Depending on the definition of social protection used (which my vary from country to country) in any given context, national social protection systems may also comprise benefits which cannot easily be classified into the nine “standard” branches of social security, namely health care, sickness, old age, unemployment, employment injury, family and child support, maternity, disability and survivors benefits.
With the extension of social protection in developing countries, it has become more common to include other types of benefits in national definitions of social protection systems. For example, social protection initiatives may provide agricultural input subsidies, youth employment programmes, school feeding programmes or subsidized transport. Social protection may not be the primary objective of such programmes as they provide other benefits, such as enhancing agricultural production and food security, promoting education, enhancing skills and promoting employment. The multiplicity of objectives has implications for policy design and implementation and the realization of the right to social security.
Following an outcome-oriented approach, Recommendation No. 202 is open to including different types of benefits and schemes in nationally-defined social protection floors, based on clear principles and guidance.