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Such basic social protection, i.e. essential health care and basic income security throughout the lifecycle reduces poverty, inequality, ill health and the number of premature deaths. The new ILO Recommendation is the first autonomous social security recommendation to be voted on in 68 years. It comes 24 years after the last legal instrument on social protection was discussed by delegates from governments, workers and employers back in 1988. The Recommendation requests countries to implement their Social Protection Floors as early as possible in national development processes.
The concept of social protection encompasses almost all of the ILO’s areas of work and is closely related to the Decent Work agenda. In particular, research and experiences have shown that a social protection floor is extremely beneficial for children: cash transfers lead to increased school attendance and reduce the “time budget” available for child labor. From an intergenerational impact, ensuring investment in the human development of the child reduces intergenerational transfer of poverty and thus the need for child labor in the next generation. Social protection was therefore identified as one of the three areas of public policy to promote effective and sustainable action against child labor, as stipulated in the Global Action Plan Against the Worst Forms of Child Labor. A recently agreed inter agency statement makes the case that in the design of social protection programs it is important to take account of their impact on children. It concludes that while many social protection measures – ranging from pensions to unemployment insurance – already benefit children without explicitly targeting them, even relatively small changes in the way children are considered in the design, implementation and evaluation of social protection programs can make a major difference. Making social protection more focused on children’s welfare has the potential to benefit not only children, but also their families, communities and national development as a whole.
Social protection programs are often the first line of defense to protect the poor and vulnerable in a fragile or conflict-affected situation.  Inhabiting the nexus between humanitarian and development response, these programs – such as cash transfers and cash-for-work programs – are a primary means for governments to provide quick and direct support to affected populations.
Increasingly, social protection programs are designed to be adaptable so that support can be quickly scaled up during difficult times.  
Understanding that access to social protection is critical for ending extreme poverty and boosting prosperity on a livable planet, the World Bank is committed to achieving universal social protection for all when needed.
As of February 2024, WB providing close to $29 billion in financing through our social protection and jobs programs across regions and income levels, including $16.4 billion through IDA, our fund for the poorest.

Building social protection systems that are well-designed can have powerful impacts over the long term, by reducing inequalities and exclusion, creating opportunities, and ending the inter-generational cycle of poverty - including for women, youth, and persons with disabilities.

Social protection instruments like social insurance, social assistance, and labor and economic inclusion programs help people, especially women, find better jobs. They also allow individuals to improve productivity, and families to invest in the health and education of their children, provide food security, and protect the aging population.

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The rapidly changing nature of work in countries at all income levels requires a new approach to social protection and labor policy that works for everyone, according to the report “Protecting All: Risk-Sharing for a Diverse and Diversifying World of Work”. It proposes an approach to worker protection and social security that is better adapted to an increasingly diverse and fluid world of work. These ideas are explored even more fully in the 2022 strategy update, “Charting a Course Towards Universal Social Protection: Resilience, Equity, and Opportunity for All”
Many countries have embraced social protection instruments such as cash transfer programs to support human capital and empower people. Apart from 

providing struggling families with supplemental income, these social safety nets also increase access to information and services, improve productivity, protect the elderly, and support people, especially young people, while they look for work.

Taken together, strong social protection systems help individuals and families, especially the poor and vulnerable, prepare for and cope with crises and shocks. Such systems and tools are transformative as they give people a chance to avoid or escape poverty. Well-designed social protection programs are also cost-effective, costing countries about 1.5% of GDP on average.

The future of social protection is adaptive and digital. Adaptive Social Protection invests in households’ ability to prepare for, cope with, and adapt to shocks without becoming trapped in poverty. Often integrating disaster risk, crisis response, and climate change measures, such systems can increase the resilience of households against climate shocks, health emergencies, food insecurity, and inflation by adapting to the situation.
The World Bank has a vision for universal social protection to ensure that all people have the support they need and that no individuals or groups are left behind. It is the cornerstone of inclusive social policy. 

Achieving universal social protection requires adaptive systems that can expand registration, enrollment, and program participation. It also requires bridging the digital divide so that poor and vulnerable people and those without regular access to technology are not excluded.

While achievements have been made in designing and promoting the adoption of social assistance programs and delivery systems, investing heavily in initiatives to improve jobs and earnings opportunities and expanding social insurance programs are equally important.