Cooperation with international organizations

Asociaţia Internaţională pentru Securitate Socială (ISSA)

www.issa.int

The International Social Security Association is an important international organization for the unification of national administrations and agencies dealing with social security. ISSA spreads information, conducts research, provides advice and offers a platform for its members to shape dynamic social security policy worldwide.

Founded in 1927, ISSA gathers 350 members from 150 countries.

The main objective of ISSA is the dynamic promotion of social security as a social dimension of the process of globalization in the world by providing high-level support for administrative management in the field of social security. ISSA advocates for social security that can adapt and use innovative approaches to design and implement global, coherent perspectives, focused on active and future operations of policies and programs that ensure guaranteed access to social security.

How ISSA conducts its activity

The International Social Security Association is an organization built on membership principles, whose activities are administered by three statutory bodies:

The General Assembly is the highest statutory body, in which all members of the Association are directly represented. It approves the Statute of the Organization. As a rule, the General Assembly takes place every three years.

The Council is an elected body of the Association, made up of plenipotentiary delegates from each country, in which ISSA has at least one member with full rights. Each country is represented in the Council by a plenipotentiary delegate. In particular, his main functions are to elect the President, the Treasurer's Office, members of the Control Commission and the General Secretary. As a rule, the Council meets during the session of the General Assembly.

The Bureau is the governing body of the Association , which is composed of the ISSA President, Treasurer, Secretary General and elected members representing different geographical regions of the world. The main functions are the establishment of the Action Plan, the work schedule and the guidelines that must be followed when developing a Program of Activities and the Association's budget, in establishing the priority program, monitoring and evaluating current achievements, in making decisions regarding membership applications and the adoption of financial rules. The bureau also determines the structure and makes decisions regarding the accreditation of the technical committees, necessary for the implementation of the activity program of the Association. The bureau meets at least once a year. The official representatives are the ISSA President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary General.

ISSA members

As of April 2011, ISSA brings together 333 member organizations (258 full and 75 associate) in 152 countries.

 ISSA offers two types of membership: full and associate. ISSA full members can be government departments, institutions, agencies and other departments and their federations, which administer any branch of social security. Associate members are organizations whose purposes are compatible with ISSA's objectives, but are not directly involved in the administration of social security management.

The advantages of ISSA membership

Network and platforms for exchange

Unique opportunities for networking within the international social security community.

Access to regional and technical expertise through the ISSANET networks, which operate online for information exchange and cooperation between ISSA members. Personal contacts during ISSA meetings, seminars and conferences.

Meetings with experts and representatives of other international and regional organizations within ISSA activities, including IOM, OECD, WHO and the World Bank.

Information services and electronic newsletters

News and information from the world on social security, examples of best practices, research and political analysis on the web portal and social security e-newsletter "Social Security Observatory".

What is happening within the Association, expected events and news about other ISSA events and services through the e-newsletter with the latest News.

Conferences and events

Participation in various activities of the ISSA program .

 Opportunities to organize, communicate and engage others at various ISSA activities, including global and regional social security forums.

International representation

Facilitating the creation of a positive environment at the international level for social security and for the governing bodies of social security through ISSA's participation in key international events and in partnerships with other international organizations.

Consulting services and support services

Technical Information Service, responsible for individual calls and ensuring the possibility of recourse to technical and administrative experts in the field of social security from member organizations around the world.

Consultancy services regarding the provision of training courses related to various aspects of social security and cooperation for development on a bilateral basis between member organizations in the field of training.

Technical seminars on social security issues are relevant to some regions.

ISSA publications and resources

 ISSA publishes a number of commentaries and publications , including:

The International Review for Social Security, the main international quarterly publication in the field of social security.

Newsletter for Social Policies , which reflects and analyzes major issues and trends in the world regarding social security.

Guide to Social Security Programs *, which describes supplementary and private social security programs in over 170 countries.

Supplementary and private insurance worldwide ** which represents supplementary and private pension systems in around 60 countries around the world.

Other more succinct, thematic and appropriate publications presenting study results, information on best practices and technical instructions .

*Product of ISSA and US Social Security Administration cooperation

 ** In cooperation with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the International Organization of Pension System Regulatory Bodies.

History of ISSA

The International Social Security Association: a unique role in the world of international organizations

The roots of the International Association for Social Security go back to the 19th century, when mutual insurance was used as a collective response of European industrial workers to sickness, unemployment, disability and old age.

After the First World War, social insurance programs began to develop rapidly in several regions and social protection issues were included in the agenda of the newly established international organizations. In May 1927, for the first time, representatives of mutual aid societies and health insurance funds were included in the national delegations at the tenth International Labor Conference, which took place in Geneva. On the agenda was the introduction of international regulatory requirements for the economic and health protection of workers through social insurance. The group of delegates decided to establish an international association, aimed at promoting and strengthening the health insurance system around the world.                                            

Creation of bases: 1927 – 1947

The International Conference of National Unions of Mutual Aid Societies and Health Insurance Funds was established in October 1927. With the support of Albert Thomas, the first director of the IOM, delegates from 17 organizations came to the conference, representing approximately 20 millions of insured individuals from Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Poland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. In Geneva, with the support of IOM, the Secretary was established.

