About us

Access to an adequate level of social protection is recognized in the Declaration of Philadelphia, in subsequent ILO declarations and in a number of International labour standards as a basic right of all individuals. It is also widely considered to be instrumental in promoting human welfare and social consensus on a broad scale, and to be conducive to and indispensable for social peace and thus improved economic growth and performance. Yet in many countries, especially the developing countries, reality falls far short of these ideals. Progress has been made difficult over recent years by economic recession, reduced levels of formal sector employment, the need for structural adjustment and, in a number of countries, the transition to more competitive economies. Weaknesses in the governance and management of social security institutions have compounded the consequences of economic difficulties for many people around the world. However, despite these problems, many countries are seeking to reform and expand their existing systems in order to improve benefits, extend coverage and achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness.

The objective of the Social Security Department is the enhanced capacity of constituents, and particularly social security managers, to design sustainable social security schemes, and to manage and administer them more efficiently, with a view to the provision of better benefits and the extension of their coverage.

Throughout, emphasis is placed on reaffirming the fundamental nature of social security and social protection as a human right. ILO activities aim at helping member States to improve and expand the protection they provide to all members of the community across the full range of contingencies: basic income security in case of need, health care, sickness, old age and invalidity, unemployment, employment injury, maternity, family responsibilities and death. Many activities will also be designed to improve the social protection of migrant workers.

An important theme in the work of the Department is to ensure that social security policies are consistent with other policies related to poverty alleviation and that they are also compatible with economic constraints and institutional capacities. To sum up, the ILO's Social Security Department provides policy advice, undertakes research and carries out technical cooperation activities in its client countries. These activities are undertaken in cooperation with the ILO's Offices in the field.

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