelihoods of those sustaining the region’s food supply would remain unprotected. Organized by International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP), the event further highlighted its growing collaboration with the ILO to promote inclusive social protection and strengthen climate resilience in rural sectors.
As the Caribbean faces rising sea levels and erratic weather conditions, the seminar highlighted a clear message: building resilient social protection systems is critical to protecting lives, livelihoods, and the region’s food security.
The time for decisive action has passed, it is now a matter of survival.