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OVERVIEW

The European Union considers social protection a human right. Expanding social protection coverage is essential not only for eradicating poverty (SDG 1.3) and reducing inequalities (SDG 10.4), but also for formalizing employment and enterprises, facilitating a just transition to a green economy and promoting gender equality.

Based on current trends, SDG target 1.3 on universal social protection will not be achieved by 2030. In 2024, only around half of the world’s population (52.4%) was covered by at least one social protection benefit (SDG indicator 1.3.1). While this represents progress, it also means that 3.8 billion people are still left unprotected for routine life-cycle risks (e.g. if they get sick or lose a job) and climate-related or other systemic shocks.

INTPA’s approach, based on the 2012 Communication on 'Social Protection in European Union Development Cooperation', is to help partner countries progressively move from a fragmented set of schemes towards universal social protection systems. These systems encompass protection across the life cycle for all children, people of working age in case of maternity, disability, illness, work injury or unemployment; and for older persons. Routed in strong political will and social solidarity, they are financed in a sustainable manner primarily through domestic resources, supported by sound public finance management (PFM) practices.

With the EU’s Global Gateway, there is a renewed opportunity to support partner countries’ efforts to address some of the social protection coverage gaps. Social protection is part of the 360-degree approach to Global Gateway investments, linked to the promotion of human rights, including social rights. In practice, this means:

  • Promoting decent work opportunities, with access to social protection, in Global Gateway investments;
  • Mitigating the potential negative impact of the transitions on income and jobs through income replacement schemes and other social protection measures;
  • Securing investments in the human capital needed for just transitions (avoiding negative coping strategies, freeing household resources, complementing labour market policies).


What is it?

The following DG INTPA supported resources are available:   

  1. The Digital Convergence Initiative (DCI), launched in 2021 under the USP2030 partnership, supports countries in developing inclusive, efficient, and interoperable digital social protection systems. To respond to country-specific challenges, the DCI Helpdesk and the AI Hub have recently been launched as a demand-driven support mechanism for governments. Governments can access 10–50 days of targeted expert advisory services on topics such as interoperability, digital architecture, grievance mechanisms, AI for social protection and strategic planning. No direct financial support is provided, but technical assistance is fully covered.
  2. The Socieux+ facility offers short-term Technical Assistance (TA) support for social protection challenges in the form of peer-to-peer support to government institutions and social partners mobilising European civil servants and staff from labour unions and employers’ associations.

Forthcoming resources:

The Team Europe Initiative (TEI) on Social Protection in Sub-Saharan Africa, which was launched at the high-level AU-EU event of 20 March 2024 co-led by INTPA and Belgium, will focus on fostering greater access to comprehensive and effective universal social protection along Global Gateway projects. The Initiative will seek to tackle vulnerabilities throughout the lifecycle, including health, economic, climate and conflict-related shocks. INTPA A2 and G4 jointly follow the EU-financed programme which is a key building block of this TEI (in cooperation with TEI and African partners).

 To gain a deeper understanding on concepts and examples to offer inspiration for your own programmes, INTPA G4 offers a reference guide on Social Protection and a document with suggestions on indicators.


What can it be used for?

The above-mentioned resources provide guidance and practical examples on how to design, implement, and monitor interventions with social protection elements.


When can it be used?

These online resources can be used throughout the intervention cycle. They provide guidance on programming, policy dialogue, intervention design, monitoring and evaluation, as well as in the development of activities.


Who can use it?

EU staff and other development practitioners, including consultants dealing with EU interventions.

Some of the facilities available (Socieux+ and DCI Helpdesk) are available for government partners only, but technical support from the EU Delegation may be needed to finetune requests and ensure that they align with EU policy objectives.


What are its strengths?

The available resources can help guide policy dialogue with partner countries on social protection. They project the EU vision and values, while sharing practices and tools that can inspire countries to build their own systems. Practical platforms, like the DCI Helpdesk and the Socieux+ facility, are immediately available to respond to partner countries’ requests for hands-on support:

  • The DCI Helpdesk and AI Hub can provide a range of remote, time-bound technical advisory services to enhance the effectiveness, efficiency, and transparency of digital social protection systems.
  • Socieux+ responds to government needs, being demand driven. It provides diversified high-quality European expertise to partner countries in the areas of social protection and employment. Its peer-to-peer approach fosters knowledge development, creates cross-border networks of experts and promotes sustainability.


What are its limitations?

While the available resources offer solid guidance on the development of social protection programmes, they do not yet present concrete advice on how EFSD+ instruments can potentially play a role for promoting social protection.


PRACTICAL APPLICATION

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EU RESOURCES


OTHER RESOURCES


For further information, any revision or comment, please contact INTPA-ICM-GUIDE@ec.europa.eu
Published by INTPA.D.4 - Quality and results, evaluation, knowledge management. Last update 15 September 2025

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