Very quickly, the objectives of the organization expanded and began to include insurance for old age, disability and descendants, and in 1936 the name of the organization was changed to the International Conference on Social Security, known as CIMAS, after the abbreviation of its name in French.

The National Social Insurance Fund of Peru became the first non-European institution to join CIMAS. In 1935, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act, using a new term that combined "economic security" with "social protection". Shortly thereafter, the US Social Security Council's CIMAS accession negotiations began, which were interrupted by the Second World War. In 1941, President Roosevelt and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Winston Churchill in the Atlantic Charter made public commitments regarding the improvement of labor standards, economic development, and social security for all. In the midst of the war, in 1942, the British Government published the Beveridge Plan, named after its main author, Mr. Beveridge, who helped to create the first unified social security system. In France, Pierre Laroque led the government's efforts to expand social protection to cover the entire population, and in 1946 a national system for social security emerged.

 In 1944, when the turning point in the war was defined, the ILO in the Declaration of Philadelphia, of great historical importance, requested increased measures for social security, as well as an improvement at the international and regional level, of systematic and direct cooperation between institutions for social security. The Declaration also called for a regular exchange of information and the study of common problems related to the administrative management of the social security system. In the Philadelphia Declaration, it was declared that a sustainable world peace can only be achieved if it is based on social justice, including by spreading social security over the entire population.

The 1947 Constitution

Marking the 20th anniversary of the organization's existence, the 8th CIMAS General Assembly ratified a new Constitution. Since then, membership of the organization became free for social security structures that were under state control, as in the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, and the United States of America. The participation of government departments in an independent administrative management structure made ISSA unique in the world of international organizations. A new name was created: CIMAS became the International Social Security Association (ISSA).

A year later, the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 22, which recognizes that "Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security." In 1952, the ILO adopted the Convention on Standards minimums for social security (№ 102).

Worldwide spread : 1947 - 1975

The Cold War deepened the ideological rift between the industrialized countries. However, this period was also the era of decolonization, increased the importance of the third world, which predetermined the transformation of ISSA into a truly global organization, represented in all regions.

 Under the leadership of presidents Renato Morelli, Italy, Reinhold Melas, Austria, and Dezhardana Jerome, Belgium, as well as general secretaries Rudolf Aladar Metal, Austria, and Leo Vildmanna, Austria, for three decades after World War II the number of members of the organization grew from 39 full members from 21 countries in 1947 to 246 full members from 104 countries in 1977, and from 1955 ISSA began to receive associate members.

In 1949, the Social Insurance Institute of Turkey became the first member of ISSA in Asia, the number of members in this region increased significantly in the 1950s. By 1957, the number of countries in Latin America, who were already members of the ISSA, increased to 18.

As African countries began to gain independence, the number of ISSA members in this region also grew rapidly: Francophone organizations dominated from 1957 to 1967, while the number of English-speaking African members increased significantly after 1967. The result of ISSA's sustained expansion over a quarter of a century was the 17th General Assembly, held in Abidjan in 1973 - the first assembly on the African continent.

Techincal Activity

In 1947, the provision regarding the establishment of technical committees was introduced into the Constitution. This provision was the most important action for the development of ISSA and work organization methods for the next 20 years. First of all, the permanent medico-social committee, renamed in 1971, and the permanent committee for health insurance and sickness insurance, and the permanent committee of mutual aid societies were created.

In the following years, Permanent Technical Committees were created, later called Commissions, which dealt with issues such as family allowances, unemployment insurance and job retention, prevention of occupational risks, insurance against work accidents and occupational diseases, insurance for old age, disability, loss of breadwinner, actuarial and statistical issues, organization and working methods, as well as legal aspects for social security. The last one, in 2007, was established the Technical Committee regarding the investments of social security funds.

Research Activity

In 1955 the Constitution was amended to ensure the organization of research, but only in the mid-1960s, ISSA began a systematic activity in this field. In 1966, there was a round table meeting on sociological issues for social security, jointly organized by ISSA and the International Sociological Association, in Evian, France. The first research conference was held in Vienna in 1969. The Bureau established in 1972 the Advisory Committee for Research in the Field of Social Security. It was transformed into a full-fledged Technical Committee by an amendment to the Constitution, adopted at the 26th General Assembly in 1998, which led to the same level of research as other types of technical activities of the association.

Consolidation : 1975 – 1990

Under the leadership of Secretary General Vladimir Rysa (Great Britain), in these years great successes were achieved in the development of regional and research activities, as well as an increase in the number and variety of publications regarding the results of this activity.

The first regional program, including regional meetings, conferences and training for the four ISSA regions, was proposed and approved at the 19th General Assembly (Madrid, 1977). The role of regional activities was recognized as an essential contribution to the technical work of the permanent commissions.

