Comrades Nguyen The Manh, Deputy Head of the Central Committee for Policy and Strategy, Head of the Steering Committee (Photo: Portal of Central Committee for Policy and Strategy)

Co-chairing the seminar were comrades Nguyen The Manh, Deputy Head of the Central Committee for Policy and Strategy, Head of the Steering Committee; Nguyen Manh Khuong, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Deputy Head of the Steering Committee; and Le Tan Can, Deputy Minister of Finance, Deputy Head of the Steering Committee. The seminar was also attended by representatives of leaders from several committees, ministries, and sectors, as well as experts and scientists.

Many positive results alongside remaining challenges

At the opening of the seminar, Comrade Deputy Head of the Committee Nguyễn Thế Mạnh stated that after a period of implementing Resolution No. 28-NQ/TW, many outstanding results have been achieved, but there remain some difficulties, shortcomings, and obstacles that need to be addressed. Implementing the tasks assigned by the Politburo and the Secretariat, the Central Committee for Policy and Strategy is the office in charge of developing the Project to review Resolution No. 28-NQ/TW. This project needs to assess the results of the Resolution's implementation and propose tasks, solutions, and objectives to be implemented in the next phase. Mr.Manh  mentioned that the Steering Committee had requested ministries, sectors, and localities to report on the implementation of the Resolution according to the outline. The Standing Editorial Board has received some reports and is in the process of synthesizing them to finalize the Main Report. He requested experts and scientists attending the seminar to focus on the topic with frankness and objectivity, evaluating shortcomings, limitations, difficulties, obstacles, and their causes in the implementation of Resolution No. 28-NQ/TW. He emphasized the importance of focusing on analyzing the new context, new developments, and new requirements, such as the "double-digit" growth target, the implementation of two-tier local government, the implementation of Party resolutions related to social security, science and technology development, innovation, and digital transformation, especially the implementation of the Resolution of the 14th Party Congress, thereby proposing breakthrough solutions in the new context.

Speaking at the seminar, Mr.Khuong, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs and Deputy Head of the Steering Committee, stated that after 8 years of implementing Resolution 28, ministries, sectors, and localities have made many efforts to institutionalize reform policies with some results such as: building a multi-tier social security system, increasing the retirement age according to the roadmap, reducing the number of people receiving lump-sum SI benefits, reducing the required contribution period, and completing regulations on the SI investment fund, etc. Emphasizing the importance of the task of reviewing Resolution No. 28, the Deputy Minister clearly stated the key contents such as: the role of SI policies in the overall socio-economic policies in the coming time; labor relations, wages, income, and SI participation of workers working on digital platforms; and continuing to consider solutions to create reasonable resources."

Mr. Le Tan Can, Deputy Minister of Finance and Deputy Head of the Steering Committee, co-chairing the seminar, suggested: Resolution No. 28-NQ/TW is a clear testament to the Party's attention and direction on social security. In essence, it has also overcome limitations in implementation, such as expanding the SI, UI and pension coverage, supplementing maternity benefits, etc., contributing to expanding the rights of SI participants and supplementing regulations on late payment and evasion. The Ministry of Finance has also submitted to the Government for promulgation of full regulations on financial mechanisms, guidance on investment activities of SI, institutionalizing and incorporating them into decrees and circulars. The implementation has also achieved many positive results: the number of people participating in SI & UI has increased, basically achieving the set goals. He further shared about the implementation process of Resolution 28-NQ/TW with fairly good results, however, there are still some shortcomings, limitations, and obstacles, which require fundamental and substantial innovation of SI policies, and overcoming bottlenecks in mechanisms and policies. He pointed out some shortcomings regarding subjects participating in compulsory SI, the basis for SI contributions, information and data sharing on employment, and handling violations.

Improving SI policies in conjunction with digital transformation and sustainable development.

The discussion at the seminar was vibrant, with many opinions focusing on analyzing the implementation of Resolution No. 28-NQ/TW from 2018 to the present, regarding the reform of SI policies; analyzing the current situation, causes, and orientations for continuing to implement the Resolution in the new context. The opinions agreed that Resolution No. 28-NQ/TW is a well-founded and timely resolution that remains valuable today; the results achieved include many accomplishments such as expanding the SI coverage, increasing pensions, and stabilizing people's lives. However, some contents and objectives of the Resolution have only been achieved modestly and require new orientations to address social issues in the future. Delegates also exchanged international experiences from several countries around the world and drew lessons for Vietnam. Some opinions analyzed the shift in the domestic context with strong economic goals, therefore, it is necessary to set the goal of universal SI. Some opinions discussed from a professional perspective related to SI, recommending several solutions to further improve the social security system such as: ensuring a more harmonious contribution and benefit relationship, placing SI in the entire social security system; improving the service spirit for people and businesses in the context of digital transformation; modernizing infrastructure, increasing connectivity, developing basic insurance solutions, supporting voluntary SI; applying science and technology, digital transformation...

Speaking at the seminar, Director of VSS  Le Hung Son shared that, after over 7 years of implementation, Resolution No. 28-NQ/TW still retains its strategic orientation value, with major goals and solutions that are basically suitable for reality. However, in the context of rapid socio-economic changes, the preliminary review needs to deeply assess the points that need adjustment so that the policy both inherits the spirit of the Resolution and adapts flexibly to the new conditions.

Based on the practical implementation of SI policies, Director of VSS Le Hung Son has proposed several key orientations. Firstly, there needs to be a significant shift in the perception of the role of social security and SI, viewing it not merely as a support policy but as a crucial factor in ensuring economic stability and national security. Secondly, international experience demonstrates that SI systems are difficult to sustain if relying solely on voluntary participation. Therefore, there should be a gradual expansion of compulsory participation following the principle of "those with income should participate," along with appropriate support policies to encourage long-term participation. Thirdly, the development of participant groups should be based on digital technology, enhancing connectivity and data sharing between offices to improve management efficiency and expand coverage. Fourthly, the continuous improvement of SI policy packages should be geared towards flexibility, diversity, and suitability for each target group, ensuring cohesion between the tiers of the system. Fifthly, the expansion of social insurance needs to be linked to socio-economic development, creating jobs and stable incomes. Specifically, the small and micro-enterprise sector requires appropriate solutions to ensure effective management without rigid impositions.

In his concluding remarks, Mr. Nguyen The Manh expressed his gratitude to the experts and scientists for their dedicated and responsible input on social security. He noted that these opinions acknowledged the outstanding results of the 8-year implementation of Resolution No. 28-NQ/TW, while also highlighting the difficulties, challenges, and intertwined issues in achieving the Resolution's targets, recommending breakthrough solutions for amending and issuing policies for implementation. He stated that the Steering Committee would  take into account the opinions from the seminar, synthesize them, and study them to finalize the Project Report and draft Conclusions to submit to the Politburo and the Secretariat.