The purpose of this Social Protection Directional Guide 2022-2030 is to help the Asian Development Bank (ADB) teams operationalize social protection under Operational Priority 1, with the focus on ensuring an inclusive recovery from pandemic shocks, strengthening resilience to existing and new risks, addressing remaining poverty, and reducing inequalities in Asia and the Pacific region. This guide builds on the earlier work done under the Social Protection Operational Plan, 2014-2020 and aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals emphasis on the role of social protection as an enabler of development outcomes. It reflects the needs and challenges created by long-term structural trends as well as those exposed by the pandemic and new risks to provide direction for future ADB assistance to DMCs in social protection.