In line with these priorities, TC Mutual contributed to the research and innovation activities of the International Social Security Association (ISSA) on topics such as coverage gaps for difficult-to-cover groups, caregivers training, rehabilitation, and innovative experiences in palliative care and autonomy of the older adult.

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In order to cope with the challenge of COVID-19, mutual benefit societies have progressively incorporated measures to enhance the capacity of national social protection schemes. These have helped provide targeted services to the most vulnerable groups of the population such as the elderly and disabled. In particular, COVID-19 has reinforced the need for training of caregivers and medical nurses. It has also highlighted the importance of online services for the most vulnerable groups, with telecare becoming vital for people with reduced mobility due to their health or lockdown restrictions.

It is noteworthy that TC Mutual was the first of the ISSA’s technical commissions to organize a webinar in October 2020, on Meeting the challenge of COVID-19 for the elderly and disabled – Growing caregiver needs and telemedicine. This event brought together more than 160 participants from all ISSA regions. It showcased respective innovative responses made by mutual benefit societies in Latin American and other countries in the context of the global pandemic. Subsequently, the TC Mutual was also a key contributor in the ISSA’s webinar on Long-term care (LTC) – International experiences and good practices from mutual benefit societies in March 2021. In October 2021, the TC Mutual shared its know-how on LTC in the ISSA regional webinar Long-Term Care: Solutions for Eurasia.

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Members of TC Mutual submitted five good practices for the ISSA database related to the extension of coverage and service delivery in the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. This output was further reflected in the technical report Addressing the COVID-19 pandemic: Experiences of the Mutual Benefit Societies, which explains measures undertaken by its members during in the most acute period of the COVID-19 pandemic from two angles: effective services and institutional resilience. Some aspects of the report are well anchored in the upcoming ISSA Guidelines on Continuity and Resilience of Social Security Services and Systems. Moreover, some strategic elements for improving institutional capacity and resilience are also laid down in the ISSA Guidelines on Good Governance.

In total, the members of the TC Mutual have attended or actively contributed to around 30 webinars and online events, including the Regional Social Security Fora for the Americas (2021) and for Europe (2022), the 16th ISSA International Conference on Information and Communication Technology in Social Security (2022) and the 20th ISSA International Conference of Social Security Actuaries, Statisticians and Investment Specialists (2022).