Recent global economic challenges have exposed gaps in systems that allow households cope with shocks, which could widen inequalities, and in some regions, have stalled economic transformation and raised social tensions, jeopardized decades of hard-won progress in reducing poverty and gender disparities, and make reaching the SDGs challenging. In this seminar, panelists will describe measures to strengthen economic and social systems to boost resilience in the face of shocks. Key issues under discussion revolve around: What is the impact of recent and current crises on labor markets? What weaknesses have these crises revealed in terms of social protection, in particular social safety nets? What policy responses are needed to strengthen resilience of national systems to future shocks and minimize their adverse short-term and long-term impact for the next generation?

Opening Remarks by Deputy Managing Director Kenji Okamura