GOPA Worldwide Consultants announces the successful completion of a learning journey on social protection on behalf of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). Social protection expert Barbara Rohregger and in-house expert Franziska Holzäpfel conducted a participatory online learning series of 10 modules for SDC staff worldwide. See presentations here:
https://www.shareweb.ch/site/Poverty-Wellbeing/social-protection/Pages/SDC-Social-Protection-Online-Learning-Series.aspx 

The results are summarised in “Working Aid - Strengthening Social Protection in Swiss International Cooperation,” publicly available on the SDC Shareweb at:
https://www.shareweb.ch/site/Poverty-Wellbeing/social-protection/Documents/Working%20Aid%20Social%20protection%202023-all%20in%20one.pdf 

This working aid provides guidance and entry points for the SDC staff to engage in social protection programmes & policies. It will support the SDC management and programme officers in making strategic use of social protection as a cross-sectorial instrument to foster sectoral outcomes and contribute to achieving the SDGs.

The working aid has the following sections: 

Chapter 1 – Understanding Social Protection: Describes what social protection is and discusses why the SDC should engage more in social protection as an effective approach to contribute to the SDC’s core mandate of reducing poverty & inequalities and promoting sustainable development. 

Chapter 2 – Practical Engagement in Social Protection: Identifies entry points for strengthening the domestic social protection systems in the context of national or regional SDC priorities. 

Toolbox 1: Empowering with Knowledge explains social protection instruments in detail, gives an overview of their impacts, including case studies. 

Toolbox 2: Linking Social Protection to SDC Themes and Sectors illustrates the sectoral perspective linking SDC priority themes with social protection and identifies potential entry points. 

Toolbox 3: Embracing the Global Perspective elaborates the approaches to social protection of relevant international organisations.