Policy Dialogue: Social Protection for the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals

One and half years after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its ambitious goals (SDGs), stakeholders at all levels of international development are seeking ways to reach these objectives. Mainstream development actors need to step beyond the comfort zone of business-as-usual to question conventional assumptions and examine the power relations and dynamics that reproduce exclusionary and unsustainable patterns of development. Ongoing UNRISD research provides new analysis and evidence to inform policy makers and policy influencers looking for innovative ways to implement the SDGs.

Sharing research findings with local development actors

In this Policy Dialogue, co-hosted by the Centre for Social Development in Africa (CSDA) from the University of Johannesburg, a panel of researchers from the UNRISD project New Directions in Social Policy shares findings on innovations in social policy from countries including Brazil, China, Egypt, Morocco, Rwanda, and South Africa. Local development actors representing national government, civil society and the research community have the opportunity to exchange with international researchers on experiences and challenges related to how changing social policy and practice in the global South can contribute to implementing the SDGs around the world, in particular:

• SDG1 Ending poverty in all its forms everywhere;
• SDG5 Achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls;
• SDG8 Promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all; and
• SDG16 Promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

The discussions will touch on the following themes:

• Public-private partnerships and the roles of private sector in social service delivery
• Inclusive and participatory approaches to social service provision
• Integrated social policy approaches to foster complementarity across social, economic and environmental dimensions
• The impact of international actors and ODA on domestic social policy
• Social policy and peaceful inclusive societies

This event is taking place in conjunction with the New Directions in Social Policy: Global Research Workshop.