FAO, IDB Discuss Social Protection for Rural Resilience

FAO and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), in collaboration with Brazil’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MMA), hosted the regional event Strengthening Rural Livelihoods and Environmental Conservation through Social Protection. 

Government officials, multilateral organizations, academics, and civil society representatives discussed how social protection programs can support rural communities while promoting environmental conservation in Latin America and the Caribbean. The event highlighted strategies such as conditional cash transfers, conservation incentives, and resource management initiatives that contribute to poverty reduction and ecosystem preservation.

Speakers identified funding opportunities for social protection programs with an environmental focus, including access to international climate finance and mobilization of public and private resources to enhance resilience among vulnerable populations. These discussions align with the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty’s knowledge pillar, aiming to integrate social and environmental objectives. The event also contributed to the development of technical inputs on climate finance ahead of COP30, set to take place in November 2025 in Belém, Brazil.

Pablo Ibarrarán, Head, IDB’s Social Protection and Labor Markets Division, emphasized the role of social protection in supporting climate resilience. “This tool fulfills three key functions: it provides direct support to those in need, encourages agricultural techniques and conservation practices, and prepares communities to respond to increasing climate-related disasters,” he said.

The event showcased Latin America’s experience in intersectoral policies, including Brazil’s Bolsa Verde program, which integrates environmental conservation efforts in the Amazon with sustainable income generation for vulnerable rural populations. Bolsa Verde, linked to the Bolsa Familia social protection program, has reduced deforestation by 22% in targeted areas, with carbon emission reductions outweighing program costs.

Participants also explored governance and financing mechanisms to scale and replicate successful policies at national and subnational levels. The discussions will inform policy recommendations for COP30, emphasizing the economic and social benefits of decarbonization. The transition to net-zero economies in Latin America could create 15 million net jobs by 2030 and generate US$2.7 billion in net benefits by 2050.

The event concluded with a call to strengthen the link between social protection and climate action, ensuring the inclusion of rural populations and biodiversity conservation in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 1, 2, 10, and 17).