A Social Protection Floor (SPF) is the first level of a comprehensive national social protection system. It is comprised of:
- universal access to essential services (such as health, education, housing, water and sanitation and other services, as nationally defined)
- social transfers in cash or in kind, to ensure income security, food security, adequate nutrition, and access to essential services
The SPF concept was formally adopted in April 2009 when the United Nations Chief Executives Board (CEB) endorsed the Social Protection Floor Initiative (SPF-I) as one of nine joint initiatives to respond to the global financial and economic crisis of 2008. The continued relevance of social protection, both as a right and as a means to ensure long-term development, has transformed the SPF into pertinent policy approach.