Geneva – On 13 November, a Global Accelerator (GA) webinar brought together governments, workers’ and employers’ representatives, civil society, and practitioners to spotlight concrete progress in extending social protection and advancing decent work in three of the 18 GA pathfinder countries. Co-organized by socialprotection.org, the Global Accelerator and the Joint SDG Fund, the webinar titled “Expanding social protection through policy integration, strategic financing and enhanced collaboration: Progress on the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions” showcased how pathfinder countries are using integrated policies, integrated financing and multistakeholder collaboration to extend social protection and create decent jobs in the context of just transitions.
In her introductory remarks, Valérie Schmitt, Deputy Director of the Universal Social Protection Department of the International Labour Organization (ILO), recalled the ambition of the Global Accelerator initiative, which is now being implemented in 18 countries and contributes, through integrated policies and multilateral cooperation, to strengthening social protection systems and extending them to workers in the informal economy and their families. Social protection is not only a by-product of decent work, she said, but also protects and secures income, facilitates access to education and health, and enhances skills development—key elements for any development and transition process. She also noted the importance of national Global Accelerator roadmaps that enable countries to identify priority policies and investments to create decent jobs and extend social protection.
Speakers representing the governments of Malawi and Uzbekistan, as well as social partners from Namibia and Pakistan, highlighted how the Global Accelerator is responding to their distinct priorities: supporting governments to advance integrated social protection and employment reforms; enabling employers to promote more coherent and sustainable social protection systems; helping workers’ organizations strengthen social protection and ensure just transitions; and providing civil society with a platform to advance inclusion and reach those still excluded from social protection coverage. Together, the interventions illustrated how the Global Accelerator serves as a shared platform that unites diverse actors to advance just transitions and more inclusive development outcomes.
Arthur Ntandika, Commissioner of the Workers’ Compensation Department, Malawi, explained that with support from the Global Accelerator, Malawi is transitioning from an employer-liability system to a national, contributory workers’ compensation scheme aligned with international standards.
“A well-designed workers’ compensation scheme will improve income security, strengthen safety and health, and support workers as our economy undergoes major structural changes,” he said. “Extending coverage to informal economy workers is essential if we want just transitions in agriculture, mining and other priority sectors.”
He added that the Global Accelerator is providing technical support and capacity building for the establishment and implementation of the new scheme, helping to improve administrative efficiency and service delivery. He emphasized that the Global Accelerator is helping Malawi strengthen policy integration, define sustainable financing options and engage social partners—transforming workers’ compensation into a key entry point for broader social protection reforms and the formalization of the economy.
Uzbekistan’s presentation highlighted how the Global Accelerator is helping the country integrate social protection, employment and skills policies. Khurshid Zafari, Director of the Social Policy Lab of the National Agency for Social Protection (NASP), explained that the country’s GA roadmap is strengthening coordination across ministries and development partners to expand social insurance and accelerate formalization. He noted that Uzbekistan has prepared a new Law on Social Insurance, which will extend benefits, including to workers in the informal economy, and strengthen system resilience. “The Global Accelerator offers a good opportunity to test integrated approaches where social protection, employment and active labour market policies can be provided together,” he said. He added that the Global Accelerator is helping bring together multiple ministries, development partners and UN agencies to jointly implement the measures needed for formalisation and the extension of social protection, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of the reforms.
Employers, workers and civil society underscore the need for coherent, inclusive and just social protection reforms
From the perspective of employers, Nazar Ali, Secretary General of the Employers’ Federation of Pakistan, highlighted the central role of employers in promoting universal social protection systems and contributing to decent work. He underscored the significant coverage gaps in Pakistan’s current social protection landscape and emphasized that the Global Accelerator can support the country in developing integrated policies and financial strategies tailored to national needs, ensuring coherence between growth-oriented policies and human rights. He noted that the initiative can help establish more coordinated and effective frameworks for strengthening social protection institutions.
Mahongora Kavihuha, Secretary General of the Trade Union Congress of Namibia, highlighted the importance of inclusive and coordinated reform processes. He emphasized that the Global Accelerator in Namibia is guided by a whole-of-government, whole-UN and whole-stakeholder approach, supported by strong political commitment and strengthened coordination mechanisms. He noted that alignment across actors has improved significantly in recent months, signalling renewed momentum for advancing integrated reforms.
Civil society perspectives further reinforced the potential of the Global Accelerator to advance universal and rights-based social protection. Séraphin Gasore, Executive Secretary of INSP!R Zamuka in Rwanda, highlighted the importance of inclusive policy design, accountability and sustained financing. He noted that the Global Accelerator’s emphasis on participation and coordination enables more inclusive policy dialogue and accountability, helping to strengthen national systems and deliver better outcomes. As part of Rwanda’s GA roadmap, civil society actively contributed to defining key acceleration points—including extending social protection to informal and platform workers, promoting inclusion and gender equality, and advancing decent work in priority sectors—ensuring that reforms are grounded in meaningful participation.
The webinar underscored the importance of integrated policies, coordinated financing and broad-based collaboration in advancing social protection and decent work. Across the different interventions, speakers demonstrated how these approaches are helping their countries extend coverage and improve benefit packages, strengthen social protection systems and support workers, enterprises and the wider population through ongoing economic and social transitions. The experiences also highlighted how the Global Accelerator is providing a useful framework for aligning national efforts and bringing together governments, employers, workers, civil society and development partners around shared priorities. Participants reaffirmed that investing in people—through decent jobs, universal social protection and effective collaboration—remains central to reducing poverty, strengthening resilience and delivering fair and sustainable development outcomes.
Looking ahead, efforts remain ongoing to implement the highlighted reforms, and progress will continue to consolidate as countries advance the implementation of their Global Accelerator roadmaps. This will enable a clearer assessment of how strengthened coordination and integrated approaches promoted by the Global Accelerator are fulfilling its ambition to expand social protection and create decent jobs at scale.