The Reflections series synthesizes lessons from past evaluations to support organizational learning about what works and what doesn't. This paper examines past evaluations to provide six lessons on support for social protection:

1. Strengthening social protection policies contributes to effective crisis response.
2. Targeting of vulnerable sectors, particularly those that generate employment, yields positive dividends for social protection efforts.
3. Institutionalization of social safety net measures and processes are fundamental to their success.
4. Using technology in the provision of social protection assistance improves efficiency and targeting.
5. Applying a gender lens to all elements of the social protection framework has positive impacts on inclusiveness and effectiveness.
6. Partnerships enhance the sustainability of social protection measures.