The report points to a series of lower-income countries where tax-financed pensions support vulnerable older people and also benefit households, communities and local economies. The research looks at programmes in Samoa, Namibia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Bolivia and Lesotho, although similar schemes already exist in some middle-income countries. The findings confirm that even small cash transfers represent a significant and cost-effective source of support for vulnerable population groups and have a measurable impact on improving health and reducing poverty.

"The findings reiterate a newfound confidence in social security by drawing attention to the social and economic roles played by social security systems the world over," said Mr. Hans-Horst Konkolewsky, Secretary General of the ISSA. "Social security contributes to reducing poverty and is vital to sharing in a fairer way the opportunities that globalization brings."

Other trends analysed in the report concern the response to demographic ageing. A study of OECD countries demonstrates that social security reforms helped to reverse the trend toward early
retirement, thus mitigating the negative impact of an ageing population on labour market supply and social security receipts.

The report also highlights how social security programmes are better connecting improvements in administrative performance, financial efficiency, and programme effectiveness, and points to a strong degree of integration in these reforms. Taken together, these developments strengthen the sustainability of social security programmes while improving the quality of services and their impact on individuals and society – an innovative approach termed "Dynamic Social Security" by the ISSA.

Over 1,200 delegates from 129 countries, including chief executives of social security institutions,
representatives of international organizations, and ministers responsible for social protection are attending the first World Social Security Forum in Moscow, 10-15 September 2007.

The ISSA report Developments and Trends: Supporting Dynamic Social Security is published on 10 September 2007 on the Website of the World Social Security Forum: http://www.issa.int/wssf07/