Delegates at the 35th ASEAN Social Security Association (ASSA) Board Meeting held in Vietnam’s Khanh Hoa Province in September 2018.

Almost a year ago, at the 35th ASSA Board Meeting, which was held in Nha Trang City, in Vietnam’s Khanh Hoa Province, ASSA members unanimously elected Vietnam Social Security (VSS) for the ASSA Chairmanship for the term 2018-2019. In this new position, the VSS has proactively proposed the adoption of an ASSA Action Plan.

This is the first time since its establishment in 1998 that the ASSA has agreed to design and implement a specific action plan aiming to make its operations become increasingly extensive and substantive, tapping the potentials and strengths of ASSA member organisations.

During its 2018-2019 ASSA chairmanship tenure, the VSS has hosted and coordinated the implementation of several specific and practical activities to realise the joint statement and the action plan.

Accordingly, the VSS has worked to build a network of social security experts within the country’s the region; to complete a database of Singapore's ASSA member organisations; to carry out a research on expanding social security coverage for Thailand’s workers in informal employment in ASEAN countries; to compile and issue a publication on ASSA’s 20-year development, which covers basic information about ASSA, its member countries, member organisation as well as social security policies of ASSA members; and to promote the expansion of scope of ASSA operation and admission of new ASSA members.

In particular, the VSS successfully organised an international workshop in Ho Chi Minh City in July 2019 under the theme ‘Good governance for better social security services’, which provided participants with knowledge and governance experience on modern social security systems, as instructed by the International Social Security Association (ISSA), as well as new approaches and appropriate management methods in the context of the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0), thus contributing to improving the quality of social security services for people in the region.

The organisation of the workshop also manifested the close cooperation between ASSA and ISSA through the coordination of the VSS – which acted as the ASSA Chairmanship.

Under the theme ‘Opportunities and challenges of ASEAN social security institutions in the context of the Industry 4.0 and free flow of labour’, the 35th ASSA Board Meeting was held successfully with the participation of over 200 delegates from at home and abroad.

The event also marked the VSS’s fundamental shift in its multilateral integration in the region, following the Government's spirit of promoting proactive integration and proposing cooperation initiatives.

The 35th ASSA Board Meeting took place on the occasion of the association’s 20th founding anniversary. As proposed by Vietnam, the ASSA members adopted a joint statement manifesting the association’s common viewpoints and perceptions, with a unanimous agreement on the objective and orientation for social security cooperation.

The adoption of the joint statement was the highlight of the event, which affirmed the role and position of the ASSA and the VSS, in particular, in the world social security system while lifting Vietnam's position and image in the process of international integration in social security.

The ASSA was found in 1998. ASSA members now comprise 20 social security institutions from ASEAN nations. The association was formed to promote the development of social security in the region in consonance with the aspirations, laws and regulations of the member countries.

It is a regional forum for exchange experience and information on social security among member countries, contributing to the building of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC), one of the three pillars of the ASEAN Community.

The VSS joined the ASSA in September 1998 and is currently the only official member of Vietnam at the regional social security forum.

Since its admission, the VSS has been actively engaged in the implementation of cooperation activities among the ASSA member organisations, which have helped the VSS to update knowledge and international experience to complete and develop the implementation of social insurance policies towards professionalism, modernity, and efficiency.

* The 36th ASSA Board Meeting provides an opportunity for participants to exchange information and experience on various topics such as information technology and communication, and innovations in social security. The VSS is scheduled to deliver a presentation on the country’s interactive multimedia system with people and businesses.