Social Security Forums are the most important events in the cycle of ISSA activities, and provide privileged global and regional platforms for social security organizations to build networks and to exchange on key trends and issues.

The first Regional Social Security Forum for Africa took place in Rwanda in November 2008. Regional Social Security Forums will also be held in the Americas, in Europe and in the Asia-Pacific region. The Regional Forums will involve social security leaders, international organizations, experts and policymakers from across the region. The results of the Regional Social Security Forums provide input to the planning of the World Social Security Forum.

The next World Social Security Forum will be held in Cape Town, Republic of South Africa, from 29 November to 4 December 2010. Over 1,000 senior managers from the global ISSA constituency will be joined by international decision-makers at the event. Among other highlights, the programme will include a plenary session on developments and trends in social security, technical sessions based on the ISSA’s good practice and policy activities, and will culminate with the social security summit.  

Social security summits during each Forum provide an occasion to demonstrate the role that social security programmes play in the well-being of societies worldwide and to showcase the crucial contribution that social security makes in the face of major socio-economic challenges in the context of globalization.

Photo:  The first ever World Social Security Forum took place in Moscow in September 2007 / © Igor Stomakhin/ISSA