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  Social protection

Enhancing human capital and productivity

Many people across the world live in abject poverty and destitution, worsened further due to the threats posed by weather and climate events. Social protection can help cope with some of these crises and is a primary development priority both for governments and the Climate Centre itself. 

Social protection can effectively enhance human capital and productivity, reduce poverty and inequalities, and help achieve social equity. The Climate Centre’s approach is to view social policies and programmes as key to an overall strategy to end poverty, manage risks and build resilience.

Our vision for social protection is that it takes climate risks into account and helps the most vulnerable anticipate, absorb and adapt to climate impacts. 

For this, the Climate Centre works with donors, national governments, and local communities in identifying risks and vulnerabilities, providing access to climate information, and improving existing systems through practical action and innovation.

As part of our pioneering efforts, we are also exploring the potential of connecting early warning and early action and forecast-based action with social protection to strengthen timely and adequate last-mile support.

Our recent advocacy brief on the role of Social protection for Loss & Damage reinstates our support to the Plan of Action developed by Technical Expert Group on Comprehensive Risk Management (TEG-CRM) and looks specifically at the policy gaps in implementing social protection to support loss and damage action at the national level and outlines areas for capacity-building in countries. Download pdf file.

 

 

Social protection responses to compounding risks:
Lessons from Covid-19 and climate-related disasters

The data dashboard, created as part of an ongoing project on mapping social protection responses to Covid-19, compiles information from various sources and databases hosted by the John Hopkins University, Oxford University, the ILO, and the World Bank.

The dashboard presents two main views, at the international and national level that can be selected at the top of the dashboard. The international level maps the coverage social protection responses across countries and the magnitude of climate-related disasters, while the second presents more specific information on Covid-19, climate-related disasters, and social protection at the national level.

Synergies between WASH and Social Protection
Briefing note

Synergies between WASH and Social Protection

This brief explores the connections between WASH and Social Protection, and gives recommendations to actors like Red Cross National Societies on how to integrate the shared objectives of these two sectors and reap co-benefits. Image: IFRC/Vice Media tie-in September 2020, South Asia crises (Bangladesh)

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The Climate:Red Summit

In one of the Climate:Red Summit sessions in September 2020, the social protection team explored the opportunities for linking humanitarian action with social protection.

In the session entitled Strengthening linkages with social protection: Red Cross Red Crescent experience and a way forward, National Societies that have been using social protection to reduce vulnerabilities arising from climate risks shared their learning and experience on challenges and successes of delivering humanitarian support using social protection.

UR2020 session: Social protection for addressing climate risks, what are the linkages?

This session explored the role social protection can play in anticipating and mitigating the impacts of climate shocks, using cartoons. Participants discussed country examples where social protection is used to respond to climate shocks, and the key aspects to keep in mind when integrating climate risk management into social safety nets.

Briefing note

Social protection for extreme temperatures

Experiences from the UK, US and France. Briefing note by Salima Etoka, Sayanti Sengupta, and Cecilia Costella.

Social protection for extreme temperatures
Video

Social protection, resilience and climate change: learning by having fun

Video featuring Pablo Suarez, Associate Director for Research and Innovation at the Climate Centre, in which he explains how social protection is crucial to addressing people’s vulnerabilities, using serious games and interactive tools.