This self-paced course is designed for anyone interested in learning the basics of social protection and how to apply it through the lens of sustainable development. The course champions a universal, life-cycle approach focusing on partnerships, designing, financing, and implementing comprehensive social protection systems that reduce the vulnerabilities faced by all.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) lay out a set of key development objectives for developed and developing countries alike to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all.
Among the priorities agreed upon by Member States is social protection — cited in the agenda as a primary means to protect all individuals and families against social contingencies and market risks across the life-cycle. Countries are called on to “implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable.”
Currently, an estimated 69.4 per cent of the world’s population lives without adequate social protection coverage, including lack of access to a pension, unemployment benefits, health insurance, and income guarantees.
According to the International Labour Organization, the COVID-19 pandemic has simultaneously, “exposed deep-seated inequalities and significant gaps in social protection coverage, comprehensiveness and adequacy across all countries” and, “provoked an unparalleled social protection policy response”. It is, therefore the time to accelerate the transformation of social protection systems in light of the pandemic to ensure a human-centred recovery and resilience.
The ambitious objectives of the 2030 Agenda and the newfound drive for building comprehensive social protection systems will require concerted efforts from across the spectrum of UN and national actors, joining up disparate interventions and leveraging new tools to build enhanced social protection programmes and achieve the 2030 target.
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
UNSSC online courses are designed to deliver maximum learning outcomes through optimal time investments into carefully chosen high-quality learning materials. Specifically tailored to the needs of the professionals interested in developing the skills to advance their career or deepening their knowledge of a particular subject through our self-paced study modules, which include applied learning components such as case studies.
UNSSC online courses give learners the opportunity to complete activities when it best fits their schedule. UNSSC online courses incorporate the same high academic rigour as any UNSSC face-to-face programme, while participants are free to determine their own study plan.
Module 1: What is social protection?
Module 2: Present and Future: Social Protection, Partnerships, and the 2030 Agenda (the “why” and “who”)
Module 3: Key pillars of social protection (the “what”)
Module 4: Designing, financing, and reforming social protection systems (the “how”)
Module 5: Implementing comprehensive social protection systems (the “how”)
Module 6: Looking ahead: global trends and adaptive social protection (the “future”)
This course is offered exclusively to UN staff members who would like to learn about social protection and demonstrate that they will use the knowledge gained to benefit others.
The cost is $550. Staff from UN entities can access this course upon payment of the course fee.
Certificates from the United System Staff College will be awarded to participants upon completion of the course.