 Thus, the first regional conferences of this period took place in Cairo (1978), Ottawa (1979) and Tashkent (1979). The research program was included in the Constitution, at the 21st General Assembly (Geneva, 1983), although it existed since the early 1970s, under the supervision of the Advisory Committee for Social Security Research. The first meeting of heads of ISSA member organizations in the Pacific region was held in Fiji in 1989. ISSA developed a publishing program and began implementing electronic data processing systems in the 1970s. The Association's quarterly publication, International Review of Social Assistance, confirmed its status as a scientific publication on social security.

Formation of the discussion: 1990 – 2004

At the turn of the century, in the midst of reflecting in a negative light the role of social assistance and the related economic costs, it has become more evident that ISSA must appear and actively engage in discussions around the world, by promoting a more balanced dialogue and informed among political decision-makers, as well as active participation in international events, where social security issues are addressed.

At the meeting of the ISSA Office in Stockholm in 1994, under the leadership of President Carl Gustaf Sherman, it was decided to create an international dialogue forum about the important role of social security in social and economic development.

Relying on the positive results of the Stockholm Initiative in 1999 in Rome, ISSA President Johan Verstraeten launched the second ISSA initiative, "Strengthening the Credibility of Social Security", to improve the prospects for achieving universal coverage and appropriate social security.

 During this period, the number of members increased from 237 full members and 69 associate members from 121 countries to 275 full members and 107 associate members from 148 countries. The accession of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection from the People's Republic of China in 1993 was an important landmark in the development of the ISSA member network.

Transmission of knowledge and information

Under the leadership of ISSA General Secretary Dalmera D. Hoskins (United States) an important event of this period was the adoption of new communication methods to maintain connection with ISSA members and the world at large. A notable example was the launching of the ISSA website, www.issa.int, which offers constantly updated information on the Association's activity in the four working languages. Another important event was the modernization of the Association's international databases, providing information on all aspects of social security. These databases, known as Social Security in the World (SSV), have been transformed into the Electronic Information Distribution Service. At the beginning, in 1997, the information was offered on CD-ROM, and from 1998 - via the Internet (www.issa.int / SSV).

Creation of a new ISSA : 2004 - to date

Marking 75 years, ISSA has entered a new era. For the first time, a woman is elected president of ISSA - Mrs. Corazon de la Paz-Bernardo from the Philippines. Mr. Hans-Horst Konkolewsky from Denmark is elected to the position of Secretary General of ISSA. He receives the task of organizing a new ISSA, a dynamic organization, which must adapt to the changing reality and constantly coordinate its actions with the needs of the member organizations.

In order to strengthen the work at the regional and sub-regional level, the first ISSA office of a new type, the Sub-regional Office of the Arab States in Asia, was opened in Amman in 2005, the management and staff of which were represented by its own members. The host was the Social Security Corporation of Jordan. ISSA communication offices were soon to be opened in several other regions.

To achieve ISSA's new objectives in the dynamic support of social security in 2007, the first in the world Social Security Observatory was created. The first ISSA World Social Security Forum was held in Moscow (Russian Federation) in September of the same year. During the Forum, the concept of ISSA was defined, a dynamic system for social security that to a greater extent ensures accessible and sustainable social protection programs. The ISSA Council supported this approach, adopting a new and promising three-year program and budget of the Association whose central theme became "Dynamic social security - a guarantee of the social dimension in a globalizing world".

The 2010 World Forum on Social Security in Cape Town reaffirmed the commitment to this approach, when ISSA Secretary General Hans-Horst Konkolewsky advocated the worldwide promotion of a "culture of social security" as a legitimate basis for the financial, social and political components of social security in a difficult period of time. During the meeting of the ISSA Council, a new president of ISSA was elected. Errol Frank Stuve from the Netherlands became president.

Over the course of eight decades, ISSA has truly transformed into a worldwide Association, which today brings together 350 organizations from over 150 countries. Taking into account the immense problems facing the world, the Association's commitment to the development of social security, like never before, will be needed to ensure social justice for all.

Since its creation, the National Office of Social Insurance has undertaken a series of actions in order to establish relations on cooperation with international structures and to attract foreign experts for consultancy, as well as to establish relations on cooperation with similar organizations abroad in order to exchange experience in the field of social insurance.

In this context, collaboration relationships have been established and Protocols on cooperation have been concluded in the field of social insurance with the following institutions:

- Central Administration of National Pension Insurance of Hungary;

- National Institute of Social Insurance of the Italian Republic;

- Pension Fund of the Russian Federation;

- Social Fund of the Kyrgyz Republic;

- State Administrative Center of Social Insurance of the Republic of Lithuania;

- Social Insurance Institute of the Polish Republic;

- National Social Security Institute of the Republic of Bulgaria;

- State Fund for Social Protection of the Republic of Azerbaijan;

- National Office of Public Pensions from Romania;

- Czech Social Security Administration.

At the same time, NOSI tends to expand international cooperation with similar institutions from other countries, as well as with other international bodies and non-governmental organizations in the field.