ILO and USP2030 Launch New Global Push for Universal Social Protection Under Sevilla Platform
Geneva, Switzerland — June 2025: In a landmark announcement made at the Fourth Financing for Development Forum (FfD4), the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Universal Social Protection 2030 (USP2030) partnership unveiled two ambitious initiatives designed to accelerate the expansion of social protection systems across the globe. These efforts fall under the newly framed Sevilla Platform for Action, a strategic plan aimed at enhancing global resilience and economic equity.
The initiatives set a target to increase social protection coverage by at least 2% annually in countries where such systems remain incomplete or inaccessible. This commitment represents a significant leap forward in the campaign to secure basic protections—such as healthcare, pensions, unemployment benefits, and child support—for all individuals, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
The ILO, a UN agency long dedicated to labor rights and social justice, emphasized the importance of universal social protection as a core human right and an essential pillar for reducing inequality and driving inclusive economic growth. Partnering with USP2030—a coalition that includes governments, global institutions, non-governmental organizations, and labor organizations—the ILO is leveraging a broad base of global support to turn policy vision into reality.
Although the detailed titles of the two initiatives were not disclosed in the announcement, their goals are clear: to provide practical guidance, technical expertise, and financial strategies that empower countries to expand their social protection systems effectively. This includes policy support, capacity-building, and innovative financing models, which are essential to scale these efforts sustainably.
The Sevilla Platform is more than a framework—it’s a call to action. Its timing is critical, as the COVID-19 pandemic exposed deep vulnerabilities in global safety nets, especially in the Global South. In many countries, large portions of the population still remain outside formal protection systems, making them highly susceptible to poverty and crisis.
The campaign is also being promoted under the hashtag #FinancingOurFuture, underscoring the importance of mobilizing diverse funding sources. This includes a blend of domestic financing, international aid, and novel financial tools to ensure lasting impacts without burdening vulnerable economies.
This joint initiative by the ILO and USP2030 represents a collective promise to uplift millions through dignified and reliable social support systems, reinforcing global stability and equity. As these initiatives move from planning to implementation, the world will watch how they reshape the future of social protection in the decades to come.
