ISPA offers a set of practical tools that help countries improve their social protection system by analyzing its strengths and weaknesses and offering options for further action. ISPA tools can be applied across countries facilitating dialogue, and ensuring the development of countries’ social protection systems as well as international practices that will help countries to learn from each other.

ISPA tools have been developed by the world’s leading social protection specialists from more than 20 international organizations and development partners, with strong partnership from Governments. Each tool has gone through a rigorous development and approval process for this purpose. Each tool is made up of five components:

(i) "What Matters"​ Guidance Note 
(ii) Data Collection Framework
(iii) Overview of findings
(iv) Country Report
(v) Implementation guidelines.