Expanding shock-responsive and adaptive social protection programs to build resilience within vulnerable populations

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Mongolia faced increased household poverty, worsened by school closures and income loss. Vulnerable households struggled to meet the food demands of children staying home. To mitigate this, the government deployed a shock-responsive expansion of the Child Money Programme (CMP). This cash transfer initiative provided immediate financial relief to 1.2 million children, helping families meet basic needs without depleting productive assets. The program's risk-informed design ensured that support reached the most affected populations efficiently. This response, informed by a 2019 UNICEF-supported pilot on climate-related cash transfers and a rapid social impact assessment conducted by UNICEF, increased benefit levels fivefold-one of the largest increments globally-reaching over two-thirds of households. The CMP provided critical financial support to households, reducing poverty risks during COVID-19 and mitigated the food insecurity and economic stress faced by vulnerable households. A risk-informed needs assessment was conducted to identify target populations. The CMP leveraged existing delivery mechanisms, scaling up cash transfers with minimal delays. It highlgithts the value of scalable social protection systems in times of crisis to strengthen shock-responsive social safety nets. The program, which built on collaboration with ILO, UNDP, UNFPA and FAO, as part of the Joint SDG fund, in the context of integrated support to SDG financing

The ILO's Employment-Intensive Investment Programme (EIIP) in Afghanistan effectively combined immediate employment-intensive infrastructure rehabilitation with sustainable enterprise development, enhancing local economic resilience. This integrated approach linked immediate income support to longer-term livelihood sustainability, serving as a replicable model of the humanitarian-development-peace nexus (HDPN) approach. The collaboration with multiple UN agencies (UNDP, IOM, UNHCR, UNFPA) further enhanced project impacts and sustainability.

In the northern and western region of Afghanistan, the ILO EIIP project built, rehabilitated and maintained 14 critical infrastructure including rural roads, flood protection structures, culverts, irrigation passages, gabion protections, and removed 736 m3 of debris/rubble. These measures improved essential service access, reduced vulnerability to climate-related disasters, and directly supported community resilience-building objectives. The project created decent employment opportunities through labour-intensive methods for 2,937 vulnerable community members, including 221 women, 48 persons with disabilities, and 1,216 youth, generating a total of over 48,226 worker days, directly addressing immediate livelihood needs and contributing significantly to the economic resilience of vulnerable communities.