100 million more people access social protection through ILO support

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GENEVA (ILO News) - Since its launch in 2016, the International Labour Organization (ILO)'s Global Flagship Programme on Building Social Protection Floors for All has supported countries in all regions to extend social protection to more than 100 million additional people. Through technical assistance to States, the ILO helped strengthen national social protection systems so that they provide adequate protection throughout the life cycle, while supporting just transitions in the context of new and emerging challenges.

Progress achieved under the programme was highlighted by ILO Member States at the Development Partners Meeting of the Global Flagship Programme on Building Social Protection Floors for All, held on 19 March.

During the second phase of the Programme (2021-25), the Flagship Programme contributed to extending the coverage, adequacy and comprehensiveness of social protection to more than 84 million people, significantly exceeding its target of 60 million. In 2025 alone, nearly 29 million people benefited from improved social protection coverage as a result of the Programme's technical support.

"This demonstrates that the Programme's strategy of building robust social protection systems has paid off, progressively making social protection more sustainable, universal, comprehensive and adequate", highlighted Sangheon Lee, Assistant Director General Jobs and Social Protection a.i., ILO, during the high-level opening session.

Operating across 50 priority countries and 16 thematic areas, the Programme more than doubled its target, supporting 180 institutional changes - from new social protection laws to scheme reforms and strengthened operational systems.

Country-level results illustrate this progress. In Uzbekistan, the adoption of the Law "On State Social Insurance" extended legal coverage for maternity and sickness benefits to more than 6 million workers. In Suriname, the ratification of Convention No. 102 reaffirmed the country's commitment to social protection for all, further reflected in its new National Social Protection Strategy.

In the Lao People's Democratic Republic, the Social Security Organization launched its first mobile application to strengthen administration and outreach, while the establishment of a Social Security Inspection Unit improved compliance in Vientiane Capital - steps expected to enhance coverage for 2.5 million employed persons. In Angola, public spending on social protection increased to over 6 per cent of the national budget, up from just over 3.5 per cent in 2021.

"While I know that we still have a long way to go, it is with a lot of pride that I share that through the ILO support, now more than 10 per cent of the population is covered by at least one social protection benefit" said Pedro José Filipe, Secretary of State for Labour and Social Security, Ministry of Public Administration, Labour and Social Security, Angola.

The Flagship Programme is now entering its third phase (2026-30). Building on past achievements, it will continue to extend and strengthen national social protection systems in 40 priority countries, grounded in inclusive social dialogue and guided by international social security standards. It will also place greater emphasis on policy coherence, promoting stronger alignment between social protection and economic, labour, fiscal and climate policies to maximise social and economic returns and position social protection as a key enabler of just transitions.

By 2030, the Programme aims to extend legal coverage to an additional 20 million people, achieve effective coverage for 30 million more, and improve the comprehensiveness of social protection for a further 10 million.

Development partners have reaffirmed their commitment to support countries in accelerating progress towards universal social protection and social justice through continued collaboration under the ILO's Flagship Programme.

"For the European Union, continuing to strengthen cooperation with the ILO and partner countries remains essential to advance our shared goal of universal social protection for all. … "The Flagship Programme in its phase III is fully aligned with the European Union Global Gateway strategy, acknowledging that economic transformation and social development must go hand-in-hand to achieve a virtuous circle", reinforced Laure Rogès, Team Leader for Social Protection, Inequalities and Persons with Disabilities, Directorate-General for International Partnerships, European Commission.

"The Flagship Programme is essential to build lifecycle social protection systems that are firmly rooted in government policies and social dialogue, and have lasting impacts on people, even if this is not something that happens quickly", explained Paula Nolan, Social Protection Policy Lead, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ireland.

Strengthening strategic partnerships - including through the UN Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions - delivering as One UN on social protection, deepening collaboration with workers' and employers' organizations and promoting investment in social protection jointly with international financial institutions will be essential to achieving these targets.

The Flagship Programme's annual Development Partners meeting brought together representatives of governments, as well as workers and employers' organizations. Participants reviewed progress to date, discussed the strategic direction for the Programme's third phase, and explored ways to accelerate progress towards universal social protection by 2030.

For more information, including the detailed country-level results, please visit the Flagship Programme's web page, and consult the Report for the second phase (2021-25) and the Strategy for Phase III (2026-30).