Since its creation in 1919, the ILO has actively promoted policies and provided assistance to countries to supply adequate levels of social protection to all members of society. The Social Security Department with its long experience in the field of technical cooperation activities continues to maintain this objective.

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. This is achieved through the development of a framework for the design and planning of social security schemes and programmes, including their reform and extension to the informal sector also, based on comparative analysis and an assessment of national experience in this field. Advice and guidance, underpinned by the relevant international labour standards and comparative research and analysis, is provided through technical advisory services, assistance in carrying out actuarial valuations, technical cooperation, the development of training activities and materials and the organization of national or regional workshops. Support is provided to the work of constituents by the collection and dissemination of information concerning social security systems. The Social Security Department has been able to provide a global view due to the specific experience of its two branches:

• the social security policy and development branch (SOC/POL)
• the social security financial, actuarial and statistical services branch (SOC/FAS)

and through its various programmes and in specific through its global programme of:

• Strategies and Tools against social Exclusion and Poverty (STEP)

The two branches have merged as of July 2005 and a new website to reflect the new Department structure is currently under construction.