FAO Social Protection Framework
Discover FAO’s approach to social protection and learn how FAO promotes inclusive systems, sustainable practices and resilience in rural communities.
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The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Social Protection Framework presents the organization’s vision and approach to social protection. FAO recognizes the critical role social protection plays in furthering and accelerating progress around food security and nutrition (FSN), agriculture development, rural poverty and resilience building.
Three quarters of the chronically undernourished and those living in poverty reside in rural areas. Many of them are not covered by adequate social protection, rely predominantly on natural resources for their livelihoods and are particularly vulnerable and exposed to multiple risks. Yet, they play a critical role in ensuring global food security in the long term and in sustainably managing the natural resource base in the most fragile ecosystems. Ensuring their access to social protection is not only a social imperative, but it is critical to ensure their participation as partners in development and economic growth.
FAO’s Vision on Social Protection
FAO’s commitment to helping national governments to eradicate hunger and poverty of present and future generations through social protection is reflected in the FAO Vision on Social Protection: People and communities living in rural areas as well as those whose livelihoods depend on natural resources are supported by social protection systems that help to ensure their food security and improved nutrition; protect them before, during and after shocks and stresses; promote resilient livelihoods and sustainable management of ecosystems; and stimulate pro-poor growth and inclusive rural development. In this context, and to achieve such a vision, FAO is committed to promoting a systems approach to social protection to avoid fragmentation of interventions, together with partners, build, and strengthen nationally owned social protection systems that are well-integrated in broader livelihood promotion and rural development strategies.
The FAO approach to social protection adopts a comprehensive outlook encompassing all four social protection functions — protective, preventive, promotive and transformative — and is guided by three crosscutting principles:
- Social inclusion
- Gender equality
- Sustainability
A Guide for Social Protection Work
FAO’s Social Protection Framework will help guide the organization’s work on social protection. Its purpose is to:
- Make the case for the role of social protection in poverty reduction, FSN and rural development outcomes.
- Present FAO approach and principles of engagement in this area, advocating for more integrated social protection systems that effectively address rural poverty and FSN issues.
- Delineate FAO value-added and contribution to providing more effective support in strengthening countries’ social protection systems and their alignment with agriculture and rural development approaches.
To this end, the framework:
- Stipulates FAO’s social protection definition, vision and mission.
- Spells out the rationale of FAO engagement in social protection.
- Outlines how FAO’s approach to social protection aims to put the Council Note into action.
- Translates principles into programmatic work.
- Uses key strategies for engagement.