Risk management is the process of identifying, analysing, accepting, mitigating or transferring uncertainty in investment decisions. Fund managers apply risk management by analysing and attempting to quantify the potential loss of an investment and then acting accordingly.

The creation of artificial skin is an innovative technological development that has the potential to revolutionize the education and learning process. It is a tool with a new and exciting approach that makes it possible to create realistic and authentic products that imitate the feel of human skin. This is particularly important in health education where students need to have a deep understanding of the functioning of the human body.

This project is an initiative of the health benefits division, with a view to ensuring the comprehensive health care of Social Security Institute of Guatemala (Instituto Guatemalteco de Seguridad Social – IGSS) employees.

The project aims to remove the stigma surrounding mental health and to address the main psychosocial risks among IGSS employees through the provision of ongoing training on topics related to mental health and psychosocial stress factors. It provides spaces for reflection and analysis on experiences and interpersonal relationships in the workplace.

The National Registry of Social Security Organizations (Registro Nacional de Obras Sociales – RNOS) and the National Registry of Health Insurance Funds (Registro Nacional de Entidades de Medicina Prepaga – RNEMP) of Argentina’s Superintendency of Health Services (Superintendencia de Servicios de Salud – SSSalud) are responsible for receiving, analysing and ensuring compliance with all regulatory requirements in force for the registration, modification and update of social security organizations and health insurance funds in Argentina, and for keeping their documen

The Single Reimbursement System (Sistema Único de Reintegros – SUR) was created in 2012 with the introduction of Resolution 1200/201. It aimed to handle requests from health-related social security organizations efficiently and in a timely manner, partially compensating the payment of benefits with high economic impact or that cover chronic diseases.

Members of the Social Security Institute of Guatemala (Instituto Guatemalteco de Seguridad Social – IGSS) who are entitled to benefits under the Sickness, Maternity and Accident Programme (Programa de Enfermedad, Maternidad y Accidentes) and on leave from work due to COVID-19 receive a subsidy payment to substitute the salary they would otherwise receive, proportional to the measures outlined in the corresponding regulations.

People with disabilities are one of society’s most excluded groups and usually have the most difficulties in accessing health, education, employment, and social security. Current policies are either not inclusive, or are still in the initial stages, and thus do not protect the rights of this group. We need rules and regulations that support us in taking action to better protect their rights. Even more importantly, we need to properly understand their needs in order to provide quality care.

In Chile, over 300,000 people currently work as deliverers for digital platforms, known as deliverys or riders. This new way of working poses new challenges related to the protection of this group of workers, as they generally operate in precarious conditions and the level of occupational risk they are exposed to is quite high.

The competition is aimed at rewarding the best initiatives and professional practices in the field of occupational safety and health (OSH) among students in vocational and technical training. This initiative of the Social Security Fund (Caisse de sécurité sociale – CSS) of Senegal is reserved for students and aimed at raising the awareness of future workers and employers, while also creating a dynamic of reflection and sharing in the field of OSH.

The works are evaluated by a jury according to criteria based on:

Safe and healthy work environments (Entornos laborales seguros y saludables – ELSSA) is a free, voluntary and non-punitive programme from the Mexican Social Security Institute (Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social – IMSS) that aims to foster three-way coordination and participation between companies, workers and the IMSS. It looks to implement strategies and actions to improve the health, safety and wellbeing of workers in workplaces, while at the same time promoting productivity and quality.

Uruguay’s Social Insurance Bank (Banco de Previsión Social – BPS) manages the National System of Labour Certification, (Sistema Nacional de Certificación Laboral – SNCL), which centralizes the register of medical leave certificates for active workers for social security purposes.

In view of the pandemic and the closure of social security agencies, with the consequent stoppage of face-to-face assistance, mainly affecting medical expertise, the Federal Court of Accounts ordered the Ministry of Social Security (Ministério da Previdência – MTP), of Brazil to carry out the expertise through tele-medicine.

The Healthy Finances Programme of Costa Rica’s Pension and Retirement Board of the National Teachers' Union (Junta de Pensiones y Jubilaciones del Magisterio Nacional – JUPEMA) is an initiative that allows participating members to improve their knowledge on how to comprehensively handle their finances, addressing each of the different dimensions of human behaviour.  This programme offers emotional and financial tools that positively impact members’ quality of life.

The JUPEMA Entrepreneurship (JUPEMA Emprende) programme is a service provided by Costa Rica’s Pension and Retirement Board of the National Teachers’ Union (Junta de Pensiones y Jubilaciones del Magisterio Nacional – JUPEMA). It was started at the end of 2022, with the philosophy of providing resources for entrepreneurship training and consultation to our members. Its aim is to improve the intellectual, emotional and material skills of participants, positively impacting their quality of life on the basis of the principles and values of the social and solidarity economy.

In Argentina, joint trade union–employer agreements (Convenios de Corresponsabilidad Gremial – CCG) encourage the formalization of employment relationships, primarily in rural areas. They are agreements between workers’ representative bodies with trade union status and employers, which aim to facilitate social security access for workers and their families.

In 2022, Morocco’s CDG Prévoyance signed an agreement with the State to manage the Tayssir Programme, one of the country’s most important welfare programmes, dedicated to reducing the rate of school drop-outs among the most vulnerable segments of the population.

Crises and extreme events may strain the capacity to communicate records of medical leave to subsidiary cash benefit units. The pandemic has demonstrated the need to systematize procedures that have traditionally been carried out manually, which would provide significant benefits by making processes faster and more efficient, avoid the need for users to visit administrative offices, thereby avoiding expenditure, risks and outbreaks, and reduce spending on institutional resources.

The Single Digital Record (Acta Digital Única – ADU) of Argentina’s Superintendency of Occupational Risks (Superintendencia de Riesgos del Trabajo – SRT) is a public instrument for ensuring that inspections comply with standards on the prevention of occupational risks in employer establishments. These inspections are carried out by over 100 SRT inspectors and 470 inspectors from the Local Labour Administrators (Administradoras de Trabajo Local – ATL) from the provincial jurisdictions.

After a legislative change, the Social Insurance Institution (Zaklad Ubezpieczen Spolecznych − ZUS) took over from 1 July 2021 a government programme for families in Poland called Dobry start (Good start) 300plus, aimed at parents of children attending school.

Well-being is at the heart of Colombia’s COMPENSAR - Family Allowances Fund (COMPENSAR - Caja de Compensación Familiar). This has been a process of evolution, complemented by Amartya Sen’s theory that “you can understand a person’s well-being by analysing the quality of their life, which can be considered as a set of interrelated “functionings”, consisting of states and actions”.

The project, “Care plan management for psychological illnesses following accidents” (Steuerung des Heilverfahrens bei psychischen Erkrankungen nach Unfällen), involves three components: the extension of case management to cover psychological disorders, the development of an e-learning seminar to train case workers, and the development and evaluation of a diagnostic algorithm. This comprehensive approach aims to bring about an overall improvement in the quality of care for patients who develop psychological disorders following a work accident.

As part of the process of becoming a flexible and digital organization, COLSUBSIDIO - Colombian Family Allowances Fund (COLSUBSIDIO - Caja Colombiana de Subsidio Familiar) implemented the digitalization of the social housing acquisition process, thereby improving the experience of beneficiaries and optimizing the time spent on the various stages. This is a strategy that contributes to reducing the carbon footprint by avoiding travel and using less paper.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic was an abrupt disruption that caused loss of lives, fear, uncertainty, and anxiety on how to manage the health, social and economic effects. Several of our members ended up needing specialised treatment from private medical facilities. Being unprecedented, insurance companies had limitations on coverage since this was a pandemic. This meant that members had to resort to out-of-pocket payment to cover the enormous medical bills.

Disseminating information on the Occupational Risk System and interacting with relevant stakeholders are two key functions of Argentina’s Superintendency of Occupational Risks (Superintendencia de Riesgos del Trabajo – SRT).

Since 2020, Costa Rica’s economy has been seriously affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the resultant drop in household income generating other financial needs. For this reason, the Pension and Retirement Board of the National Teachers’ Union (Junta de Pensiones y Jubilaciones del Magisterio Nacional – JUPEMA) has developed a credit line to purchase debts at very favourable conditions.

Argentina’s Superintendency of Occupational Risks (Superintendencia de Riesgos del Trabajo – SRT) offers training on occupational risk prevention and the functioning of the Occupational Risk System. This training is available for workers, employers, public and private bodies, trade unions and trade associations and all levels of educational establishments, as well as any other social actor that needs this service.

German Federal Pension Insurance (Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund – DRV) is using the potential of digitalization and is simplifying procedures for customers. The development of a customer web portal for preventive health care enables the DRV to provide customers with easy access to the relevant services. This is a first step towards achieving our strategic goal of creating a digital, personalized customer portal for the DRV.

The Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) scheme operated by the Department of Social Protection (DSP) of Ireland provides an income support payment to people who had to remove themselves from work due to restrictions imposed in response to COVID-19. The scheme was designed over a weekend and available within days to support a large portion of the Irish labour force. Within weeks some 600,000 people representing around 25 per cent of the workforce were in receipt of the payment.

The Working Family Payment (WFP) scheme operated by the Department of Social Protection (DSP) of Ireland provides an income support payment to families in work. The scheme supports low-income families, some in part-time employment, to remain in work through the provision of supplementary income, based on family size (the number of dependants).

How can seasonal workers protect their safety and health at work, identify potential health or accident risks and be aware of the first aid measures that must be adopted should the need arise? Seasonal workers can find specific information on these issues, relevant to the needs arising at their place of work, using the new health and safety web app from the Social Insurance for Agriculture, Forestry and Horticulture (Sozialversicherung für Landwirtschaft, Forsten und Gartenbau – SVLFG).

Over the years, the National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work (Istituto Nazionale per l’Assicurazione contro gli Infortuni sul Lavoro – INAIL) has expanded the protection of workers, guaranteeing economic and health benefits and social-health and supplementary services as forms of support aimed at recovery, psycho-physical rehabilitation and reintegration into social and working life.

Since the crisis started at the beginning of 2020, businesses have been experiencing lower activity levels. The hope of a quick recovery leads them to try, as much as they can, to keep on their employees, favouring part-time work and temporary lay-offs over letting people go entirely.

The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), a long-standing member of the International Social Security Association (ISSA), co-developed a Vision Zero training programme to teach the principles and benefits of Vision Zero as a preventative strategy and to empower learners with the tools they need to implement it. This newly created programme consisted of a Train the Trainer course, to assure the standards of trainer delivery, and a newly developed Vision Zero training course based on the principles of Vision Zero and the seven golden rules.

Inadequate minimum old-age pensions and insufficient social security contributions were the challenges that the Social Security Fund (SSF, hereafter the Fund) of Libya had to overcome by consulting the Libyan Centre for Research and Actuarial Studies, which resulted in an increase in the contributions rate from 15 per cent to 20.5 per cent, thus enabling the Fund to raise the minimum old-age pension by 100 per cent.

The pace of development of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on social and economic life took everyone by surprise. Lockdown of entire sectors of the economy and restrictions in everyday functions caused serious disruptions of economic processes and had a significant impact on the condition of many enterprises and the labour market situation. To minimise the negative impact of the pandemic on the economy, the government introduced the aid programme known as the Anti-Crisis Shield (ACS).

The labour market has been hard hit by the coronavirus crisis. In 2020, Belgium’s National Employment Office (Office national de l’emploi – ONEM) compensated some 2.3 million people, that is, one in every three workers. It also provided support to two in every three employers, some 70 per cent more than usual. Many workers found themselves temporarily unemployed for the first time and needing to make recourse to unemployment benefits.

Back Protection and Rehabilitation Programme (BPRP) is a dynamic and proactive solution to control and manage the commonest musculoskeletal disorders at the workplace, which is backache or low back pain. The main objective is to reduce the incidence and impact of back pain, prevent worsening of disability, reduce the disability period, and finally retain skilled workers affected in the workforce.

The Republic of Korea’s workers’ compensation supports the return to work of injured workers, as a social safety net protecting national human resources. The Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service (COMWEL) is an organization operating “Customized Integrated Services (CIS)” that establishes a rehabilitation plan for injured workers since 2011, while implementing systematic rehabilitation services according to the established plan, helping the successful rehabilitation of workers.

In 2020 the coronavirus pandemic presented stakeholders in the field of safety and health at work with new challenges that required close coordination. In order to implement the SARS-CoV-2-occupational safety and health standard published on 16 April 2020, the official accident insurance institutions quickly backed up the general occupational safety and health measures with sectoral specifications. These specify the requirements for operational infection protection for each industry or activity within organizations and institutions in Germany.

During the pandemic, the Government of Brunei Darussalam introduced measures to address the impact of COVID-19 in the country. This was carried out with a “Whole of Nation Approach” – United in addressing the impact and challenges arising from the spread of COVID-19 in Brunei Darussalam. The steps undertaken are focused on three main components, namely, maintaining the well-being of the public, protecting jobs, and providing support for individuals as well as supporting and assisting businesses.

The pandemic that recently hit the entire world has changed our ways of working, generating a significant negative impact on people’s health in both the world of work and everyday life. Added to this are the economic difficulties that countries are currently experiencing worldwide.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a severe impact on South Africa’s economy and the livelihood of its citizens. Many South Africans lost their incomes as a result of the pandemic and subsequent lock-down regulations. In an effort to provide relief, South Africa introduced a special COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress grant (cSRD) to address income support gap and food insecurity.

The Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (MVAF, hereafter the Fund) of Botswana’s mandate is to promote road safety and compensate those affected by road traffic accidents in the form of benefits (medical and rehabilitation costs, funeral costs, loss on income, loss of support and other necessary social support services). The total benefits payable by the Fund are limited by 1 million Botswanan pulas (BWP).

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the Food and Hospitality Trades Cooperative (Berufsgenossenschaft Nahrungsmittel und Gastgewerbe – BGN) has been working with the International Section of the ISSA on Machine and System Safety to develop a comprehensive prevention-, research- and communication-based approach to support its members in the hospitality, bakery, butchery and food industries to provide healthy and safe workplaces.

Singapore’s Central Provident Fund Board (CPFB) is the Centre of Excellence for Citizen Disbursement (CD) in administering Government social transfer schemes to support Singaporeans in need with emphasis on customer centricity, operational efficiency and agility as core operating principles.

The project for the execution of the Auxílio Emergencial (Emergency aid), created by Law No. 13,982, of 2 April 2020, with the objective of guaranteeing minimum income to Brazilians in a vulnerable situation during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowed more than 100 million people to be assisted by public policy in a timely manner.

In 2020, the Polish government introduced a new form of support for Polish families and the tourism industry due to the difficult economic situation caused by the COVID-19 epidemic. This was the Polish Tourist Voucher, a benefit of 500 złoty (PLN) for each child and an additional PLN 500 for a disabled child. The electronic voucher is intended to finance hotel services or tourist events in Poland.

In accordance with the health emergency decreed by the government and with state policies, our mutual fund, the Catholic Workers’ Circle of the Uruguay Mutual Fund (Círculo Católico de Obreros del Uruguay Mutualista), has since mid-March, been implementing a strategic plan to combat and control the COVID-19 pandemic.

Certain actions have been carried out to minimise the risk to the institution’s workers.

The project “Implementing the “Active Breaks” programme in the Human Talent Management Unit at the San Juan de Dios Hospital” of Costa Rica is being presented to the International Social Security Association (ISSA), as the results obtained have shown that the integral health of staff is key to their performance and fosters an ideal state of well-being, given that the correct balance was struck between physical, emotional, biological, work and social factors.

During the SARS-CoV2 pandemic, in Italy as in other countries, the government has promoted work from home. The National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work (Istituto Nazionale per l’Assicurazione contro gli Infortuni sul Lavoro – INAIL) Technical Consultancy for risk assessment and prevention (CONTARP) wrote an information document on the risks workers could be exposed in different working scenarios (open air working, working on public transport or in closed public or private places) that provided recommendations and prevention measures.

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Executive Office (Poder Ejecutivo Nacional – PEN) created, by Decree 310/2020, the Emergency Family Income (Ingreso Familiar de Emergencia − IFE), a non-contributory benefit of an exceptional nature. The recipients are households composed of casual workers, unemployed people, workers in private homes and those taxed under the regime for small taxpayers from the lowest categories.

France has set up a public service for the financial intermediation of maintenance allowances managed by the Agency for the Recovery of Unpaid Alimonies (Agence de recouvrement et d’intermédiation des pensions alimentaires – ARIPA), also referred to as the “Public Service for maintenance allowances” (Service public des pensions alimentaires), which includes Family benefits funds (Caisses d’allocations familiales – CAF) and Agricultural social mutual funds (Caisses de mutualité sociale agricole – MSA).

Belgium’s National Employment Office (Office national de l’emploi – ONEM) has been facing an unprecedented situation during the coronavirus crisis. On 16 March 2020, some 92 per cent of its workforce found themselves teleworking full time. As the ONEM continued to fulfil its social mission, maintaining the well-being of its staff became a priority.

For this reason, a number of initiatives were launched in March 2020:

In order to help the employees of the National Family Allowances Fund (Caisse nationale des allocations familiales – CNAF) cope with the various problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, measures were quickly put in place at the start of the health crisis and have been continually updated.

They were designed to assist employees in dealing with the various problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, including lockdown. They included counselling, support in the form of webinars and upbeat articles, and surveys to regularly assess employees’ psychological state.

Malta has not been spared the health, economic and social effects and challenges posed by COVID-19 over most of 2020 and 2021.

The well-being of the population was understandably given top priority through restrictive and containment measures to control the spread of the virus. The programme was strongly supported by the population largely resulting in a relatively low number of infections and deaths.

The pandemic created significant social pressure in terms of access to pension and health services in Peru. Faced with this situation, 47 years after the creation of the National Pension System (Sistema Nacional de Pensiones – SNP), the Pension Standardization Office (Oficina de Normalización Previsional – ONP) has been pushing to change and improve regulations, in order to make the conditions more flexible and extend social security coverage.

Given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Belgium’s federal crisis centre needed real-time information on its social and economic consequences for the population, particularly for vulnerable groups.

To this end, the Federal Public Service for Social Security (Service public fédéral Sécurité sociale – FPS), the FPS Employment, and the Public Planning Service (PPS) Social Integration, were requested to take an initiative to meet this monitoring need as soon as possible.

Expanding its services from assisting up to 1,200 jobseekers with employment injuries or illnesses annually in 2008, Social Security Organization (SOCSO) now delivers employment services to all categories of job seekers in Malaysia through the establishment of the MYFutureJobs National Employment Services, a framework similar to the Public Employment Services defined by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Argentina’s Superintendency of Health Services (Superintendencia de Servicios de Salud – SSSalud) ensures that citizens can freely exercise their right to switch between social security organizations. This system has been in place since 1998.

Osseointegration for lower limb amputees represents an innovative approach that allows a direct bone-prosthesis connection, avoiding the use of traditional sockets. Thanks to its demonstrated improvement effects on patient prosthesis embodiment and quality of life, osseointegrated implants are a reliable alternative to the traditional solutions.

COVID-19 caused a crisis with economic and employment shocks, which led to increased unemployment and the self-employed shutting down businesses. With prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, there was an increase in the number of citizens (subscribers), who struggled to make payments on national pension premiums.

The National Pension Service (NPS) of the Republic of Korea made efforts to overcome the COVID-19 crisis by alleviating financial burden by temporarily waiving premium payments and payments of arrears.

The “Oxygen at Home” (Oxígeno en Casa) system of Mexico’s State Employees’ Social Security and Social Services Institute (Instituto de Seguridad y Servicios Sociales de los Trabajadores del Estado – ISSSTE) is a technological tool that manages the prescription of home oxygen to eligible patients. It also provides monthly monitoring of how the service is being delivered in all medical units with a view to strengthening this health insurance service that protects, promotes and restores health, thereby improving patients’ quality of life.

Argentina’s Superintendency of Occupational Risks (Superintendencia de Riesgos del Trabajo – SRT) has a project named Prevention 4.0, which consists of analysing and studying technological tools that can be implemented in the workplace to prevent work accidents or occupational diseases.

Preventive management at work establishes the aim of protecting workers, based on the Occupational Accidents and Diseases Act (Act 16.744 of 1968).

Today, around the world, we are dealing with a COVID-19 pandemic. Many countries are affected, including Chile, with great problems keeping people, including workers, safe and maintaining continuity of operations for businesses.

The project Escuta (escuta means “to listen” in Portuguese) of the National Institute of Social Security (Instituto Nacional do Seguro Social – INSS) was conceived and developed by a team from the southern region of Brazil, the Health and Quality of Life at Work team, to meet the needs of employees who, in the context of COVID-19 pandemic, have to observe social distancing to perform their professional activities.

From the beginning of the pandemic, the Medical Directorate of Mexico’s State Employees’ Social Security and Social Services Institute (Instituto de Seguridad y Servicios Sociales de los Trabajadores del Estado – ISSSTE), rolled out Project Harley “El Tuerto” (The one-eyed dog), the world’s only intervention providing emotional support and humanitarian assistance through canine therapy to health personnel working in COVID-19 care with a view to reducing their psychological stress.

The Family Benefit Funds (Caisses dallocations familiales – CAF) offer the possibility to carry out most of their procedures in digital format. Aware that the access to online administrative procedures is uneven depending on the audience, the CAF has implemented various actions to promote the digital inclusion of people.

For some ten years, the National Social Security Fund (Caisse nationale de prévoyance – CNPS) of Cameroon has been resolutely committed to sustainable development and corporate social responsibility (CSR).

By leveraging its wide scope of action (employers, workers, recipients of benefits, health and social campaigns through hospitals and schools, etc.), the CNPS has stepped up its environmental commitment over the last three years through the implementation of an action plan that has significantly reduced its carbon footprint and hence its greenhouse gas emissions.

When the SARS-CoV-2-occupational safety and health standard came into force in April 2020, it appeared that film productions in Germany would no longer be able to film without complying with rules on social distancing, hygiene measures and masks. Since the needs of the film industry differ significantly from other sectors in this area, an urgent need for action was recognized, for example, to avoid jeopardizing cost-intensive film projects and the associated jobs.

During the current COVID-19 pandemic, the whole country’s government mechanism is mobilised to manage the impact of the pandemic. The Social Security Organization (SOCSO) of Malaysia plays its role in the social security and provides economic stimulus for the country.

The electronic personal loan allocation system is a programme designed to improve access, transparency and fairness in how this benefit is granted. It replaced the conventional system that was based on the delivery of supervised application forms to trade union organisations for distribution among workers.

In response to COVID-19 pandemic, the Social Security Corporation (SSC) of Jordan launched the Sustainability Programme (Istidama) in accordance with the Defence Law, issued by the government in 2020, represented by a package of procedures, aimed at securing workers in the activities and sectors most affected; providing temporary income that enables them to meet their living requirements because of the decrease in their wages.

In March 2020, the coronavirus pandemic broke out in Israel.

What began as a health crisis soon turned into an economic crisis, which led many workers to go on forced unpaid leave and went to the National Insurance Institute (NII) for assistance. There was a need to find creative solutions within the limits of the law and the data available to the NII, and to find workable and quick solutions that would allow the payment of unemployment benefits to unpaid workers.

Lower-limb amputee (LLA) patients are required to prove their ability to use the artificial limb through functional evaluations. The results guide the prosthesis-rehabilitation treatment. Patient-reported outcomes measures (PROMs) allow getting information on the patient’s ability based on the patient’s perspective. The approach may have a huge impact on decision-making processes because it may help clinicians to develop patient-specific treatments.

Organizations with a positive safety culture have internal communication based on mutual trust, shared perceptions on the importance of safety and trust in prevention measures. As a consequence, organizations with a high level of safety culture are able to significantly reduce the occurrence of accidents and occupational diseases.

With the declaration of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 as a pandemic in March 2020, the Mexican Social Security Institute (Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social – IMSS) set up two new digital services for its beneficiaries which are available 24/7:

The mandate of the National Social Insurance Fund (Caisse nationale de prévoyance sociale – CNaPS) of Madagascar includes occupational accidents and diseases. Within this remit, CNaPS also promotes early intervention, encouraging preventive action to address risks arising in the workplace. The aim is to increase awareness and motivation on the part of employers and workers as regards the need for a safe and healthy work environment.

The COVID-19 pandemic was one of the largest threats to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The lockdown was about to force employers to terminate their employees because of the inability to pay their wages. The General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) of Saudi Arabia was quick and agile in submitting to the legislators a recommendation by which employers are not required to pay wages of employees, employees can keep their jobs and the unemployment insurance (SANED) would compensate those employees.

The Yuyaq, Casa del Pensionista is a support programme that contributes to the healthy, productive and dignified ageing of older people at the national level; it is focused on pensioners and run by the Pension Standardization Office (Oficina de Normalización Previsional – ONP) of Peru. The programme is based on five strategies:

Health is a fundamental right in Colombia. However, there are certain segments of the population that because they live in geographically remote regions, have difficulties accessing health services in areas such as prevention, treatment and sourcing quality medicines. In general, the country’s health and medicine-dispensation services are located in the municipal capitals, which can be hard for rural dwellers to reach.

To contribute to preventing and reducing serious and fatal accidents, Mutual for Safety CChC (Mutual de Seguridad CChC) in Chile has focussed on adapting training to the real situation of workers, seeking methodologies orientated towards adult learning.

According to Stanislaw Jerzy Lec, “Youth is the gift of nature, but age is a work of art”.

The Law on Social Services establishes that the Agency for Sustainable and Operational Social Security (DOST), hereafter referred to as the Agency, provides home-based social services to elderly people living alone without close relatives and legal representatives. Through home-based social services, social caretakers help elderlies with household routines, cleaning, grocery and medicine shopping, payments etc.

To help refugee families integrate and facilitate their access to services while breaking down cultural barriers, a series of videos, including testimonials, have been produced on pre-school childcare facilities, out-of-school facilities for schoolchildren, socio-cultural centres and parental support.

For more than 18 years, the COLSUBSIDIO - Colombian Family Allowances Fund (COLSUBSIDIO - Caja Colombiana de Subsidio Familiar) has been running educational and cultural programmes to support the comprehensive development of children and young people in rural and urban areas, helping to close social gaps.

The adverse health effects of occupational exposure to crystalline silica have long been known. Silicosis can be considered a generalised systemic disease that originates in the lung and often affects other systems and organs.

Silicosis is an incurable lung disease caused by inhaling dust containing free crystalline silica. Silica is a chemical compound found in crystalline and amorphous (non-crystalline) forms.

The Occupational Exposure to Silica in Chile (Situación de Exposición Laboral a Sílice en Chile) report (Ministry of Health, 2015) estimated that 5.4 per cent of the workforce is at high risk of exposure to silica.

The proper disposal of syringes and insulin needles is a matter that should be given thought in the field of public health. Among other reasons, it prevents the reuse of such materials, avoiding accidental pricks for family members and waste collection workers and helping to protect the environment.

Needles can cause injury. In addition, they carry bodily fluids.

Used needles can transmit infections and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), as well as Hepatitis B and C.

Sharps must be collected in waterproof, rigid and puncture-proof containers.

The Colombian Pension Administrator (Administradora Colombiana de Pensiones – Colpensiones) created a well-being model as part of its “value-added services” macro-process value chain. This model promotes a range of actions aimed at pensioners and beneficiaries of the Periodic Financial Benefits (Beneficios Económicos Periódicos – BEPS) programme, with a view to improving their well-being and quality of life. The model launched in 2019 with a portfolio of 12 products and programmes to be implemented.

The Colombian Pension Administrator (Administradora Colombiana de

In December 2018, the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación – SCJN) of Mexico determined that it was unconstitutional for employers to not be required to register domestic workers (DWs) with the Mexican Social Security Institute (Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social – IMSS).

In recent years, Central Provident Fund Board (CPFB), Ministry of Manpower, Singapore, has focused its efforts on redefining its relationship with citizens – from one where citizens see us as just a public service provider, to one where we are regarded as their Trusted Partner.

The effect of climate change is already a measurable reality posing significant social, economic, and environmental risks globally. For a developing country like South Africa, the risks associated with climate change are exacerbated by high levels of poverty, inequality and unemployment. The World Bank’s Climate Risk Country Profile for South Africa (2021) states that climate change is expected to increase the risk and severity of water scarcity and drought across South Africa.

The Local Authorities Pension Trust (LAPT) actively seeks to create sustainable value through our business activities – for our customers, employees, shareholders and society. We have embraced sustainability as a value that motivates and inspires our business undertakings. It is owing to this reason that LAPT signed up to the United Nations (UN) Global Compact initiative, a call to companies to align strategies and operations with universal principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, and take actions that advance societal goals.

Myanmar’s Social Security Board (SSB) has been struggling with its capacity shortage and unsatisfactory service to clients for a long time. As a result, the rate of increase in the number of insured is small if compared to neighbouring countries. Tracking only in the old ways leaves no room for development. SSB itself realizes some reforms should be implemented promptly to have some progress. The streamlining of the process for the Employment Injury Insurance (EII) is one of SSB’s administrative reforms.

Supporting Registered Employment of Women through Promoting Educated Childcare Givers Operation (EDU-CARE) is about supporting certified caregivers and promoting registered employment of women. Financial support is provided to working mothers at risk of withdrawing from the labour market and who employ educated nannies. It is designed to promote the childcare giver profession and qualified women employment.

In 2018, the Department of Social Services Education at Argentina’s Mutual Association for the Protection of the Family (Asociación Mutual de Protección Familiar – AMPF) began to develop a series of workshop materials with a view to arming psychologists and social work professionals with resources to deal with the issue of gender and raise awareness in this area.

Training materials for use in the workshops have been circulated to the AMPF’s various branches across Argentina.

Integration of the materials for information and training on occupational prevention and safety, already owned by the National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work (Istituto Nazionale per l’Assicurazione contro gli Infortuni sul Lavoro – INAIL), with specific products coming from the territory and companies of South Tyrol.

“Studiare il Lavoro” is a specific e-learning training project realized by the National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work (Istituto Nazionale per l’Assicurazione contro gli Infortuni sul Lavoro – INAIL) for students between 15 and 18 years old. It has been designed and implemented using an innovative teaching method using animated graphics and advanced techniques of communication to keep the right level of attention.

In 2008, the French authorities created the legal status of “auto-entrepreneur” (small-scale sole trader) with a view to simplifying and promoting free enterprise within an ultra-streamlined fiscal and social security framework.

In Colombia, 47.9 per cent of workers are employed informally and almost half of them earn less than the minimum wage, which is an obstacle to them making social security contributions. The national government has focussed on the Orange Economy, in which workers in the creative industries generate income based on intellectual property. Incomes, however, are predominantly low and employment is occasional, making this a vulnerable sector.