The ILO social security standards are internationally agreed norms and principles on establishing the national normative substance to protect the human right to social security. The Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No. 102) systematized for the first time the set of nine life risks to be covered by social security, i.e. medical care, sickness, unemployment, old-age, employment injury, cost of maintenance of children, maternity, invalidity, and survivorship.

The Convention represents the main international reference providing the core set of principles and benchmarks for building, maintaining and progressively expanding comprehensive national social security systems.