The COVID-19 pandemic has put social protection in the spotlight, inviting us to reflect on social protection policy not only in times of crisis but also in everyday life. What exactly is social protection? What have we learned from countries’ policy responses to the crisis? How does a robust social protection system contribute to individual, community and collective wellbeing? And what can we learn in order to strengthen these systems for future events?

Did it take a global crisis to highlight the critical and multi-dimensional role of social protection? Let’s find out.