12 Steps to Inclusive Social Protection Systems

Introduction
12 Steps to Inclusive Social Protection Systems

Governments have increasingly recognized social protection as a key policy instrument to build a more  productive, protected and healthy population in Asia and the Pacific. In 2020, ESCAP member States endorsed  the regional ESCAP Action Plan to Strengthen Regional Cooperation on Social Protection in Asia and the  Pacific (ESCAP Action Plan), which serves as a shared vision, strategy and platform for promoting partnership  and peer learning and identifying needs for capacity development. At the national level, the ESCAP Action  Plan calls on countries to establish an intermediate target of social protection coverage by 2025, and then  measure progress towards achieving universal coverage by 2030. To achieve this objective, the ESCAP Action  Plan lays out 12 measures to be taken at the national level. 


Social protection has been identified as an enabler for implementing the 2030 Agenda. To achieve the  Sustainable Development Goals and deliver on the commitments contained therein, most countries in the  region need to step up their efforts to build sustainable and reliable social protection systems. For this  purpose, the ESCAP Action Plan and its national actions will be helpful for countries in furthering their  inclusive social protection agenda. 
To support member States in the implementation of this first ever regional Action Plan, ESCAP has been  mandated to develop a regional platform to facilitate peer learning and enhance the knowledge and  awareness of member States to implement the ESCAP Action Plan. 


The Steps to Inclusive Social Protection Systems sets out 12 milestones for developing an integrated and  sustainable social protection system, aligned with the ESCAP Action Plan, that has the buy-in of key  actors, guarantees the right to social protection for all, addresses gaps in current social protection systems,  identifies solutions to support sustainable financing, removes inefficiencies and fragmentation in delivery  and administration, and responds to shocks more efficiently and effectively.