In 2024, the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions advanced on all three pillars for action that support its implementation: Integrated policies, integrated financing and enhanced multilateral cooperation.
Global Momentum
Building on the momentum from the previous year, the total number of pathfinder countries in December 2024 stands at 17 (Albania, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Indonesia, Malawi, Namibia, Nepal, Pakistan, Paraguay, Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal, Uzbekistan and Vietnam). Seven of the 17 countries have developed their national roadmaps for implementation (Albania, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malawi, Namibia, Paraguay, and Uzbekistan), and three of these have been endorsed by governments (Albania, Malawi and Paraguay). Donors at global and local level, social partners, civil society organizations (CSOs), and IFIs have emphasized the importance of sharing the national roadmaps widely, in order to for them to be able to support their implementation.
The engagement of all Global Accelerator stakeholders (pathfinder country governments, social partners, CSOs, development partners, IFIs and the UN) at the global level continues through the Steering Group (SG), which was launched in February 2024, and has met a further three times since. The SG provides strategic direction, ensures coherence with other international initiatives, advocates for social investments, and facilitates South-South learning. At a technical workshop in October 2024, participants prepared the contributions of the GA to FfD4 and WSSD, and shared experience and plans for integrated policy and financing approaches they wanted to develop and implement through the Global Accelerator. They also stressed the importance of social dialogue and participation of CSOs to ensure the relevance and sustainability of policy decisions and strategic investments.
The Global Accelerator continued to receive high-level political support. The G20 Development Ministers’ Declaration saw a clear role for the Global Accelerator in reducing inequalities and creating opportunities for all. The ECOSOC High-Level Political Forum noted the importance of promoting decent jobs and social protection, in particular through the Global Accelerator, for eradicating poverty. At the FfD4 2nd PrepCom, during a side event organized by the TSF, participants discussed how to accelerate investments in decent jobs and social protection for sustainable finance and social returns.
First Funding Round
In February 2024, the Operational Steering Committee of the Joint SDG Fund, approved a first funding round of a value of USD 17.8 million to support the implementation of the GA. It includes three tracks - a High Impact Track, a Seed Funding Track, and an M-GA track - and a global project hosted at the ILO to support the work of the Technical Support Facility (see below)
The High Impact Track provides USD 1.8 million to advanced-stage pathfinder countries that have already developed their national roadmaps. These countries will begin the implementation of their roadmaps in January 2025: Albania, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malawi, Namibia, Uzbekistan.
The Seed Funding Track provides USD 200,000 to early-stage pathfinder countries. They will develop national roadmaps and ensure through national dialogue that the priorities reflected in the roadmaps are identified jointly with relevant ministries, social partners, civil society organisations, development partners and IFIs. Implementation of these projects has begun in Cabo Verde, Colombia, Nepal, Paraguay, the Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal, Viet Nam.
The M-GA track supports UN-World Bank collaboration on decent jobs and universal social protection in pathfinder countries. UN-World Bank teams at country level receive USD 500,000 of which half is channelled by the Joint SDG Fund and half by the World Bank Rapid Social Response Adaptive and Dynamic Social Protection (RSR-ADSP) Umbrella Trust Fund.
In advanced pathfinder countries that have already a national GA roadmap, the M-GA projects all contribute to the implementation of parts of the roadmaps. For example, in Uzbekistan, the government has identified 4 entry points: formalisation, green transition, digital transition and inclusion. The M-GA project implements a clearly defined part of the fourth entry point on inclusion, which is the development and implementation of a social insurance law. In Indonesia, the M-GA supports the access of persons with disabilities to labour markets, skills and social protection which is a cross-cutting priority identified in the roadmap.
In early-stage pathfinder countries where the roadmap is currently being developed, most M-GA projects support analysis and evidence building which contribute to developing the roadmaps. In addition, several M-GA projects include national dialogue activities that help generate consensus on the national roadmaps under development. For example, in the Philippines, the GA national roadmap (still under development) will focus on the transportation and construction sectors. The M-GA project will identify options to increase government spending and financing on jobs and social protection in these two sectors, and it will develop sector-specific skills development programs.
Further support to UNCTs and governments for GA and M-GA implementation
Responding to requests from UNCTs and national governments, the TSF has developed technical tools such as a guidance for the development of GA roadmaps, an informality dashboard, a macroeconomic diagnostics tool, and the adaptation of the Structural Model for Sustainable Development (SMSD), which can help governments, public development banks and other investors to assess ex ante not only the economic but also the social impact of public policies and investments. The development of these products was supported with ILO regular budget, as well as funding from the Republic of Korea and France.
The TSF developed the global results framework for the Global Accelerator, and is currently in discussions with the UN Development Coordination Office on its efficient streamlining into already existing UN results measurement frameworks (UN INFO).
A global project to further support the work of the TSF will start in early 2025. Firstly, this will allow the TSF to develop tailor-made integrated policy and financing approaches which respond to requests from UNCTs, governments, social partners and other stakeholders, based on the combined expertise of the UN and beyond and channelled through a Hub of Expertise. Secondly, it will also allow the TSF to continue developing political and financial partnerships, engage in further mobilisation of resources, and, jointly with meaningfully engaged governments and stakeholders, foster and drive global advocacy efforts. Thirdly, it will ensure consistent results measurement, and the development and consolidation of evidence on the impact of the Global Accelerator.
