Social protection

Introduction

Social protection may be broadly defined as a set of policies and actions that enhance the capacity of all people, but notably poor and vulnerable groups, to escape from poverty (or avoid falling into poverty), and better manage risks and shocks. 

In crisis or shock situations, social protection interventions are primarily a means to help meet immediate needs and reduce mortality and human suffering. Scaling up social protection systems has been identified as one of the core avenues to enhance the resilience of vulnerable populations and to reduce the dependency on humanitarian assistance.

Facts and figures

Through its humanitarian efforts, the EU provides vital support to those in need.

Why is this important?

With more than 122 million people forcibly displaced, and 239 million people in need of humanitarian assistance - Global humanitarian overview 2026 OCHA, there is an urgent need to create long-term and sustainable responses which include livelihood opportunities for crisis-affected people. 

Shock-responsive social safety nets play a crucial role in:

• ensuring food security and nutrition
• facilitating access to primary healthcare
• sustaining social care services and education in emergencies

They also help mitigating the impact of forced displacement and natural disasters.

While building national social protection systems has traditionally fallen under the remit of development, the humanitarian community can play an important role in complementing these efforts. 

Cash-based assistance

The increasing use of cash-based assistance in humanitarian responses fits well with the use of safety nets and a wider social protection approach, especially in urban settings. By aligning humanitarian responses with national social-protection systems, EU humanitarian aid ensures that vulnerable communities receive comprehensive support before, during and after emergencies. This approach helps bridge the gap between short-term humanitarian responses and long-term development strategies.

There are 3 types of situations where linking social protection and humanitarian action can contribute to the humanitarian-development-peace nexus approach.

Extreme fragility and protracted crises 

Humanitarian actions can help trigger investments in the development of nascent shock-responsive social safety nets. The long-term aim is to progressively move chronic humanitarian caseloads into (government-led) social protection systems.

Managing disasters differently

Social protection can contribute to capacity-building at individual, household, community and national levels, helping to withstand the negative impact of shocks, such as natural disasters.

Forced displacement

Social protection can become a cornerstone of any strategy to address forced displacement and assist with the socio-economic integration of displaced people.

How are we helping?

The Directorate General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid  role in strengthening nascent social-protection systems, especially those with limited coverage, is crucial for reaching marginalised populations. 

Cash transfers

Initiatives like anticipatory cash transfers to conflict-affected or displaced populations in Nigeria or to victims of natural disasters in the Philippines demonstrate the potential of social protection systems to provide timely, flexible support during emergencies. 

They also illustrate the EU’s humanitarian efforts to transition from emergency relief to long-term resilience, fostering stronger, more responsive social-protection systems that can better support crisis-affected populations. 

Community-based health insurance

In Ethiopia, the Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations is promoting the use of community-based health insurance (CBHI) schemes for crisis-affected and displaced people and provides subsidies to health facilities to improve the capacities of the public health system in conflict-affected locations. 

Productive safety net programme

EU humanitarian aid also works with government authorities to incorporate a shock-responsive component to the national Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP), providing for the first time seasonal and emergency cash transfers to food-insecure people through a unified channel. 

Rapid education response toolkit

In the Central Sahel, where school closures due to conflict have increased, EU humanitarian aid plays a crucial role in supporting conflict-affected, out of school children, for instance through:

• accelerated learning programmes
• community schools
• local social-care services to ensure sustainable child protection in the emergency response. 

The EU humanitarian aid’s rapid education response toolkit helps partners to integrate education into early humanitarian responses.

Related information