Despite the rapid expansion of social protection programmes across the Global South in recent decades, the ILO estimates that more than half of the global population still has no access to any form of protection against poverty and social exclusion. In this webinar we will discuss what explains the recent expansion of social protection systems in the Global South and what role aid plays? What do we know about the effectiveness of these systems? What role do social security systems play during financial and other crises? And how can we ensure sustainability?