Social protection is an integral part of social development. For
developing countries with their relatively young populations, the
main development challenge is to achieve sufficient sustainable
economic growth to secure the inclusion of the poor and young new
entrants in the development process. However, growth alone is not a
sufficient condition for generating inclusive societies.
Populations, households, and individuals face various risks that
can plunge them into poverty, so societies have to take steps to
reduce their vulnerability and to cope with the effects when shocks
occur. Risks may include natural disasters; civil conflicts;
economic downturns, of which the global financial crisis is the
most recent example; or individual risks that face the household,
such as crop failures, unemployment, illness, accident, disability,
death, and old age.
Social protection consists of five major elements:
- Efficient labour markets
- Social insurance
- Social assistance
- Microinsurance schemes and Social Funds
- Child protection
