Addis Ababa: Governments must do more to utilize universal social protection to adapt to and mitigate the impact of climate change and achieve a just transition, according to a new International Labour Organization (ILO) report.

The organization disclosed its report entitled: ‘World Social Protection 2024-26: Universal social protection for climate action and a just transition.’

Following the report ILO sent a press release to ENA and it said social protection plays a key role in countering climate change impact but countries most impacted by the climate crisis are the least prepared.

Governments are failing to make full use of the powerful potential of social protection to counter the effects of the climate crisis and support a just transition, the report indicated.

The report also finds that those countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change often have the lowest levels of social protection.

And the report finds that, for the first time, more than half of the global population (52.4 perce
nt) has some form of social protection coverage. This is up from 42.8 per cent in 2015, the year when the Sustainable Development Goals were adopted.

However, in the 20 countries most vulnerable to the climate crisis, 91.3 percent of people (364 million) still lack any form of social protection.

Looking more broadly, in the 50 most climate-vulnerable countries, 75 percent of the population which is estimated to 2.1 billion people lacks any social protection coverage.

Globally, 76.1 percent of the children still have no effective social protection coverage, the report indicated.

There is also a substantial gender gap, with women’s effective coverage lagging behind men’s coverage which is 50.1 and 54.6 per cent, respectively.

These gaps are especially significant, given the potential role of social protection in softening the impact of climate change, helping people and societies adapt to a new climate-volatile reality, and facilitating a just transition to a sustainable future.

“Climate change does not r
ecognize borders, and we cannot build a wall to keep the crisis out. The climate crisis affects us all and represents the single, gravest, threat to social justice today,’ said Gilbert F. Houngbo, ILO Director-General.

‘Many of the countries experiencing the most brutal consequences of this crisis are particularly ill-equipped to handle its environmental and livelihood consequences. We must recognize that what happens to impacted communities will affect us all…

Universal social protection is top of the list of tools that we have at our disposal to help us ensure that the climate crisis does not deepen existing inequalities and exclusion in affected communities’ the Director-General further stated.

Social protection can help people adapt to and cope with climate-related shocks by providing social protection benefits, such as income security and access to healthcare.

Moreover, social protection can cushion families, workers, and enterprises during the green transition and enable more sustainable economic
practices.

This includes supporting workers with training and upskilling so that they are equipped with knowledge and skills for employment in green and low carbon sectors, according to the report. Social protection also ensures that all jobs are decent, with adequate protection and benefits.

‘Social protection is essential to ensure that the ongoing green and low-carbon energy transition leaves no one behind. And the imperative to make social protection universal is not only ethical, it is also practical: by supporting and protecting workers everywhere, we can help to alleviate fears about the transition, which is essential to mobilize popular support for a sustainable and just transition,’ added the Director-General.

Yet, despite its role as a catalyst and an enabler of positive climate action, governments are failing to make the most of social protection’s potential, largely because of persistent coverage gaps and significant underinvestment, it was learned.

On average, countries spend 12.9 per cent of
their gross domestic product (GDP) on social protection (excluding health).

However, while high-income countries spend an average of 16.2 per cent, low-income countries allocate only 0.8 per cent of their GDP to social protection.

Low-income countries – which include states most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change – need an additional 308.5 billion USD per year (52.3 percent of their GDP) to guarantee at least basic social protection, and international support will be needed to reach this goal.

The report calls for decisive and integrated policy action to close protection gaps, arguing that, ‘it is time to up the ante’ and invest significantly in social protection.

The report offers important recommendations to help guide policy and ensure effective and sustainable outcomes including preparing for both ‘routine’ life cycle risks, as well as climate-related shocks by having social protection systems in place ex-ante by ensuring everyone enjoys adequate social protection.

It also recommended using
social protection to support climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts and secure public acceptance of those measures.

Moreover, the report stressed the need for prioritizing investment in social protection, including external support for countries with limited fiscal space.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency