Christina Behrendt is Head of the Social Policy Unit in the International Labour Office (ILO)’s Social Protection Department in Geneva (Switzerland). Her earlier work experience in the ILO includes an assignment as Regional Social Security Specialist at the ILO Regional Office for Arab States in Beirut (Lebanon). Prior to joining the ILO in 2002, she worked as a consultant for the International Social Security Association (ISSA), and as lecturer and research fellow at the University of Konstanz. Having studied in Konstanz and Edinburgh, she holds a Master degree in Politics and Public Administration and a PhD in Social Policy from the University of Konstanz (Germany). She has worked and published on various aspects of social protection and related topics in both developed and developing country contexts