Khanh Hoa, September 19 – The 35th ASEAN Social Security Association (ASSA) Board Meeting wrapped up on September 19, after two days of working, in Nha Trang city, in the central province of Khanh Hoa.

ASSA members, for the first time, adopted a joint statement manifesting the association’s common viewpoints and perceptions, with a unanimous agreementon the objective and orientation for social security cooperation in the region.

The document affirmed the association’s commitment to fostering a united social security community on the basis of consensus that would develop in the best interests of the people, as well as for stability and development in the region.

This will be the orientation of ASSA activities in the coming time and is in line with the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 which was signed at the 27th ASSA Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2015.

At the press conference after the meeting, Nguyen Thi Minh, President of ASSA for the 2018-2019 term, said that in order to realise the joint statement, the ASSA  will continue to strengthen internal connectivity towards a prosperous, civilised, and developed ASEAN.

The ASSA will work out an action plan suitable for the association’s orientation and relevant to each member state, especially in the context of the FourthIndustrial Revolution and the free flow of labour, said Minh, who is also Deputy Minister and Director General of the Vietnam Social Security (VSS).

In answer to the Vietnam News Agency’s question regarding improving the efficiency of experience sharing among ASSA members amidst the differences in social security systems, ASSA Secretary General Dao Viet Anh said that while the differences are challenges, they also create opportunities for ASSA members to cooperate for mutual development.

Over the past 20 years, ASSA members have well implemented the association’s common principle for the sake of people, Anh noted, adding that despite the differences, cooperation among ASSA members has been effective.

“What the VSS has achieved is the sector’s efforts and is the result of experience sharing with regional countries,” said Anh, who is also Deputy Director General of the VSS.

Suradej Waleeittikul, ASSA President for the 2017-2018 term, said that ASSA 35 received the valuable cooperation from the VSS. He said he hopes that ASSA will make a lot of progress and receive the full support of the Vietnamese member. “We will have more members and providedecent jobs for our citizens,” he added.

Regarding the ASSA’s international cooperation activities in the future, Nguyen TienThanh, head of the VSS International Cooperation Department, said the expansion of cooperation with other international social security organisations was also one of the five initiatives affirmed at the VSS’recently finished meeting and was welcomed by ASSA members.

“ASSA Secretariat will work out a detailed plan to implement the initiative towards building a modern and sustainable social security system,” he said./.