Under the auspices of International Social Security Association (ISSA), some two hundred administrators of social security institutions from more than 70 countries, joined by representatives of a number of international organizations, met to discuss the ways in which social security systems are being affected by the current financial crisis, the challenges governments face in responding, and the range of policy initiatives that have been observed. The seminar included presentations from countries as diverse as Australia, Canada, Denmark and the USA from the industrial countries and Brazil, China, Jordan, the Russian Federation and South Africa among the emerging market countries. Several key messages emerged and these are outlined below.