DILI, 30 september 2023 (TATOLI)– Social protection in a changing world was the theme of the Asia Pacific Social Protection Week (APSP) 2023, hosted by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), took place at ADB Headquarters in Manila, Philippines, on September 26–28, 2023.
“This year’s APSP explored emerging challenges and opportunities related to the role of social protection in responding to post-COVID recovery, systems strengthening, and building resilience,” ADB informed TATOLI in a press release sent today.
According to the document, ADB, through its Vice President, Fatima, provided welcome remarks and emphasized the importance of collaborating with all stakeholders to develop shock-responsive social protection systems and accelerate the expansion of social protection programs in the region, given the coverage gap exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent overlapping crises.
Furthermore, the President of Timor-Leste, José Ramos-Horta, provided opening remarks through a video message for the second day of the APSP.
The chief of state highlighted the transformative power of social protection and the importance of food and nutrition security.
Timor-Leste for Social Solidarity and Inclusion, Veronica Das Dores, was one of the speakers at a high-level panel discussion on integrated social protection.
She shared Timor-Leste’s experience with the Bolsa da Mae program, which bridges the human capital accumulation stages of the life cycle with immediate interventions to improve the productivity of working-age people.
The conference revolved around a program designed to share expertise from within and outside the Asia and Pacific region, as well as to share development experiences and best practices ranging from policy to implementation and towards innovations and future directions.
It covered pressing issues around social protection policy, financing, databases, systems, services, the labor market, climate change, economic inclusion, digital, health, and the humanitarian nexus. APSP provided a venue for building alliances and networks to strengthen social protection systems in Asia and the Pacific region.
More than 300 representatives from ADB developing member countries, development partners, and other organizations joined the opening session in person on September 26 at HQ, and another 296 registered online.
Meanwhile, during two days of activities, participants included government officials, global social protection experts and practitioners, particularly from developing Asia and Pacific countries, and representatives of the private sector, development agencies, and civil society organizations.
Journalist: Camilio de Sousa
Editor: Rafael Ximenes de A. Belo
