Social protection plays a key role in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and presents a great opportunity to strengthen the resilience of countries to respond to increasing climate risks and promote green development in a just manner. However, research and policy on climate change and social protection remain fragmented and limited in scope. There is thus a necessity for re-examining and enhancing the current agendas on the role of social protection in managing the global climate crisis.
The expert meeting “Big Ideas for the Long-term: Social Protection in a Changing Climate” held on 26 November 2020, provided a space for an “open thinking” session on the future of social protection under climate change. The discussions echoed the need for a wider consideration of social protection in the global climate and development debates. Key thematic areas included: building social and ecological resilience to climate change risks through social protection; social protection governance and financing under climate change; and the role of social protection in climate change mitigation, future of employment, and a just transition to a green economy. The German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) co-hosted the event together with the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre (RCCC), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and the French Development Agency (Agence française de développement, AFD).
The meeting was part of a series of expert dialogues on “Social Protection in a Changing Climate” organized by the RCCC with various partners aimed at creating a platform for continuous conversation on the topic.