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.

Institutions are being transformed thanks to the integration of new technologies. This vision represents a corporate change with a social impact, reducing costs, simplifying processes and procedures, and raising awareness of the importance and benefits of this transformation.

Gabon’s National Health Insurance and Social Guarantee Fund (Caisse nationale d’assurance maladie et de garantie sociale – CNAMGS) is made up of four funds that cover different categories of members. When the CNAMGS was created, the Gabonese authorities committed to making the system of mandatory health insurance and social guarantee a reality, starting with cover for the most vulnerable population sectors who are not able to directly contribute to funding their own health care.

Article 12 of Law No. 5508 on the Promotion, Protection of Maternity and Support for Breastfeeding establishes that maternity allowance should be paid to employed women by the social security scheme of Paraguay’s Social Insurance Institute (Instituto de Previsión Social – IPS). This amount is equivalent to 100 per cent of her salary at the time of delivery, and is paid for the prescribed months of rest. This used to be given to women in a single payment.

The State Social Insurance Agency (SSIA) of Latvia has introduced a new e-service “SSIA information and services” (hereinafter dashboard) in August 2022, which is available on the unified state and local government service portal www.latvija.gov.lv.

The issue of population growth and social security planning is one of the biggest challenges facing governments today, and is a key part of a good social security system that instils confidence in its members.

The Retirement and Pension Fund for Employees of Banks and Related Institutions (Caja de Jubilaciones y Pensiones de Empleados de Bancos y Afines) (Bank Fund, hereinafter) is in constant communication with its members. It therefore continuously updates its databases, in order to have a better understanding of members’ current realities, experiences and needs.

Digital transformation is happening in institutions through the integration of new technologies. This vision represents an institutional and social change, optimizing available resources, reducing costs, shortening processes and procedures, and raising awareness of the importance and benefits of this transformation.

Good practice in health – service quality.

As health-care systems have evolved to become more complex and due to the resultant increase in patients coming to harm in health care settings, patient safety has emerged as a health-care discipline.

The Actuarial Advisory Office (Asesoría Actuarial) of the Social Insurance Institute (Instituto de Previsión Social – IPS) carried out an actuarial valuation of the Common Retirement and Pension Fund (Fondo Común de Jubilaciones y Pensiones). The valuation looks to comply with international best practices and observe the guidelines and standards of the International Standards of Actuarial Practice 2 (ISAP 2), and the ISSA-ILO Guidelines on Actuarial Work for Social Security, with technical support from the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Like most of the world’s countries, Paraguay has adopted lockdown measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. These steps taken by the government have impacted the productive sector, leading to mass suspensions of employment contracts for persons insured with the Social Insurance Institute (Instituto de Previsión Social – IPS) of Paraguay.

The strategic approach taken by Gabon’s State Employees Pensions and Family Benefits Fund (Caisse des pensions et des prestations familiales des agents de l’État – CPPFAE) to improve member satisfaction involves carrying out a monthly satisfaction survey.

As part of this satisfaction survey, members who have made a complaint in month N are asked to take part in a questionnaire over the phone in the second week of month N+1, to collect their views on the services offered by the CPPFAE. These complaints concern the CPPFAE’s two working sections.

In the digital age, user services are taking a new turn. From e-governments to having a 360-degree user overview, digital concepts look to ensure that user expectations and the responses of public and private administrations are well matched.

Paraguay’s Social Insurance Institute (Instituto de Previsión de Social – IPS) used to make sick leave payments at its administrative offices, which had associated administrative costs and meant beneficiaries had to visit the IPS service counter in person.

In 2020, a human resources audit carried out by an external organization revealed shortcomings in the management of human resources within Gabon’s National Health Insurance and Social Guarantee Fund (Caisse nationale d’assurance maladie et de garantie sociale – CNAMGS). The audit recommended a reform be carried out.

The aim of the e-assistant is to create equal access to state and municipal services for all social groups, enabling everyone to receive services electronically. An e-assistant is an employee of the Local Government Unified Customer Service Centre (Service Centre), to whom the client entrusts to apply for the Latvian State Social Insurance Agency (SSIA) service in his/her own name.

The need for the Gabon National Social Security Fund (Caisse nationale de sécurité sociale – CNSS) to make its own actuarial valuations, thereby reducing the cost of outsourcing to actuarial firms, led the General Directorate to provide the services in charge of actuarial work with a modelling tool so it can make actuarial valuations to provide better support for forthcoming reforms. This particularly concerns the sector of old age benefits, where the deficit is accelerating every year.

In September 2018, the State Social Insurance Agency (SSIA) in cooperation with the State Revenue Service (SRS) sent personalized letters to a group of people aged 18–42 using the SRS electronic declaration system (EDS). The letters contained information on each person's salary from which were made contributions in the previous year, as well as information on the length of social insurance and the retirement capital. The letters were followed with an information campaign. Based on its success, the SSIA plans to repeat the initiative.  

Before 2018, the National Social Security Fund (Caisse nationale de sécurité sociale – CNSS) of Gabon had front offices (customer service) for complaints only at its headquarters and regional offices. These front offices had to handle all complaints by insured persons. However, several cases of failure to resolve complaints together with widespread dissatisfaction among insured persons led the management to set up a Customer Complaints Unit (CPC).

The Gabon National Social Security Fund (Caisse nationale de sécurité sociale – CNSS) did not have a separate directorate responsible for issues relating to occupational safety and health (OSH). Before November 2017, all the institution had as part of its core activities was one section lacking visibility and leadership. The General Directorate therefore decided to enhance this unit’s status by turning it into a Directorate on the same footing as the other operational Directorates (the Technical Benefits Directorate and the Registration and Collection Directorate).

As part of the introduction of health insurance for private and parastatal sector employees in June 2014, the National Health Insurance and Social Guarantee Fund (Caisse nationale d'assurance maladie et de garantie sociale – CNAMGS) initially entrusted the task of collecting contributions to the National Social Security Fund (Caisse nationale de sécurité sociale – CNSS).

In July 2013, the National Social Security Fund (Caisse nationale de sécurité sociale (CNSS)) launched a programme to improve its information system by integrating the use of biometric cards and e-declarations in its operation. With the biometric card, insured individuals will be able to verify the payment of their contributions, obtain all career and status information, simulate the conditions of their upcoming retirement and collect benefit payments at a kiosk.

Information is easily available: it facilitates people's interest in their social insurance situation and understanding of social security benefits.

Implementing this vision has brought the following results:

In the context of the introduction of mandatory health insurance in Gabon, the government was concerned about social coverage for its economically disadvantaged citizens. It was not politically or socially acceptable to establish health coverage that would exclude a large segment of the population. This raised the issue of the financing of their benefits. An innovative form of financing was thus found - specifically, an indirect earmarked tax referred to as the "mandatory health insurance fee".

In the light of the numerous financial, economic, institutional and cultural constraints which existed, the strategy adopted was the use of cultural and participatory management together with new information and communication technologies (ICT) as the main approach.