On Nov. 4, 2025, the United Kingdom’s (U.K.’s) Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, in collaboration with the government of Somalia, published the outcome document of the High-Level Panel on Social Protection in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Settings. Motivated by the need for practical solutions to alleviate poverty in the world’s most fragile contexts, the panel developed a roadmap for increasing investment in social protection. With decreasing global aid spending, this could represent an affordable and proactive method to help those in extreme poverty.

Fragility and Conflict

Currently, 25% of the global population lives in zones of high or extreme fragility. Brutal conflicts in Sudan, Gaza and the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are exacerbated by climate shocks, economic instability and mass displacement. For many regions, fragility has become the norm and now represents the epicenter of humanitarian, development and security challenges. Of the planet’s population living in extreme poverty, more than 70% live in these fragile zones with a high incidence of violent conflict.

Social protection, as laid out in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is a fundamental human right. It includes those support mechanisms such as social insurance, jobseekers’ assistance, care services and cash support. In times of crisis and in zones of high or extreme fragility, these policies and programs become crucial, allowing people to better endure, adapt and recover. Globally, only 52.4% of people benefit from just one social protection program, a figure that drops dramatically in fragile contexts.

The High-Level Panel

The High-Level Panel on Social Protection in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Settings was convened to ascertain why social protection is not the norm – and how to change that fact. Co-chaired by Rt Hon Baroness Chapman of Darlington (U.K. Minister of State for International Development and Africa), and H.E. Salah Ahmed Jama (Deputy Prime Minister of Somalia), the panel brought together leading experts in the fields of humanitarian action, development and social protection. 

With the support of a public enquiry, the panel found that implementing social protection in fragile regions has been hampered by strong barriers to progress. From a lack of political buy-in to chronic underinvestment, social protection has been underappreciated and underutilized. Finding solutions to these entrenched barriers, therefore, has required a shift in attitudes, brought about in no small part by a need to find cheaper solutions to poverty alleviation. 

Fiscal Constraints

One of the key recognitions made by the High-Level Panel is the severe pressure on both domestic and international spending. Operating in the reality of a tightened global fiscal situation – where the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with its $63 billion budget has closed, and where the U.K. has reduced its aid spending to 0.3% of Gross National Income (GNI) – the Panel argues that increasing social protection offers a cost-effective and proactive alternative to expensive reactionary humanitarian responses. It is this shift in the financing of global development and poverty alleviation assistance that will be most conducive to the realization of the Panel’s aims.

Recommendations for Implementation

As part of the outcome document published by the two co-chairs of the High-Level Panel, a “catalytic agenda” was laid out. This set out nine recommendations for the implementation of the Panel’s vision – for social protection to provide peace, resilience and stability in fragile and conflict-affected settings. The agenda focuses on the recognition of social protection as a priority, the centering of people in future implementations, and the importance of robust and diverse financing mechanisms.

The document concludes with a call to action directed at stakeholders, including the United Nations (U.N.), G7+ and Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), requesting firm commitments to the panel’s recommendations. The inclusion of clear steps, rather than general statements, underscores the panel’s position that social protection in conflict-affected settings is achievable.

A Path Forward

Financing social protection in those regions of the world most affected by severe instability offers a proactive, affordable solution to extreme poverty.  Social protection enhances safety and stability for the general population and plays a critical role in supporting society’s most vulnerable, including women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities. The conclusions and recommendations of the High-Level Panel on Social Protection in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Settings provide a clear path forward.

– Henry Weiser

Henry is based in Cornwall, UK and focuses on Technology and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr