The COVID-19 pandemic and rapid change of working environments are challenging for social security and for the occupational health and safety community worldwide. The global discussion on how to achieve resilient social security coverage for all and zero injuries, zero diseases and zero deaths at work covers many work-related aspects. This includes the digital transformation of work, the use of new technologies for prevention, social dialogue, mental health protection, and the promotion of a global prevention culture.

In the Americas, as in the rest of the world, social security is a powerful instrument through which the public feels the presence of government. The quality of the social security experience is an important gauge of public satisfaction with government and political leadership; administrators thus have a compelling reason to strive for excellence in the administration of social security programmes.

Extending and maintaining social security coverage stands out as a perennial challenge for social security administrations in the Americas. The rapidly  evolving needs of different population groups, especially children, women and the elderly, as well as economic and sociopolitical changes and demographic and technological transitions, have brought about societal transformations with an ever-increasing number of people in need of social security protection.

The COVID-19 crisis has forced countries across the Americas to take unprecedented steps to protect their populations, chiefly in the fields of public health and social security. In particular, States have developed a wide range of policies designed to safeguard their citizens against lost income when lockdown measures have made it impossible for them to carry out their productive economic activities. Such policies are many and varied, primarily comprising employment protection, the mobilization of unemployment benefits and the creation of social programmes to protect those groups hit hardest by the crisis, such as self-employed and informal workers.

The lack of social protection is, in many countries, linked to a lack of information. When they have insufficient awareness of their rights and responsibilities, workers and their families cannot understand the importance or reach of social protection. It is therefore necessary to educate people about social security in order to promote their access to benefits, their autonomy and their empowerment.

A new Technical Report has been published by the International Social Security Association (ISSA) that focuses on Long-term care: Global efforts and international attention from the health perspective. The report highlights the current approaches taken by international health organizations related to long-term care (LTC) support for an ageing population. It will inform the production of future ISSA Guidelines on LTC.

African policy-makers and institutions are conscious of the need for the adequate extension of social security coverage on the continent. The adoption of the Recommendation (No. 202) concerning National Floors of Social Protection, 2012, of the International Labour Organization (ILO) has strengthened this determination. Over the past few decades, the scope of legal coverage for social protection has broadened significantly across Africa. However, effective coverage rates remain low, especially among rural and informal labour market workers.

Service quality is a key priority for member organizations of the International Social Security Association (ISSA) in Africa. Social security institutions in this ISSA region are committed to responding to the public’s increasing expectations for improved social security services. Staff development, innovative practices, research, process re-engineering, partnerships, employing new technologies and improving governance practices are among the main strategies and approaches that are leveraging institutional capacities for better service. E-government is growing in Africa, with more than 34 countries offering online services or at least one portal for public information. By taking advantage of new developments in various administrative areas, Africa is simultaneously raising the bar on service quality, transparency and good governance.

Effective access to adequate social protection plays a crucial role in promoting sustainable development, social cohesion and socioeconomic resilience. In recognition of this, African governments have expressed a renewed commitment to expand the scope and extend social security coverage to the vast majority of the population on the continent during the last decades. However, effective coverage rates remain generally low and vary within countries and across branches of social security due to low labour participation in the formal economy (ILO, 2017).

Preventing and detecting error, evasion and fraud (EEF) is crucial for social security systems. Error, evasion and fraud have a direct impact on different aspects of social security. On the one hand, the economic impact related to non-collection of contributions and undue delivered benefits may undermine the economic sustainability of the schemes. On the other hand, the non-economic impact concerns the loss of social rights by workers and their dependents, undermining the fair economic competition through social dumping and the loss of trust in the social security system (Goveia and Sosa, 2016).