Upcoming
Asia-Pacific Social Protection Week 2026: Empowered Lives, Resilient Futures
About the event
The Asia-Pacific Social Protection Week 2026: Empowered Lives, Resilient Futures will take place from 6 to 8 October 2026 at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Headquarters in Manila, Philippines.
Organised by the ADB, the event will bring together government leaders, policymakers, practitioners, development partners, civil society organisations, the private sector, academia and other stakeholders to discuss the future of social protection across Asia and the Pacific.
Building on previous Asia-Pacific Social Protection Weeks held in 2016, 2019 and 2023, the 2026 edition will focus on empowerment, resilience and the sustainability of social protection systems. Participants will take stock of progress in the region, share practical solutions and experiences, and consider how social protection systems can respond to current vulnerabilities and emerging challenges.
The event aims to:
- Take stock of the state of social protection across Asia and the Pacific.
- Discuss the vision and priorities for social protection in the region in the coming years.
- Promote regional knowledge sharing and peer learning on innovations, good practices, challenges, gaps and opportunities.
- Foster new collaborations and partnerships to advance inclusive, resilient and sustainable social protection systems.
The event will take place in person in Manila, with online participation available for the daily plenary sessions.
Disability-inclusive social protection
Social protection policies and systems play an important role in advancing the rights, inclusion, and economic security of persons with disabilities.
The Asia-Pacific Social Protection Week provides anopportunity for organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) to engage directly in regional discussions on social protection and contribute theirperspectives and expertise to conversations involving governments, developmentpartners and other stakeholders.
Meaningful participation of OPDs is important to ensure that social protection systems respond to the barriers and additional costs experienced by persons with disabilities and that persons with disabilities are included in the design, implementation and monitoring of policies and programmes that affect their lives.
IDA at the Asia-Pacific Social Protection Week
IDA is supporting the participation of eight representatives of organisations of persons with disabilities from the Asia-Pacific region, working in collaboration with the Pacific Disability Forum (PDF) and the ASEAN Disability Forum (ADF).
Through their participation, OPD representatives will engage in sessions and discussions throughout the week, bringing the perspectives, priorities and experiences of persons with disabilities and their representative organisations into regional conversations on social protection.
Their engagement will contribute to strengthening the participation of OPDs in discussions with ADB and other development partners and to ensuring that disability inclusion is considered as part of wider efforts to build inclusive and resilient social protection systems across Asia and the Pacific.
IDA’s support reflects its commitment to promoting the meaningful participation of persons with disabilities and their representative organisations in developing policies and programmes that directly affect them.