“What kind of social protection architecture does ASEAN need for the next twenty years?”

This was the question posed by Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian as he opened the two-day ASEAN High-Level Conference on Social Protection on Tuesday (July 21) at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Headquarters in Manila.

In his message, Secretary Gatchalian, who also serves as the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) chair, emphasized that the question is no longer about the relevance of social protection, but on how the region can strengthen its systems to respond to evolving risks and vulnerabilities.

“The question before us is no longer whether social protection matters. That question has already been answered by our peoples, by the pandemic, by climate shocks, by labor market disruption, and the visible pressures now reshaping our societies. The real question is this: What kind of social protection architecture does ASEAN need for the next 20 years?,” Secretary Gatchalian said.

The DSWD chief also acknowledged ASEAN’s progress since the adoption of the ASEAN Declaration on Social Protection in 2013, but pointed out that significant gaps remain.

“According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), 35.7 percent of the population in the region are covered by at least one social protection benefit. Although ASEAN Member States have made significant strides in expanding social protection coverage, this is still below the global average which is at 47 percent,” Secretary Gatchalian said.

The DSWD chief also stressed the need to sustain efforts to strengthen social protection systems as climate change, labor market disruptions, and other emerging risks continue to affect communities across the region.

“With the effects of climate change and ongoing geopolitical conflicts, vulnerabilities are only expected to intensify. So much so that these occurrences are no longer occasional stress tests; rather, they are becoming embedded features of governance. Without a responsive system, our past efforts to address emerging and intensifying risks and vulnerabilities will remain inadequate. It is our responsibility to evolve with the demands of the changing times,” Secretary Gatchalian said.

The ASCC Chair underscored that the ADB noted opportunities to establish links with social services, strengthen social dimension during transitions, use of digital technologies, and continuously building evidence for social protection systems are crucial areas to be maximized in enhancing resilience.

“This underscores the need to sustain our efforts in improving our interventions and systems as each life is at stake upon the impact of risks and shocks,” the DSWD chief said.

Drawing from the Philippine experience, Secretary Gatchalian emphasized that people’s needs throughout their life cycle often overlap and cannot be effectively addressed through fragmented interventions.

“Our experiences help us appreciate that the needs of our citizens throughout their life cycle do not rise in neat administrative silos, they overlap. This makes us reflect on the important strategic shifts before ASEAN: from fragmented to integrated protection across life cycle,” the DSWD chief said.

Citing a recent UNICEF Philippines assessment, Secretary Gatchalian noted that while the country implements 105 social protection programs, there is still a need to improve the integration mapping and profiling risks in program design and implementation.

The ASCC Chair urged ASEAN member states to reflect on existing social protection systems by asking whether programs are still designed mainly around categories of beneficiaries despite overlapping risks, the extent to which digitalization is expanding access rather than merely improving administrative efficiency, and if adaptive and shock-responsive social protection is being treated as a core feature of public policy.

“These questions matter enormously for ASEAN. They further underscore the need to establish a post-2025 agenda that is ambitious in a practical way,” Secretary Gatchalian said.

The DSWD chief concluded by calling on ASEAN member states to build a people-centered community where social protection is not the last safety net, but part of the foundation that enables people to recover from shocks, live with dignity, and remain open to opportunities.

“This is the kind of community we should be building. One where social protection is not the last safety net of our people, but part of the foundation that holds them steady, and open to possibilities. A community where ASEAN solidarity is measured not only by what we declare together, but by what our peoples can actually feel in their daily lives,” Secretary Gatchalian concluded. (YADP)

— Asean 2026