The digital economy is all around us. It is transforming all parts of society; how we learn, how we work, how we spend our free time, how we communicate, and how we expect services to be provided. This also affects social security systems, schemes and institutions, the digital transformation of our societies represents both challenges to address and opportunities to seize.

The International Social Security Association (ISSA) is pleased to invite you to the World Social Security Forum (WSSF) which will take place in Brussels, Belgium, from 14 to 18 October 2019, at the invitation of the public social security institutions of Belgium.

Social security organizations have as one of their central objectives to optimize their communications with their citizens, providing modern and accessible channels of contact and efficient management.

From 10 to 11 April 2019, the Gabon National Social Security Fund hosted the launch of the Vision Zero campaign for the Central African region. Among almost 150 participants were representatives of governments, Central African social security institutions, the Inter-African Organization for the Prevention of Occupational Risks and workers and employees.

Have you been looking for an opportunity to continually develop your human resources and institutional capacity in social security administration? Then we encourage you to consider the Diploma training courses under the ISSA Academy. A series of courses are upcoming in June.

The Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) hosted the ISSA Workshop on Actuarial work for social security in New Delhi from 26 to 28 March, the first Academy workshop of 2019. The three day event, which attracted participants from six countries, covered actuarial issues of relevance to the attending ISSA members.

The ISSA Recognition programme was created in response to ISSA members need for aformal evaluation and recognition of the implementation of the ISSA Guidelines. Since 2016, ten ISSA members have achieved Recognition for ISSA Guidelines and there are 13 other ISSA members in the process of undergoing the review.

The ISSA is pleased to announce the release of the updated ISSA Country profiles for Asia and the Pacific. The profiles describe social security programmes in 51 countries and territories in the region, including a new country profile on Cambodia. Together, the reports provide important information for policymakers and researchers who are reviewing different ways of approaching social security challenges and adapting the systems to the evolving needs of individuals, households, and families.

As part of its Centenary celebrations, the International Labour Organization (ILO) is running a ratification campaign to encourage its member states to ratify at least one international labour Convention in the course of 2019. Among the 15 new ratifications so far, the Russian Federation has ratified the Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No. 102). The ISSA congratulates the Russian Federation on its ratification!

 
ISSA Academy workshop: Good governance
5–7 June 2019 | Guatemala City, Guatemala

118th ISSA Bureau meeting
24–25 June 2019 | Geneva, Switzerland

13th ISSA Forum for Technical Commissions
26–27 June 2019 | Geneva, Switzerland

ISSA Academy workshop: Contribution collection and compliance
2–4 July 2019 | Algeria, Alger

ISSA Academy workshop: Good governance
23–25 July 2019 | Cotonou, Benin

Academy workshop: Administrative solutions for coverage extension and Contribution collection and compliance (focusing on difficult to cover groups)
24–26 July 2019 | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

ISSA Academy workshop: Good governance
6–8 August 2019 | Seoul, Republic of Korea

ISSA Academy workshop: Service quality
14–16 August 2019 | Swakopmund, Namibia

ISSA Academy workshop: Actuarial work for social security
14–16 August 2019 | Montevideo, Uruguay

World Social Security Forum
14–18 October 2019 | Brussels, Belgium

ISSA Academy workshop: Information and communication technology
10–12 December 2019 | Kampala, Uganda