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Promoting social protection and decent work - Our work and impact
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the increasingly pressing consequences of climate change, social protection has become a key issue in France and internationally. Social protection is also an important tool in France’s development policy, being renowned and requested by the countries, international organisations and civil society organisations we work with.
3,484 staff strengthened their skills/knowledge in the delivery of social protection in 2025
As France’s international development cooperation agency, we carry out projects that aim to strengthen social protection policies and promote decent work in our partner countries, especially in emerging economies and middle-income countries.
Our strategic priorities
Social protection covers the entire social and professional life of a person, from early childhood to retirement and old age. Our work in the field of social protection and decent work focuses on four strategic areas:
- Develop social assistance and inclusion mechanisms for vulnerable populations by identifying population groups, defining benefit packages, financing social welfare, and assessing impact.
- Strengthen social services by strengthening welfare centres and mobilising civil society organisations to deliver services.
- Develop and strengthen social security and welfare mechanisms by supporting financial sustainability, good governance, information systems and strategies to extend coverage to people in informal employment.
- Prefund healthcare by setting up mechanisms as part of universal health coverage strategies, and by supporting the establishment of sustainable health coverage systems.
“In Uruguay, Latin America and most Western countries, the massive influx of women into the workforce over the second half of the twentieth century has left the issue of care unresolved. Some speak of ‘conciliation’, others, of ‘shared responsibility’. I believe that we must tackle this huge challenge to achieve true equality in terms of financial autonomy.”
- Director of the National Institute for Women, Uruguay
Our framework for action
Social protection is linked to at least 7 of the 10 priority objectives of France’s international cooperation policy, set in 2023 by the Presidential Development Council and the Interministerial Committee for International Cooperation and Development (CICID).
Our Contract of Objectives and Means, an agreement between Expertise France and the French government which outlines our budget and strategic priorities for the coming years, also specifies social protection and decent work. It lists “strengthening health and social protection systems in our partner countries” as one of our objectives.
Therefore, the projects we implement support the development of social protection, social security and universal health coverage (UHC) systems, especially at the national level, in order to increase access to basic services and help people cope with health problems and the indirect costs of illness and disability.
Our services in this area
To promote social protection and decent work, we deploy French technical experts from the French health and social protection system, as well as French-speaking and European experts, to provide the best possible response to the needs of our partners. Our services cover the following issues:
- Health financing, including projects that support the implementation of universal or compulsory health insurance
- Ageing and dependency care
- Child protection
- Care policies
- Social welfare, contribution to the reduction of gender inequalities, social inclusion of vulnerable populations, fight against poverty, and economic empowerment of women
- Decent work, including capacity-building projects for labour inspection services and projects aimed at introducing unemployment benefits and youth guarantees
- Support for digitalisation and systems interoperability
Replay of events
#RDVExpertise Social Security
Social security is more than just a safety net against the vagaries of life, such as unemployment, illness or disability. It is also a key instrument for redistributing wealth, playing a major role in...
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Our projects
SOCIEUX+ - EU expertise on social protection, labour and employment
Ongoing
2024 - 2027
Funders : European Union, Government of France, Belgian State, Spanish State
Social Security Cooperation in Colombia
Ongoing
2022 - 2026
Funders : Agence Française de Développement
USP2030 - Support for Establishing Universal Social Protection
Ongoing
2024 - 2027
Funders : European Union, German State
Key figures in 2025
- 22 ongoing projects in 12 countries and 6 regional projects
- €97.3 million of signatures
- 103 organisations received support in delivering social protection services
- 3,484 staff strengthened their skills/knowledge in the delivery of social protection