A ministry of social affairs or department of social affairs is the common name for a government department found in

states State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

where the

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

is divided into

ministries Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian mi ...

or departments. While there is some variation in the responsibilities of such ministries, the common thread between them is their responsibility for assisting members of

society A society () is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. ...

who are in a vulnerable position for example due to age, dependence on government aid, or being the employee in an employee/employer relationship. Ministries of this type cover matters such as

social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...

social protection Social protection, as defined by the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, is concerned with preventing, managing, and overcoming situations that adversely affect people's well-being. Social protection consists of policies and ...

and assistance,

pensions A pension (; ) is a fund into which amounts are paid regularly during an individual's working career, and from which periodic payments are made to support the person's retirement from work. A pension may be either a "defined benefit plan", wher ...

welfare Welfare may refer to: Philosophy *Well-being (happiness, prosperity, or flourishing) of a person or group * Utility in utilitarianism * Value in value theory Economics * Utility, a general term for individual well-being in economics and decision ...

health Health has a variety of definitions, which have been used for different purposes over time. In general, it refers to physical and emotional well-being, especially that associated with normal functioning of the human body, absent of disease, p ...

and

social security Welfare spending is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifically to social insurance ...

, and workplace standards for employees Examples of such ministries include: * Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (Albania) * Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (Armenia) * Ministry of Social Affairs (Austria) *

Ministry of Social Welfare (Bangladesh) The Ministry of Social Welfare () is the government ministry of Bangladesh responsible for the programs and the provision of social, rehabilitative services to improve the physical, social, emotional and economic well-being of the disadvantage ...

Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (Czech Republic) The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the Czech Republic () is a government ministry, which was established in 1969. External links * Czech Republic Labour and Social Affairs Ministries established in 1969 1969 establishments in ...

* Ministry of Social Affairs (Denmark) * Ministry of Social Affairs (Estonia) * Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (Ethiopia) *

Ministry of Social Affairs and Health The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (, ) is a Finnish government ministry tasked with the planning and implementation of policies regarding the social affairs and health of the inhabitants of Finland. The ministry includes two ministers: th ...

(Finland) *

Minister of Social Affairs (France) The Minister of Labour, Employment and Economic Inclusion (), commonly just referred to as Minister of Labour, is a cabinet member in the Government of France. The minister is responsible for employment, labour legislation as well as the integ ...

* Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Affairs of Georgia *

Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs The Federal Ministry for Labour and Social Affairs (, ; abbreviated BMAS) is a federal ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany headed by the Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs as a member of the Cabinet of Germany (). Its first ...

(Germany, BMAS) * Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (Greece) * Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (Haiti) *

Ministry of Social Affairs (Iceland) The Ministry of Welfare () is an Icelandic cabinet-level ministry founded 1 January 2011. It is the result of the merger of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Security, founded 17 April 1939 as the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Minis ...

Ministry of Social Affairs (Indonesia) Ministry of Social Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia (abbreviated as Kemensos, formerly Department of Social Affairs) is a ministry that has the task of organizing and overseeing domestic affairs in Indonesia to assist the President of Indonesi ...

Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (Iran) Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of Iran (, ''Vâzart-e Kaz-e vâ Amvâz-e Ajtema'i''), was the main organ of Iranian Government in charge of the regulation and implementation of policies applicable to labour and social affairs. History Aft ...

* Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Social Services (Israel) *

Ministry of Women, Youth, Sports and Social Affairs The Ministry of Women, Youth, Sports and Social Affairs (MWYSSA) is a Cabinet of Kiribati, government ministry of Kiribati, headquartered in South Tarawa, Tarawa. The ministry was created in October 2013. Ministers *Tangariki Reete (2013–2016 ...

(Kiribati, MWYSSA) *

Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (Puntland) The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs () is a ministry of Puntland government responsible for implementing employment, training, and social security. As well as social work, social protection and assistance, pensions, welfare, and health i ...

Ministry of Social Affairs (Kuwait) The Ministry of Social Affairs, previously known as the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour, is one of the ministries of the State of Kuwait. The current Minister is Mai Jassem Al-Baghli. History On December 14, 1954, Sheikh Abdullah Al-Sa ...

* Ministry of Social Affairs (Lebanon) * Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture (Macau) * Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security (Myanmar) *

Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment The Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (; SZW) is the Dutch ministry responsible for social affairs, relations between employers and employees, social security, trade unions and emancipation. It was established in 1918 as the Ministry ...

(Netherlands, SZW) * Ministry of Social Affairs (Norway) * Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (Russia) * Ministry of Employment, Social and Family Affairs (Somaliland) * Ministry of Social Affairs (Spain) – currently the Ministry of Social Rights and 2030 Agenda *

Ministry of Health and Social Affairs (Sweden) The Ministry of Health and Social Affairs () is a ministry in the Government of Sweden responsible for policies related to social welfare: social security, social services, medical and health care, public health and the rights of children, th ...

* Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour (Syria) * Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (Vietnam) ;International organizations *

Social Affairs and Health Committee The Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development (HHS) is a department of the African Union (AU) responsible for promoting health, humanitarian assistance, and social development across Africa. The department focuses on advan ...

(African Union) * Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (European Commission, EMPL) *

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) is part of the United Nations Secretariat and is responsible for the follow-up to major United Nations Summits and Conferences, as well as services to the United Nations Econ ...

(UN DESA)

See also