Turning commitments into impact: Global Accelerator report highlights progress across 19 countries

The Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions launched its second progress report for 2024-2025 during its eighth Steering Group meeting in Geneva on 30 June 2026. The report documents a period in which the initiative moved decisively from design to implementation, with governments across 19 pathfinder countries using the Global Accelerator to place decent jobs and social protection at the centre of national development pathways.

The Joint SDG Fund is the financing engine behind this progress. Two joint funding rounds channeled through the Fund and the World Bank supported 47 integrated UN and UN-World Bank joint country programmes. The first round in 2024 launched 23 joint programmes across 14 pathfinder countries. The second round in 2025 added 23 more programmes plus one global project, reaching 12 pathfinder and 12 non-pathfinder countries.

Five new countries joined as pathfinder countries during the reporting period. Bhutan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Pakistan and Tunisia reflect growing demand for integrated approaches to employment, social protection and just transitions. Albania, Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malawi, Paraguay and Uzbekistan endorsed their national roadmaps, while Senegal's roadmap completed technical validation. Cabo Verde, Colombia, Namibia, Nepal, the Philippines and Rwanda are finalizing their roadmaps for launch in 2026.

Country-level results show what integrated financing can deliver. Uzbekistan's new Social Insurance Law will extend social protection coverage to 5.8 million additional people. Malawi's draft Workers' Compensation Bill will extend legal protection to more than 4.2 million workers. Cambodia's new social assistance linked TVET programme targets 1.5 million youth from poor and vulnerable households. Paraguay created 250,000 jobs in three years, reaching nearly half of its target of 500,000 jobs by August 2028. Albania anchored a new Universal Child Benefit scheme in its National Social Protection Strategy 2024-2030.

The Global Accelerator also gained recognition in major international outcomes during the period, including the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, the G20 and the Second World Summit for Social Development.

Note:

All joint programmes of the Joint SDG Fund are led by UN Resident Coordinators and implemented by the agencies, funds, and programmes of the United Nations development system. With sincere appreciation for the contributions from the European Union and Governments of Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Arab Gulf Programme for Development for a transformative movement towards achieving the SDGs by 2030.