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.

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).

The Social Security Corporation (SSC) of Jordan constantly seeks to provide social protection programmes for working women. This is evident in the Corporation’s endeavour to amend its legislation to allow working women to benefit from the childcare allowance, relieve the burdens and reduce the obstacles facing working mothers, and enhance their chances to stay longer in the labour market.

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 aim of the digital transformation Social Security Corporation (SSC) of Jordan is to provide added value to service recipients and reduce operational costs. The COVID-19 epidemic led the Corporation to stop receiving people and the firms’ liaison officers in all its branches.

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 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.

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.

In the light of the increasing number of insured persons in the Social Security Corporation (SSC) of Jordan and the increase in the number of daily service recipients that visit all the corporation’s branches, SSC intended to develop an integrated plan for digital transformation for the years 2018–2022. It is based on the corporation’s objectives for electronic transformation, in order to provide added value to service recipients and to reduce operational costs.

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.  

The Social Security Corporation (SSC) in its efforts to reduce the indebtedness of contributors and to minimize evasion of payments of social security contributions has started to link electronically with stakeholders’ databases to facilitate the warrants of attachment on movable and immovable properties of enterprises and individuals.

The Jordanian Social Security Corporation (SSC) has applied new techniques to enhance governance, aiming to apply appropriate standards, mechanisms and best practices that ensure achieving the organizational strategic goals. Through implementing policies and processes, the SSC has developed appropriate frameworks for its own system integration as well as the involvement of all partners.

The Social Security Strategic Plan for 2017–2019 attaches great importance to enhancing services, as shown in its fourth strategic objective “Enhance the image of the corporation to facilitate extending the coverage of social protection”. One of the most important values of the Social Security Corporation (SSC) is excellent service, which is the basis for building all the policies, strategies and plans that have been developed to exceed the customer expectation.

In its efforts to enhance and facilitate its services and operations, the Social Security Corporation (SSC) has introduced a new electronic communication tool. The tool is available in Arabic and English and provides various services to individuals and enterprises such as detailed information, personal profile, primary data for voluntary contributors, pensioner details, payments, transactions, and SSC numbers.

In its efforts to enhance and facilitate the services and operations, the Social Security Corporation (SSC) has introduced a new electronic collection tool. This channel of collection is based on depositing and transferring the accrued contributions from covered establishments and voluntary contributors. This initiative is currently available through the SSC website (www.ssc.gov.jo) and is called eFAWATEERcom.

The stated vision of the Social Security Corporation (SSC) is “comprehensive social security attaining excellence in service, protection and sustainability that contributes to Jordan’s development”. Sustainability of the pension system has always been the first strategic objective of the SSC. The SSC stance on social responsibility is to be a shaper of society because its mission is to provide solidarity insurance services for the employed and pensioners.

The Social Security Corporation (SSC) has started to assess the work place according to the occupational health and safety standards since January, 2014. This initiative is based on the legislative reform that took place in the Social Security Law number (1) for the year 2014. This assessment also stems from the increase in the numbers of work place accidents and occupational diseases that have occurred. Therefore, the main objective of this initiative is to enhance the culture of occupational health and safety standards in the work place.

The Social Security Corporation (SSC) in its efforts to enhance and improve the quality of services has started to link electronically with the main stakeholders' databases. Actually, the systemic electronic exchange of data between SSC and the partners, stakeholders, and counterparts stems from its strategic orientation to deliver high quality services. To achieve this, SSC has signed bilateral agreements and memoranda of understanding with both private and public sector organizations.

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

The Social Security Corporation (SSC) launched an Excellence Award for Occupational Safety and Health in the year 2011 for the firms that comply with the occupational health and safety standards. This initiative included an award for individuals to encourage them to provide new ideas and contribute to raising awareness regarding occupational health and safety standards in the work place, and to decrease the probability of work accidents.

As retirees with low retirement pensions represent the majority of the total number of retirees, the main objective was to extend the umbrella of social security to ensure a decent life for all retirees with an annual pension increase capped at 20 Jordanian dinars (JOD). The limit on the pension increase is endorsed to reduce the gap between high and low retirement pensions.

Stemming from the social and economic responsibility shouldered by the Jordanian Social Security Corporation (JSSC) at the national level, and in line with its efforts to extend social security coverage to all those working inside the Kingdom and Jordanians abroad, JSSC kicked off its strategy with the aim of extending social security coverage inside and outside the Kingdom.

The Strategy is based on three key components:

Performance measures were developed over time with broad based participation and fine tuned throughout 2008-2009. Quarterly results were published for the corporation and for each unit through intranet and scoreboards (with Gold, Silver, and Copper Medals to top performing units). Results achieved so far indicate success in the practice in terms of increasing average productivity of employees and level of clients' satisfaction as well as reducing time required to process claims.

For this reason, the strategy was designed to support and operate within three themes:

1. Designing an up-to-date Inspection Plan Methodology with specific priorities.
2. Developing an Inspection Plan Methodology to be implemented by the Insurance Monitoring and Inspection Directorate.
3. Designing an electronic system to simplify the inspection process and to assure the quality of the inspection outcomes.

It is aimed at providing them with a forum for pinpointing opportunities and challenges that JSSC faces and receiving their concrete and actionable suggestions on reforming the social security scheme for current and future generations.

Keeping abreast of the-state-of-the-art technological applications to help ensure best implementation of the strategic initiatives and projects is one of the main objectives of the Jordanian Social Security Corporation (JSSC). To this end, JSSC involved the most relevant technological applications in implementing its Strategic Plan that mainly revolves around two key components: Extending Social Security to all and Excellence of Service Delivery.