Introduction to Social Protection

The term 'social protection' does not have a fixed definition but is rather defined by various agencies with some variance. Below are definitions from 5 international development institutions active in the field of social protection. Familiarising yourself with these definitions will help you gain a comprehensive understanding of social protection:

Social Protection Inter-Agency Cooperation Board (SPAIC-B), 2019 

"Social protection is a set of policies and programmes aimed at preventing and protecting all people against poverty, vulnerability and social exclusion, throughout their life cycle placing a particular emphasis on vulnerable groups. This means ensuring adequate protection for all who need it, including children; people of working age in case of maternity, sickness, work injury or for those without jobs; persons with disability and older persons. This protection can be provided through social insurance, tax-funded social benefits, social assistance services, public works programs and other schemes guaranteeing basic income security and access to essential services."

International Labour Organisation (ILO), 2017

"Social protection, or social security, is a human right and is defined as the set of policies and programmes designed to reduce and prevent poverty and vulnerability throughout the life cycle. Social protection includes benefits for children and families, maternity, unemployment, employment injury, sickness, old age, disability, survivors, as well as health protection. Social protection systems address all these policy areas by a mix of contributory schemes (social insurance) and non-contributory tax-financed benefits, including social assistance."

World Bank, 2012

"Social protection and labor systems, policies, and programs help individuals and societies manage risk and volatility and protect them from poverty and destitution - through instruments that improve resilience, equity, and opportunity."

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), 2019

"(A) set of policies and programmes aimed at preventing or protecting all people against poverty, vulnerability and social exclusion throughout their life-course, with a particular emphasis towards vulnerable groups."

World Food Programme (WFP), 2017

"Social protection consists of policies and programmes designed to protect people from shocks and stresses throughout their lives. It can include safety nets, social insurance schemes, labour market regulations or facilitated access to essential services. Usually they target poor, marginalized or vulnerable groups. Social protection is government-owned, and components vary from country to country."

Now let's watch this short video (until 0m34s) by socialprotection.org that visualises social protection for a quick understanding of the concept. [Click here]