Never before has the need for social protection been greater. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has accentuated the central role that social protection plays in building resilience and mitigating risks for individuals, households and society at large. The crisis has also highlighted the importance of social protection schemes that cover everyone throughout their lives. Social protection is one of the core national strategies for preventing poverty and vulnerability and also serves as an enabler for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and achieving target 1.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals.Recognizing its importance as both a fundamental right and an effective mechanism for promoting sustainable development, many countries in Asia and the Pacific are increasing their efforts to broaden social protection coverage. Nevertheless, the region’s investment in social protection is lower than the global average, resulting in 60 per cent of the population remaining vulnerable to ordinary contingencies throughout their lives, such as sickness, unemployment, disability, pregnancy and old age. The Committee on Social Development, at its fifth session, convened from 28 to 30 November 2018, recommended strengthening regional cooperation on social protection through the establishment of a regional modality. In response, the secretariat has worked with experts nominated by member States to develop an action plan to strengthen regional cooperation on social protection in Asia and the Pacific, contained in the present document. The draft action plan was submitted to the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific for endorsement at its seventy-sixth session, but the Commission requested the Committee at its sixth session to review the action plan with a view to providing advice on the follow-up, as appropriate. In this regard, the Committee may wish to review the action plan with a view to endorsing it.