M-GA Initiative Innovative cooperation to strengthen social protection and decent work

    During Germany’s G7 Presidency in 2022, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the World Bank and the Federal Republic of Germany agreed to jointly support low- and middle-income countries in developing social protection systems and in promoting decent work.

    From this agreement the M-GA Initiative emerged. M-GA stands for Multi-stakeholder Engagement to Implement the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions and the World Bank Compass. Its goal is to bring together key players in the area of social protection so as to effectively implement the projects being pursued as part of of the Global Accelerator and the World Bank Compass. Those projects aim to bring social protection and employment to more people.


    The Global Accelerator

    Logo. Global Accelerator

    Website of the Global Accelerator

    The Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions was launched in 2021 by UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The aim by 2030 is to extend access to social protection to an additional four billion people and create 400 million decent jobs. This dual strategy, combining social protection and job creation, is aimed at reducing poverty and hunger, protecting people against crises and making societies more resilient in the face of challenges such as climate change. By rapidly realising the goals of the Global Accelerator, the aim is to make a decisive contribution towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda.

    The M-GA Initiative

    It will take a strong international alliance to achieve the goals of the Global Accelerator. That is why the M-GA Initiative launched by Germany in 2022 brought together the two most important international players in this context and created very real incentives for greater cooperation at global and national level. Those players are the United Nations, with its specialised agency the ILO, and the World Bank, which is the biggest provider of Official Development Assistance (ODA) for measures in the field of social protection. Together with other partners, they want to pool their forces and mobilise new funding.

    In order to avoid start-up costs and any duplication of structures, it was decided not to create a new fund for the M-GA. Instead the Initiative builds on two existing funds at the World Bank and the United Nations, improving coordination between these two funds thanks to a shared steering structure.

    Since 2023, Germany has provided a total of 27 million euros to the M-GA from the BMZ Special Initiative Decent Work for a Just Transition. This funding has been disbursed in equal halves to the two funds at the UN and the World Bank. Other donors have also joined the initiative, for example Spain and Ireland.

    Having a say in steering the process

    The Global South, civil society and social partners are strongly involved in the steering mechanisms of the M-GA Initiative.

    Donor countries, UN organisations, international financial institutions, pilot countries, social partners and civil society are all represented in the M-GA Coordinating Council at global level. The Council sets out strategic guidelines and, working with the management team of the M-GA, prepares the ground for financial decisions that are then given the go-ahead by the participating Funds.

    Project implementation in the countries involved

    Following the first call for proposals in May 2024, nine projects are now being supported under the M-GA and implemented jointly by the respective national governments, the UN and the World Bank. Examples include:

    • supporting better qualifications with a view to promoting employment in Cambodia,
    • expanding the social register in Colombia so that people requiring support can be quickly and more easily identified and
    • drafting laws on maternity leave, sickness and unemployment in Uzbekistan (as at December 2024).

    A second call for proposals is taking place in 2025, following which a further 20 countries will receive financial support by the end of the year. In addition to projects touching on employment, there will be an increased focus in this round on transformation processes surrounding climate, fragility and informality. Countries have shown an overwhelming level of interest.

    In order to expand the Initiative, offer more countries the opportunity to participate and solidify the results attained so far, the M-GA needs more partners that are ready and willing to make a financial commitment. The M-GA management team is currently working on this with the funds and the donors. Bilateral donors and international financial institutions all have the option of joining the M-GA. By making a financial contribution, they automatically become members of the Coordinating Council and can be involved in steering the M-GA.

    Contact

    For further information on the M-GA and on the dates for proposals, contact the BMZ’s social protection team at RL102@BMZ.Bund.de.

    Jointly financing social protection with the M-GA

    In pledging its support for the SDGs, the BMZ made a commitment to facilitate access to social protection for more people, stepping up its efforts to champion this goal during the German G7 Presidency. Additional financial resources and strong partnerships between the key players in the field of social protection are necessary for this. The M-GA is an important step towards achieving that: making cooperative initiatives more strategically focused so as to ensure more coordinated implementation at global and national level.

    The M-GA brings together the World Bank, the biggest donor of funds for Official Development Assistance (ODA) in the field of social protection, and the United Nations’ SDG Fund. Its main role is to serve as a cooperation and financing mechanism for the effective implementation of the goals of the Global Accelerator (GA). It is not, however, limited to the partner countries of the Global Accelerator or its topics. In endeavouring to increase social protection coverage across the world, the M-GA can also support other countries and address other topics.

    The aim of the M-GA is to develop sustainable social protection systems that are integrated into the existing strategies of the countries concerned. This way we are able to make sure that these countries take responsibility for the projects and are able to finance them themselves in the long run. After the applications have been received from the countries, an expert team from the UN and the World Bank joins with the Steering Group of country representatives and civil society to coordinate the selection process. The projects are currently being implemented by the UN and the World Bank.

    The M-GA promotes knowledge sharing at a global level. By continuously following and supporting project activities in the countries, it also ensures that activities are adapted to changing circumstances. For example, it creates global knowledge products, based on best practices from the countries involved. In addition, the BMZ is keen to continuously optimise the steering structure and work processes of the M-GA. This would make the financing of social protection and decent work projects more efficient. In 2024 the first evaluation of M-GA processes was commissioned.

    As at: 05/01/2026