1. Affordability and financing of social security
Recurrent discussion on the strategic objective of social protection (social security): Social security for social justice and a fair globalization
100th Session of the International Labour Conference, June 2011

2. Affordability and financing of social security: Main issues
Countries with comprehensive social security systems
Adapting social security systems to demographic, economic and social change
Ensuring long-term financial and fiscal sustainability
Ensuring the economic and social adequacy of social security benefits
Countries with large coverage gaps
Developing feasible options to close the coverage gaps
Creating fiscal space necessary for extension of social security
Developing long-term social security strategies to build comprehensive social security

3. Ensuring affordability and sustainability of comprehensive social security systems
Importance of comprehensive policy that takes into account the full complexity of the relationship between economic performance, employment and social security design and financing
Adapting to demographic, economic and social change
Applying cost-control mechanisms, both within and outside the social security system, in an effective and equitable way
Avoiding unnecessary dependency on benefits
Ensuring the necessary fiscal space during austerity periods, acute crises and continuous structural change
Ensuring long-term financial and fiscal sustainability
Ensuring societal consensus on social security
Importance of relationship between fiscal costs and results, as well as effective governance and monitoring mechanisms
Ensuring economic and social adequacy

4. Ensuring affordability and creating fiscal space for closing the coverage gaps
Growing evidence on affordability of basic social security based on costing studies and actual country cases
Growing evidence that well placed investments in social security not just reduce poverty but may promote social and economic development and productive employment
Developing feasible policy and financing options
Review of efficiency of public expenditure
Domestic revenue mobilization: Ensuring effective and equitable tax policies and administration
Creating fiscal space
Careful prioritization and sequencing of programmes but having comprehensive system as ultimate objective
Ensuring policy coherence with economic, employment and other social policies
Developing social security strategies

5. Possible future policy orientation for the Organization and the Office
Cost-control mechanisms
Further explore policies, financing and governance mechanisms that can support the long-term affordability of adequate social security
Promote integrated policies ensuring higher participation of men and women in productive employment
Creating the necessary fiscal space
Support social dialogue ensuring that national priorities translate into adequate policy and fiscal space
Increase attention to the effectiveness and equity of taxation and public expenditure
Explore policy and financing arrangements which would secure necessary level of investment in social security even during times of crisis and austerity

6. Suggested point for discussion
Which policies can ensure
affordability,
adequate financing arrangements (such as pay-as-you-go funded schemes, pre-funded individual savings accounts or different combinations of both), and
sustainable fiscal space
for inclusive and effective social security systems in a context of demographic, economic and social change?