The conference is aimed at updating knowledge, skills and information about international integration, global and regional situations and foreign affairs tasks for officers and staff of the Vietnam social security industry who are in charge of foreign affairs in order to meet foreign task requirements of each locality and the Vietnam social security industry.

A view of the meeting

Effectively mobilising resources  

Addressing the opening ceremony, VSS Deputy Director General Dao Viet Anh said the world has continued to change rapidly, complicatedly and unpredictably, affecting most countries and territories across the globe. Among these challenges, Vietnam is still a bright spot in the world in terms of diplomacy and economic growth.

VSS Deputy Director General Dao Viet Anh delivers a speech at the meeting

With great efforts in implementing tasks, the Vietnam social security industry has gained outstanding achievements in implementing social insurance and health insurance policies. The number of social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance participants increased. The Vietnam social security industry has also sped up administrative reform, the application of information technology and digital transformation.

“The diplomacy tasks in 2002 and the first eight months of 2023 of the VSS have gained outstanding achievements, helping to successfully carry out key missions of the sector, particularly in amending the Laws on Social Insurance and Health Insurance, promoting the universal health insurance, speeding up the digital transformation process and application of information technology, contributing to ensuring the modern and effective social security services. Diplomacy tasks of the sector contribute to raising the position and image of a professional, modern, dynamic and creative VSS as a trustworthy friend and partner of international organisations in the fields of social insurance and health insurance and towards the goals of ensuring sustainable social security for the people,” Deputy Director General Anh said.

In order to uphold the achieved results, Anh proposed VSS officers who are in charge of diplomacy tasks, to continue adopting the Party and Government policies and directions to effectively and creatively carry out diplomacy tasks of the sector and mobilise and combine both internal and external resources to fulfil assigned tasks.

Participants at the meeting

Speaking at the meeting, a representative from the Department of International Cooperation of the VSS said the VSS organised many delegations to study, exchange and share experience abroad in 2023. In the first eight months of the year, many delegations attended training courses and international conferences and workshops in South Korea, Cambodia, Denmark, South Africa and Australia. Particularly, the VSS has actively implemented the Agreement on Social Insurance between Vietnam and South Korea.

International cooperation activities are carried out actively and proactively, helping to improve the position of the VSS at regional and global multilateral forums such as the International Social Security Association (ISSA), the ASEAN Social Security Association (ASSA) and other forums on social security.

Tapping international experience in developing participants

At the meeting, domestic and international experts shared experiences in communications and diplomacy tasks, bringing in practical information and knowledge to improve diplomacy tasks of the Vietnam social security industry.

Sharing coordination orientations between the diplomatic sector and the VSS in the future, Deputy Director of the Foreign Policy Department under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Hai Luu said the diplomatic sector and the VSS should enhance coordination in sharing information and evaluating global political, economic and social trends that may affect issues such as labour, employment, healthcare and human rights in Vietnam. He also pointed to the need to enhance the participation of the VSS at related regional and international forums and incorporate social insurance cooperation in the general cooperation between Vietnam and other countries. They should also coordinate in disseminating information about diplomacy tasks and the role of international cooperation in the Vietnam social security industry.

Nguyen Thi Nga, an expert from the World Bank, proposed social security organisations diversify communication channels to suit each target.

Nguyen Thi Nga, an expert from the World Bank, speaks at the event

“International experience showed that communications need to be clear, short and consistent with diversified features (images, infographics and videos) and attractive stories. Also, it is necessary to develop strategies to get access to the community by coordinating and collecting feedback from related sides to understand the targets clearly,” she said.

Director of the Department of International Cooperation Nguyen Tien Thanh speaking at the event

Closing the event, Director of the Department of International Cooperation of the VSS Nguyen Tien Thanh said the experience and information sharing of experts and participants provided essential information to raise awareness and equip officers in charge of diplomatic tasks of the VSS with information about international integration and regional and global situations as well as highlights in diplomatic tasks of the Vietnam social security industry.

 Participants take a group photo

“The conference equipped VSS officers in charge of diplomatic tasks with experience, skills and knowledge to catch up with global trends, meeting development strategy of the industry as well as help to create innovation in diplomatic work,” he said.