Country priorities
The whole-of-government approach in the development of the national roadmaps and steering of the initiative at country level is one of the key values added by the Global Accelerator. Priorities identified in the roadmaps are supported by Ministries of Finance and Economy, as well as by Ministries of Labour and other relevant line ministries.
Across all roadmaps, formalization is a key priority for all pathfinder countries. Cambodia, Namibia and Paraguay will develop and, where already existing, implement overall national formalization strategies. Indonesia will address the issue of formalization by extending social protection to workers in the informal economy. Others will focus formalization efforts on specific sectors: in Albania, a priority is the formalization of jobs in the care sector, and in Uzbekistan, formalization in the construction, transportation, agriculture and care sectors are one of the four roadmap priorities.
A Just Transition to a green economy is a priority in Paraguay and Uzbekistan, including support to green skills, extending social protection to persons vulnerable to climate shocks and their effects, and support to MSMEs to adapt to the green transition. Indonesia has identified the removal of fuel subsidies and a just energy transition away from coal as priorities, during which workers will be supported by unemployment insurance. Namibia has identified the green energy sector as a priority sector to promote youth employment, the extension of social protection, and formalization.
Demographic change affects the very diverse pathfinder countries in different ways. In Albania, where the population is ageing rapidly and women’s labour force participation rate stood at 57.9 per cent in 2023, the strengthening of the care sector and care services, is a key priority. This includes both the creation of decent jobs in the care economy, as well as improving access to care services for beneficiaries. Uzbekistan will also invest in the professionalization of care service delivery. Namibia, where in 2018 the share of youth not in employment, education or training was 29.4 per cent for men and 34.3 per cent for women, youth employment in green energy, agriculture, mining and tourism is a key priority area. This includes access to skills development, and the creation of decent jobs with social protection.
Digitalization has been identified as a key entry point in Cambodia and in Uzbekistan. In both countries, it will serve as a tool to support access to social protection, including the inter-operability of social protection schemes. It also includes the promotion of digital skills, in particular for youth, women, persons living in rural areas, and vulnerable groups, to facilitate their access to the labour market.
Working with IFIs/PDBs
To foster further collaboration with Public Development Banks, the Finance in Common Summit (FICS) Coalition for Social Investment, with the support of the TSF, established a working group on “Harnessing the Social Impact of PDBs financing for just transitions”. It aims to support the identification of complementarities between the GA roadmaps and PDBs’ country operations and share knowledge and experience on decent jobs and social protection impact assessment and measurement.
The national roadmaps, which can be seen as structured demand from governments for investments in decent jobs and social protection, are key for this work. Preliminary discussions on concrete collaboration with PDBs are advancing at country level, including with ADB, AFD, CEB and IFAD. This aligns with FICS commitments to increase the impact of its 530 development banks on the social SDGs.
Engagement of social partners and CSOs
The meaningful participation of social partners and CSOs in the national steering committees remains a key factor in ensuring the success of the overall initiative. The Social Protection, Freedom and Justice for Workers Network discussed the Global Accelerator in two of its meetings this year. Civil society organisations, including INSP!R Asia, INSP!R Global, We Social Movements, and the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors, also organised regional and global discussions of how to engage with the Global Accelerator.
As part of its support to the initiative, the TSF will also enhance national capacities of employers’ and workers’ organizations, to engage more fully in the Global Accelerator at country level, including through an online training module.
What’s coming in 2025
Governments continue to show interest in joining the initiative, and engagements are ongoing in several countries.
In 2025, Steering Group members plan to advocate for the GA at key events: a Global Conference on Social Protection, organized by the Government of Uzbekistan in May 2025, and a regional forum with a focus on Skills in Asia the first half of 2025. The outcome of these events will feed into advocacy for the GA and its approach at the 4th Financing for Development Summit in Seville from June 30 to July 3, and at the World Summit for Social Development in Qatar from November 4-6. At these events, the TSF will present first research results and knowledge products that are part of the evidence base for the impact of the Global Accelerator.
To continue the support to pathfinder countries for the development and implementation of their national roadmaps, a second funding round will be launched, using the additional funds of EUR 21.6 million made available by Germany and Ireland to support the M-GA. Further resource mobilization efforts will continue at global and at country level. Pathfinder country support will also continue through on-demand tailor-made support to UNCTs and governments from the Hub of Expertise, which will be fully operationalised in 2025.
The Technical Support Facility of the Global Accelerator is composed of the ILO, UNICEF, UNDP, WFP, FAO and UN WOMEN and a hub of expertise. It organizes calls for proposals in collaboration with the Joint SDG Fund Secretariat, collaborates with the World Bank as part of the M-GA, provides on demand technical support to pathfinder countries, develops global tools and knowledge, monitors and consolidates results and impacts, communicates and advocates for the Global Accelerator, and supports resource mobilization and strategic partnerships including with IFIs, private sector and donors.
