Paper short abstract:

Through mixed-methods virtual research conducted during the pandemic with a diverse sample of adolescents and youth in Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Lebanon, this paper illustrates the limitations of existing social protection responses to Covid-19 and identifies key gaps in coverage.

Paper long abstract:

The socioeconomic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in low- and middle-income countries have highlighted the need for comprehensive and inclusive social protection responses, as subsequent restrictions on work and movement have limited people’s ability to meet basic needs such as food and healthcare. Young people have been identified as particularly at risk due to school closures, a lack of frontline services, and the disproportionate representation of youth in informal employment. Yet as this chapter identifies, even in countries where robust national social protection systems exist or where international humanitarian actors are responding, initial government and development partner assistance to those most in need has been slow, disparate and often inadequate.

Through mixed-methods virtual research conducted during the pandemic with a diverse sample of adolescents and youth in Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Lebanon, this paper illustrates the limitations of existing social protection responses and identifies key gaps in coverage. We explore the consequences for young people who were already socioeconomically marginalised prior to the pandemic, including young migrants and refugees, adolescents with disabilities, and married girls. Our findings underline the need for responses that adequately recognise the complexity and intersectionality of youth vulnerability in each context. We identify and discuss key implications for strengthening social protection systems, emphasising the need for better coordination between financial assistance and social services to ensure that the most vulnerable adolescents are not left behind. This is vital if the commitment to universal social protection made within the Sustainable Development Goal framework is to be realised.