Towards a Robust Social Protection System in the Post-Pandemic Era

The increasing need for an extensive social safety net has prompted most countries to launch new social protection measures or reframe existing ones. The G20’s Development Working Group emphasises the importance of effective social protection systems in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) to enable the poor to contribute to mainstream economic activity. Taking a cue from this and learning lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and recent developments in social protection, this policy brief examines whether existing social protection policies should be rethought and redesigned to respond to the challenges of the contemporary ‘polycrisis’ world, while also striving for more cost-effective and impactful approaches. The brief suggests a greater role for the G20 in supporting an enhanced global social protection agenda, ensuring coordination among its members in promoting these approaches, and mobilising resources, including through the expansion of development cooperation support to other non-G20 countries to expand and sustain robust national social protection initiatives as part of the overall SDGs implementation efforts.