Foreign affairs work aligned with the sector's political tasks

In his opening speech at the conference, Deputy General Director Dao Viet Anh affirmed that despite the overall impact of the domestic and international socio-economic situation, Vietnam remains a bright spot in terms of foreign affairs and economic growth. The early months of 2023 witnessed vibrant diplomatic activities of the country. With the efforts in implementing assigned tasks, the Vietnamese social insurance sector has achieved remarkable results in implementing social, health, and unemployment insurance policies. Accordingly, the number of participants in these policies continues to grow each year. As of the end of July 2023, there were approximately 17.5 million people participating in social insurance nationwide (an increase of 3.64% compared to the same period in 2022), including over 16 million mandatory social insurance participants, nearly 1.5 million voluntary social insurance participants, 14.3 million unemployment insurance participants, and 91.3 million health insurance participants, achieving a coverage rate of nearly 92% of the population, essentially reaching the universal health insurance goal.

Deputy General Director Dao Viet Anh delivered a  direction speech at the conference.

The timely implementation of social, health, and unemployment insurance regimes in terms of payment has always been carried out in accordance with the law. Each year, the sector carries out payments for social insurance benefits to over 10 million workers and provides medical treatment for more than 170 million times under health insurance. In addition, administrative procedure reforms, application of information technology, and digital transformation continue to be emphasized by the sector to ensure the satisfaction, confidence, and trust of participants in social and health insurance policies. A strong shift in working style from administrative to service-oriented, with people and businesses at the center, aims to create the most favorable conditions for participants to enjoy these policies.

Dr. Nguyen Hai Luu, Deputy Director General of the Foreign Policy Department (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), presented a specialized topic

The training conference provides an opportunity to enhance awareness of the position and role of foreign affairs work in the Vietnamese social insurance sector. It also shares achievements and experiences in foreign affairs work from other countries, new regulations on foreign affairs work in the Vietnamese social insurance sector, and focuses on key tasks in foreign affairs work in 2023. This helps leaders of units and localities, as well as officials and employees directly involved in foreign affairs work, to have comprehensive and in-depth knowledge of the international context and its impact on current social security policies. Based on this, they can provide assessments and practical grounds to advise sector leaders on major solutions and orientations to successfully achieve the foreign policy objectives set by the entire sector.

Efforts and companion for the goal of social security

At the conference, delegates had the opportunity to listen to reputable and experienced experts and speakers in the field of foreign affairs sharing prominent topics. The representative of the International Cooperation Department (Vietnam Social Insurance) provided an overview of the implementation of foreign affairs activities of the Vietnam Social Insurance sector in 2023.

"The skills of producing digital media programs and products" was the topic presented by the representative of Sanofi.

Regarding the topic "Harnessing the advantages of digital platforms in communication and foreign affairs activities," Ms. Nguyen Thu Thao, Director of Public Policy, Asia-Pacific (Facebook), emphasized that in the coming time, the digital transformation of the VSS should focus on unifying thinking, awareness, and effective practices, as digital transformation not only creates opportunities but also poses challenges.

Delegates in dialogue and discussion during the conference.

"The skills of producing digital media programs and products" and "Communication strategy for the development of voluntary participants in social insurance and international experiences applied to VSS" were the topics presented by representatives from the Vietnam & Cambodia Media Agency, Sanofi, and the World Bank. Accordingly, the development of participants in social, health, and unemployment insurance is always one of the main tasks of the VSS, and to fulfill this task effectively, communication strategy plays a crucial role.

Overview of the conference.

The experiences and insights shared by experts and speakers at the conference provided the necessary knowledge, skills, and experiences to enhance knowledge, raise awareness, and equip information about international integration, global and regional situations, communication work, foreign affairs information, and guidance on implementing the Foreign Affairs Regulations for officials and key personnel involved in the foreign affairs work of the VSS sector. It also emphasized the important role of foreign affairs information work in ideological and foreign affairs activities, such as the spirit of the 13th Party Congress Resolution... thereby strengthening and enhancing the effectiveness of foreign affairs information activities and international cooperation in the field of social security in the new context./.