A World Defined by Justice and Care: Universal Social Floors

The fact sheet advocates for Universal Social Protection Floors to ensure global access to basic healthcare and income security. It notes that nearly 29% of the global population faces hunger and over 575 million people are projected to live in extreme poverty by 2030. The text details the G20's history with social protection, including Indonesia's 'adaptive social protection' and Brazil's 'Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty', while positioning South Africa's G20 presidency as an opportunity to integrate social protection with economic and industrial strategies.

• Global poverty and hunger remain critical, with nearly 29% of the population struggling for food and a projection that over 575 million people will live in extreme poverty by 2030; currently, only 12% of global development targets are on track.
• Universal Social Protection Floors are designed to provide guaranteed access to healthcare and basic income security, including child support, disability grants, and income security insurance for working-age adults, to address systemic vulnerabilities caused by climate change, globalisation, and geopolitical instability.
• Recent G20 presidencies have introduced specific social protection mechanisms: Indonesia (2022) introduced 'adaptive social protection' to link social systems with disaster risk management, and Brazil (2024) launched the 'Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty' and a Ministerial Declaration for Reducing Inequalities.
• South Africa's G20 presidency intends to use Task Force 1 on Inclusive Economic Growth, Industrialisation, Employment, and Reduced Inequality, and the Development Working Group to integrate social protection policies with economic and industrial strategies to create decent jobs.
• In South Africa, social protection is deemed inadequate because adults aged 18 to 59, unless disabled, are excluded from permanent income support, leaving them vulnerable to poverty.

APA

iej_admin (2025). A World Defined by Justice and Care: Universal Social Floors. Institute for Economic Justice. https://iej.org.za/resource/factsheet/g20-factsheet-8-a-world-defined-by-justice-and-care-universal-social-floors/

Chicago

iej_admin. A World Defined by Justice and Care: Universal Social Floors. Institute for Economic Justice, 2025. https://iej.org.za/resource/factsheet/g20-factsheet-8-a-world-defined-by-justice-and-care-universal-social-floors/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=iej_admin |title=A World Defined by Justice and Care: Universal Social Floors |publisher=Institute for Economic Justice |date=26 August 2025 |url=https://iej.org.za/resource/factsheet/g20-factsheet-8-a-world-defined-by-justice-and-care-universal-social-floors/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{iejadmin2025world, author = {iej\_admin}, title = {{A World Defined by Justice and Care: Universal Social Floors}}, institution = {Institute for Economic Justice}, year = {2025}, month = aug, url = {https://iej.org.za/resource/factsheet/g20-factsheet-8-a-world-defined-by-justice-and-care-universal-social-floors/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }