Closing the gap : building resilience to natural disasters and man-made shocks through social safety nets

Social safety nets and the broader social protection are widely recognized as one of the instruments to build resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations, and ultimately to reduce poverty. This report explores how social safety nets programs increase resilience in the short term by improving the capacity of vulnerable households to cope with idiosyncratic and covariate shocks such as natural disasters, man-made crisis and economic shocks by providing cash, food, insurance, and other means to smooth income.

The brief further argues that social safety net can play a significant role in minimizing the impacts of natural disaster and man-made conflicts once they occur if programs are scaled up or introduced rapidly. When combined with complementary interventions, social safety nets increase resilience in the long term by promoting human capital development and income generating activities. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a clear framework on the role of social protection to help achieve the long-term goal of sustainable development.