Member-only story
Asia-Pacific Needs to Boost Social Protection Investment to Achieve the SDGs
The Sustainable Development Goals approved by world leaders last September set an ambitious agenda to reduce poverty, vulnerability and marginalization by 2030. While each government will shape its own approach to meet the SDGs, a common feature in most national programs will be the use of social protection.
Indeed, social protection is seen as so important on the development agenda that the very first SDG includes a target to implement social protection systems and measures to achieve substantial coverage of poor and vulnerable people. To provide such coverage, governments will have to commit to the reform and expansion of social assistance, social insurance and labor market programs.
Social protection is one of the most powerful tools available to government to fight poverty. The need for social protection is highlighted now more than ever by aging populations, highly vulnerable population groups such as migrant workers, and environmental threats.
In Asia, we have seen how social protection can help curb widespread deprivation in countries such as Japan and South Korea. Investing in social protection has for decades been an integral part of their plans to forge successful, globally competitive economies, while promoting social cohesion. Japan has had universal…
