This interactive and facilitated six-week 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.”
For the first time, more than half of the world’s population (52.4 per cent) are covered by at least one social protection benefit (SDG indicator 1.3.1), increasing from 42.8 per cent in 2015. This is welcome progress. However, if progress were to continue at this rate at the global level, it would take another 49 years – until 2073 – for everyone to be covered by at least one social protection benefit. This pace to close protection gaps is too slow.
The world is currently witnessing the highest levels of displacement on record. More than 120 million individuals have been forcibly displaced worldwide as a result of persecution, conflict, violence or human rights violations. Social protection is a universal human right and an economic and social necessity for development and progress.
Populations in countries at the frontline of the climate crisis and most susceptible to climate hazards remain woefully unprepared. In the 20 countries most vulnerable to the climate crisis, just a mere 8.7 per cent of the population is covered by some form of social protection, leaving 364 million people wholly unprotected. Universal social protection systems have an important role to play to help realize climate ambitions and facilitate a just transition.
The international community has positioned social protection as a key enabler to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, echoed throughout normative frameworks of the United Nations and other international and regional bodies. The Pact for the Future stresses the importance of establishing well-designed, sustainable and efficient social protection systems for all as a key instrument for eradication of poverty. Recently, social protection together with decent jobs, was identified as one of the six transitions and investment pathways to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
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, our facilitated online courses combine self-paced study modules with applied learning components such as case studies, interactive exercises and collaborative group work.
Participants also benefit from live moderated webinars which feature valuable inputs from renowned subject-matter experts, and allow real-time dialogue with high-level speakers. Webinar recordings are also made available to ensure that participants have a flexible and seamless learning experience.
An expert facilitator guides and assists the participants throughout the course, and provides real-time feedback on activities and exercises. Our user-friendly social online learning platform provides participants with the opportunity to connect with peers from diverse organizational backgrounds, fostering peer-to-peer learning.
While being interactive and participatory, UNSSC online courses give learners the opportunity to complete activities when it best fits their schedule. Participants are largely free to determine their own weekly study plan. Lasting five weeks and demanding five hours of work a week, UNSSC online courses incorporate the same high academic rigour as any UNSSC face-to-face programme.
Introductory week: What is social protection?
Week 2: Present and Future: Social Protection, Partnerships, and the 2030 Agenda (the “why” and “who”)
Week 3: Key pillars of social protection (the “what”)
Week 4: Designing, financing, and reforming social protection systems (the “how”)
Week 5: Implementing comprehensive social protection systems (the “how”)
Week 6: Looking ahead: global trends and adaptive social protection (the “future”)
Participants can come from various backgrounds and have different levels of experience working on social protection. Their work may span civil society, academia, the private sector, mass media, political parties, governments, NGOs, international organizations, donors, social workers, educators, volunteers, and influencers.
We are looking for motivated people who do not necessarily have prior knowledge about social protection but who can demonstrate they will use the knowledge gained to benefit others.
The course is free of charge.