What do Brazil, Zimbabwe and Vanuatu have in common? Despite the obvious differences in geographies, ecosystems, soils and biodiversity, they share a story of climate vulnerability. But more importantly, they also tell a common story of ground-up resilience and innovation: putting protecting people at the heart of climate action.

Climate change is not just rising seas and hotter days — it’s increased poverty, hunger, job loss, displacement. Social protection systems, programmes like cash transfers, social insurance, and labour market interventions, protect people before, during, and after climate shocks.

Social protection is not a new solution. It’s been used as a core development strategy and policy initiative for decades. Social protection in the climate context simply means a framework of socially-focused policies and programmes that equip people with the right tools to adapt to climate change.

Social protection is a smart climate action investment. More than just getting investment out the door, if we’re focused on resilience, returns, and inclusive progress, then building social protection mechanisms into our investment design is one of the most promising, scalable, and underutilised investment levers for long-term, local change.

In an agriculture, forests and land-use investment context, social protection provides incentives to communities to adopt new climate-friendly practices, and the security to innovate and adapt. For example, through green public works initiatives that incorporate labour-intensive programmes that create climate assets—like forest restoration, flood barriers, and soil regeneration.

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) has worked with FAO to support a review of how GCF is going with incorporating social protection in our investments targeting rural populations. The publication presents an analysis of 23 GCF projects (including those from Brazil, Zimbabwe and Vanuatu) where social protection was part of the investment design. But there is more we can do. The publication sets out clear guidance on how future GCF investments can strategically build in social protection measures from the project ideation stage to deliver measurable, scalable, people-centred returns. Let’s back the systems that protect people—and strengthen the foundation for lasting climate progress.

By Marc Dumas-Johansen, Agriculture and Food Security Specialist, Department of Latin America and the Caribbean (DLAC), and Stephanie Speck, Head of Special Initiatives at GCF