"Globalization is dramatically impacting all sectors of society, including social security", said Mr. Hans-Horst Konkolewsky, Secretary General of the International Social Security Association (ISSA), which is organizing the World Social Security Forum. "Research that will be presented at the Forum confirms that, through innovation, social security is responding proactively to the challenges of globalization by contributing to social justice and more equitable economic development.”

New directions in social security are analyzed in a report to be presented at the World Social Security Forum, Developments and Trends: Supporting Dynamic Social Security , and will be the subject of plenaries and technical sessions on a range of topics during the event.

More than 1,000 delegates from over 100 countries have confirmed participation in the Forum, including ministers, chief executives of numerous social security institutions, and representatives of international organizations. The event is hosted by the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation and other ISSA members in the country. The Forum will be opened by First Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Dmitry Medvedev and will be attended by other high-level Russian government officials.

A highlight of the week will be the Social Security Summit, which will look at the role of social security in a globalized economy, in particular in mitigating inequalities and alleviating poverty. The Summit will involve ministers and senior officials responsible for social security programmes in several countries as well as officials from the International Labour Office, the World Bank, the OECD and the Council of Europe.

Among other topics on the Forum's agenda are social security's role in the prevention of occupational diseases, the use of new technologies, change and risk management, financing health care, and pension fund investment strategies. Plenary sessions will be devoted to the extension of coverage and the social security situation in the Russian Federation.

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/