The COVID-19 pandemic offers a unique opportunity to showcase the economic and social impact of social security. The crisis reaffirms the national importance of social security. In addition to the financial support, health care, unemployment and family benefits of social security, governments are using the infrastructure of social security institutions to quickly provide additional benefits and subsidies to cushion the blow to the lives and livelihoods of workers and businesses alike.

But this is just the beginning. The road to social and economic recovery awaits, with no clear map on what lies ahead. Social security can help families and individuals navigate these uncertain times. The current crisis is presenting social security administrators with opportunities to innovate programme implementation and to improve the coherence of national social security systems. This can only serve to leverage the ways through which social security benefits and services translate into the social and economic empowerment of citizens, and ultimately contribute to inclusion and social cohesion. Now more than ever, coverage is a priority as are the needs to facilitate education, retraining, capacity-building, employment, entrepreneurship and active ageing. Social security policy is an empowering tool for society. Sensitizing it further to the needs of women, the youth, migrants and socially disadvantaged groups will make it more inclusive in fighting, mitigating and preventing the cycle of poverty.