Tunisia's Minister of Social Affairs inaugurated the event, which was organized in cooperation with the International Social Security Association’s (ISSA) Liaison Office for North Africa and hosted by Tunisia's National Social Security Fund (Caisse nationale de sécurité sociale – CNSS).

The first day featured a presentation by the ISSA, followed by discussions based on national experiences in social security coverage for the self-employed and micro-entrepreneurs. A new project by Tunisia to extend social security coverage to rural women workers was also presented by a representative from the Ministry of Social Affairs.

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On the second day, a roundtable discussion was led by representatives from the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ). The focus was on social and solidarity economy projects and initiatives aimed at supporting and empowering women workers. The discussion highlighted the potential of these projects to formalize the activities of women and vulnerable groups and ensure their social coverage.

The seminar emphasized that in the context of the informal sector constituting an important part of economic activity, extending social security to self-employed workers and micro-entrepreneurs is crucial.

Outputs and follow-up

During the seminar, some success criteria for extending social protection to the self-employed and micro-entrepreneurs were identified:

-Accessible – Contributions should be within reach for target groups, aiming to empower them and support the development of their activities and projects.

-Simple – Procedures should be simplified, timelines shortened, and modern payment methods utilized.

-Flexible and adequate – Social protection programmes should be diverse, adequate, flexible, and of high quality to be attractive and motivating.

-Incentives – The programmes should be complemented with incentives such as training, support, access to bank loans, and other services..

The seminar concluded with a commitment to continue exploring and implementing innovative solutions to extend social security coverage to all workers, ensuring their protection and empowerment in an evolving labour market.