The vulnerability of the Pacific and Timor-Leste to shocks – such as natural hazards, economic downturns, climate change impacts and COVID-19 – is consistently emphasised in the literature, with the geographic, economic and social characteristics of these countries seen to contribute to their vulnerability (Costella and Ivaschenko, 2015). Given that the poorest and most marginalised members of society are likely to be most affected by these shocks, there is an increasing recognition of the role of social protection in reducing the impact of shocks. The Australian Government’s Partnerships for Social Protection (P4SP) program and Sustineo have published an Annotated Bibliography and Evidence Review outlining the current landscape of social protection in the Pacific and Timor-Leste, including a short analysis of social protection as it relates to climate change impacts and other shocks. This brief explores the evidence on this topic in more detail, highlighting key findings, summarising the most prevalent voices in this field, and areas where more research is needed.