VSS Deputy Director General Dao Viet Anh attended and chaired the press conference.

Head of the VSS’s International Cooperation Department Nguyen TienThanh at the press conference on July 31 (Source: VSS)

Director of VSS’s International Cooperation Department Nguyen TienThanh said the VSS’s international integration activities have been carried out under a strategy approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Established in 1998 following the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement in Bangkok, Thailand, the ASSA groups 20 social security institutions from 10 ASEAN member states. At the 34th meeting in Thailand, Vietnam was chosen as ASSA Vice President for 2017-2018. As per the ASSA’s rotary principal, the VSS will host the 35th event and become the ASSA President for 2018-2019.

VSS became a member of the ASSA in 1998. From that time, it has actively joined the association’s activities, making contributions to building ASEAN Community’s Culture-Society pillar. By developing cooperative ties with other members in the ASSA, VSS has acquired international knowledge and experience to complete professional processes, modernise the social insurance sector and make recommendations on policies on social insurance and health insurance.

VSS has so far held the position as ASSA President three times and organised four ASSA Board Meetings in 1999,2002, 2005 and 2010. All of the meetings were effective and helped increase the role and position of Vietnam in the regional and international arenas.

This year, VSS is also in charge of organising a ceremony to mark the 20th anniversary of the ASSA.

The 35th ASEAN Social Security Association Board Meeting (ASSA 35) themed “Opportunities and challenges of ASEAN social security system in the context of the 4th industrial revolution and free movement of labour” is expected to attract the participation of nearly 200 domestic and foreign participants.

It will be attended by Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue, representatives from relevant ministries and sectors of Vietnam, diplomats from ASEAN member nations’ diplomatic agencies in Vietnam, senior officials from ASSA’s member organizations and international organisations such as the International Social Security Association (ISSA), the World Bank, the International Labour Organisation and the World Health Organisation.

On the occasion, the Asia Pacific Investors Cooperation (APIC) will hold the APIC-ASEAN 2018 on September 17, 2019 (one day prior to ASSA 35), which focuses on financial investment and investment fund management. It is held annually by APIC on the threshold of the ASSA Board Meeting.

ASSA 35’s schedule

The event’s plenary session will be attended by those from non-member countries of the ASSA and international guests.

It will also include a ceremony to mark the 20th anniversary of ASSA foundation; an exhibition on the ASSA’s formation and development over the last 20 years; and an international workshop which will see speeches from domestic and foreign experts.

Meanwhile, the limited session will include representatives from ASSA members and observers. It will comprise meetings of the ASSA Executive Committee and its Secretariat; the ASSA’s awards ceremony for social security achievements; and an exchange for sharing experience of ASSA members. At this session, Vietnam will receive the chairmanship of the ASSA for the term 2018-2019.

At the international workshop before the ASSA 35, domestic and foreign experts will provide information related to opportunities and challenges of social security systems in the context of the 4th industrial revolution. They will also discuss opportunities and challenges in developing countries in Southeast Asia amid the 4th industrial revolution, the restructuring of Vietnam’s economy and implications for the development of social security system, the labour movement in Southeast Asia and developing countries and employment and unemployment insurance in the context of free labour movement.

New Zealand’s experience in approaching and addressing training demand in the context of the Industrial Revolution 4.0; the experience of the Republic of Korea (RoK) in negotiations to ensure social security for employees working under labour contracts; and the Philippines’ experience in signing agreements on social insurance regime for labourers working abroad will be also shared at the event.

Deputy Director General of Viet Nam Social Security (VSS) Dao Viet Anh affirmed that the ASSA 35 is an opportunity for the Vietnam's social insurance sector to enhance foreign cooperation, contributing to promoting its image and position.

It will also offer a chance for Vietnam to learn from international experience, thus developing social security sustainably, he said.

The hosting of the event also shows the spirit of responsibility, creativity and active international integration of the VSS as a reliable partner in the social security community in the region and the world, he added.

International Cooperation Department