According to the World Health Organization, about 50 percent of us have access to at least one social security benefit, but 3.8 billion people lack any safety net, including 1.8 billion children worldwide. World Social Protection Report 2024-26: Universal social protection for climate action and a just transition.
Climate change knows no boundaries“And we cannot build a wall to keep the crisis out,” said Gilbert Houngbo, ILO Director General.The climate crisis affects us all and poses the most serious threat to social justice today..”
The findings show that governments are failing to fully harness the powerful potential of social protection to combat the impacts of the climate crisis and support a just transition to a greener future.
Reflects ‘deeply divided world’
For the first time, more than half of the world’s population (52.4 percent) has some form of social protection, up from 42.8 percent in 2015, the year the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted, the report said.
But in the 20 most climate-vulnerable countries, 91.3 percent of people – or 364 million – still go without. More broadly, in the 50 most climate-vulnerable countries, 75 percent of the population – or 2.1 billion people – have no protection.
“The great inequality in the right to social protection is a reflection of our deeply divided world“, said Mia Seppo, ILO Assistant Director-General. “The most urgent challenge is to protect those on the frontlines of the climate crisis.”
Globally, the majority of children (76.1 percent) still do not have effective social protection. In addition, a significant gender gap persists, with women’s effective coverage lagging behind men’s by 50.1 and 54.6 percent, respectively.
These gaps are particularly significant given the potential role that social protection can play in mitigating the impact of climate change, helping people and societies adapt to a new climate-vulnerable reality, and facilitating a just transition to a sustainable future.
The ILO director warned that many of the countries hardest hit by the crisis are particularly ill-equipped to address the impact on the environment and livelihoods.
“We must acknowledge that What happens to the affected communities will affect us all“, he said.
How social protection helps
Social protection can help people adapt to and cope with climate-related shocks by providing social protection benefits, such as income security and access to health care. It can also protect families, workers and enterprises during the green transition.
It can also enable more sustainable economic practices, such as supporting workers with training and upskilling for work in green and low-carbon sectors.
“Social protection is essential to ensure that the ongoing green and low-carbon energy transition leaves no one behind,” said ILO Chief Houngbo. “The need to universalize social protection is not only ethical; it is also practical.
“By supporting and protecting workers everywhere, we can help reduce fear about the transition, which is essential to mobilize popular support for a sustainable and just transition.”
Jonalyn Millana, Health Monitor at the ILO Activity ‘Cash for Work’ Building a better coconut economy project with the Japanese government, explaining how social protection helps.
“When it comes to social security, like health insurance, we don’t know when a typhoon is coming,” she said. “I am more protected now because if something happens, I have something to receive, like insurance like PhilHealth (health insurance), SSS (social security). I feel safer because I have social protection.”
Governments must intervene
Despite the role that social protection plays as a catalyst and driver for positive climate action, governments are failing to fully utilise its potential, largely due to persistent gaps in coverage and significant underinvestment, the new report finds.
On average, countries spend 12.9 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) on social protection, excluding health. while high-income countries spend an average of 16.2 percent, low-income countries spend only 0.8 percent of their GDP on social protection.
Low-income countries, including those most vulnerable to climate change, need an additional $308.5 billion annually, or 52.3 percent of their GDP, to ensure at least basic coverage. International support is needed to achieve this goal.
‘Time to raise the stakes’
The ILO report calls for decisive and integrated policy measures to close protection gaps, stating that it is “time to raise the stakes” and invest significantly in social protection.
Recommendations to help guide policy and ensure effective and sustainable outcomes include: preparing for both ‘routine’ life cycle risks and climate-related shocks with social protection systems and the use of social protection to mitigate climate change and adaptation efforts, while ensuring public acceptance of these measures.
The report also recommends prioritising investments in social protection, including external support for countries with limited fiscal space.
Read the full report here.
