In just two decades since the early 2000s, social protection established itself as a vibrant social policy sector in countries across the Global South, from Latin America to sub-Saharan Africa to South Asia. Social protection appeared in several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015. Even the poorest countries now have a National Social Protection Policy. More recently, social protection provided an invaluable set of instruments deployed by governments worldwide in national responses to COVID-19. However, the global context today is very different to two decades ago, and is characterised by a range of emerging and intensifying uncertainties and challenges. What is the role of social protection in this shifting and uncertain global context? This conference will offer a forum for researchers and critical thinkers to discuss and debate the past, present and future of social protection policy and provision, especially but not only in the Global South.