The paper introduces social protection as a basic human right enshrined in international declarations and conventions. It also provides a brief overview of social protection provision in the Arab region, highlighting achievements and challenges. The paper examines various participatory approaches to promoting social protection, including: participatory budgeting for allocating funds; more efficient governance through decentralization; and tools (observatories) and processes (national dialogues and partnerships) for use throughout the cycle of social protection policy formulation and implementation. It concludes with social protection policy recommendations adapted to the context, national development needs and priorities of the Arab region.