Social Protection for a Just Transition to the Green and Digital Economy

The Side-Event on “Social protection floors for a just transition to the green and digital economy” at the 59th session of the Commission for Social Development, organized jointly by the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the UN, the ILO, and partners of Universal Social Protection 2030, highlighted the essential role of social protection floors in the transition to the green and digital economy.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented crisis in jobs and incomes throughout the world. Yet amidst this uncertainty, the digital economy has grown to new heights, and new opportunities have emerged to accelerate the transition to a green economy. However, these trends bring disruptions to labour markets, affecting millions of workers and their dependents. Some sectors will see job losses, others will see gains, and many workers will have to acquire new skills. In these times of rapid change, social protection floors will be essential to ensure a human-centered recovery from COVID-19 and a future of work that leaves no one behind.

The COVID-19 pandemic has seen governments rely on social protection to protect public health, jobs and incomes. However, despite significant progress throughout the 20th century, social protection systems remain seriously inadequate and underfunded. Today 55 per cent of the world population – as many as 4 billion people – are unprotected. The dialogue brought together representatives from governments, employers, workers, and development partners to discuss how social protection systems, including floors can effectively support the transition to greener economies and make societies more resilient to shocks.

The session concluded that well-designed social protection systems, including floors, are a crucial tool to ensure a human-centered recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, to support workers affected by the digital transformation, and to facilitate a just transition towards environmentally sustainable economies and societies for all. This will require a new level of investment, leveraging the power of partnerships, capacities and technologies, and based on the principles of social dialogue, accountability and solidarity.

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