Development Partners Meeting 2025
Date: 27 March 2025, 9 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. CET
Location: Room II, ILO HQ
Watch the recording: bit.ly/4bJIycB
Launched in 2016, the ILO’s Global Flagship Programme on Building Social Protection Floors for All (SPF Flagship Programme) supports ILO member States in developing sustainable social protection systems, including floors, and contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on social protection (in particular targets 1.3 and 3.8), through a coherent structure to mobilize resources and achieve impact.
The SPF Flagship Programme works in 50 priority countries, aiming to achieve 80 institutional changes and increase legal and effective coverage for an additional 60 million people. Between 2021 and 2024, the Programme contributed already to 148 institutional changes (such as the adoption of laws and the implementation of systems) in 50 priority countries and increased legal and effective coverage for over 50 million people.
Objectives
- Take stock of the progress made, results achieved, and impact created since the beginning of Phase II of the SPF Flagship Programme, including through the multi-donor programme.
- Share country and partner experiences in extending social protection to all, look at current and future challenges and opportunities, with a focus on key thematic areas.
- Join forces to accelerate the achievement of Universal Social Protection, through building strong social protection systems and positioning social protection as a key tool for creating just and equitable societies.
- Identify key priorities for Phase III of the SPF Flagship Programme.
Agenda
High-level opening: The opening of the meeting will be chaired by Ms Mia Seppo, ILO Assistant Director-General for Jobs and Social Protection with key note addresses from high level participants.
Presentation - Global overview of progress towards universal social protection and the role of the Flagship Programme in accelerating progress towards universal social protection and SDG 1.3.1. The Universal Social Protection Department will present key findings from the ILO's Flagship World Social Protection Report 2024 - 2026 and how the Phase II of the SPF Flagship Programme has contributed to strengthening social protection systems and to increasing social protection coverage.
Presentation of the key findings from the ILO's World Social Protection Report 2024 - 2026
Presentation of the highlights of the Flagship Programme's 2024 Results Report
Panel 1: Building robust institutions – Empowering people to realize their right to social protection.
The Global Flagship Programme under Phase II has already supported over 104 institutional changes. The Programme identified eight thematic areas that are key elements for building strong and sustainable social protection systems. The panel discussion will showcase achievements in making social protection schemes more effective through ratifying and applying international social security standards, strengthening legal frameworks, improving administrative and financial governance, leveraging adequate financing, and creating strong social dialogue and partnerships to advocate for universal coverage. Panellists will also highlight key challenges and opportunities for building robust systems to contribute to shaping Phase III of the programme.
The panel will be moderated by Ms Joana Borges Henriques, Social Protection Project Manager, ILO Project Office in Mozambique
Panel 2: Strong social protection systems as a key tool to address current challenges for creating more just and equitable societies.
Economic, social, environmental and technological transformations present challenges and opportunities for countries at all levels of development. This panel will allow speakers to highlight the key role of strong social protection systems to address those challenges and how social protection systems can reduce poverty and inequalities. Panellists will discuss specific social protection policies and their contributions to tackling broader contemporary issues. They will also highlight key social protection priorities for Phase III of the programme in order to maximize its contribution to fair transitions.
The panel will be moderated by Mr Pascal Annycke, Social Protection Specialist, ILO Decent Work Technical Support Team and Country Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Phase III – how to maximize the Global Flagship’s contribution to accelerating progress towards the SDGs and beyond.
The Flagship Programme was designed in three phases to allow adjustments to an evolving context of challenges and opportunities for increasing social protection coverage and adequacy. The second phase is coming to an end in 2025. The third phase will be aligned with the final countdown to the SDG targets and therefore also contribute to shaping the discussions on the role of social protection in development cooperation priorities post-2030. Discussions during the partners meeting will feed into the development of the strategy for Phase III.
Presentation on the development of Phase III of the Flagship Programme
