ISSA TECHNICAL SEMINAR

Technical Seminar on extending social security coverage to the informal sector

21–22 February 2018 | EzulwiniEswatini

ISSA TECHNICAL SEMINAR

Technical Seminar on extending social security coverage to the informal sector

21–22 February 2018 | EzulwiniEswatini

A Technical Seminar on extending social security to informal sector will take place in Happy Valley Hotel, Ezulwini, Swaziland, on 21 and 22 February 2018. This seminar is organized by the ISSA Liaison Office for Southern Africa and hosted by the Swaziland National Provident Fund (SNPF).

Introduction

Social security policies are an important part of a wider strategy to tackle poverty and the ‘leave-no-one behind’ agenda. A coordinated package of social assistance, social insurance, provident funds, labour market and care programmes prevent individuals and their families from falling into or further into poverty, promote access to basic services, contribute to economic growth by raising labour productivity and can strengthen social cohesion.

Workers in the informal sector face high levels of risks yet the majority are not covered by social insurance. Southern Africa region is increasingly feeling a gap and thus experiencing a dire need of extending social insurance to informal sector workers. In the region, millions of the population remain uncovered by adequate social protection schemes and contributory social insurance schemes continue to cover only a small part of the working population.

Increasingly a number of social security organizations in the region are extending social insurance to informal sector workers, but with a majority encountering challenges of reaching out to all of this group.

The ISSA has developed Guidelines on Administrative Solutions for Coverage Extension. These Guidelines identify administrative solutions to improve access to contributory social security programmes for populations that are difficult-to-cover or hard-to-reach. The Association has developed also other tools to support coverage extension such as the ISSA strategy for the extension of social security coverage, the ISSA handbook on the extension of social security coverage to the self-employed and the ISSA handbook on the extension of social security coverage to migrant workers and has carried out studies on extension of coverage.

Objectives

Based on country experiences from the region and the ISSA work on coverage extension, the aim of the Technical Seminar is to offer a platform to exchange on good practices in the extension of social security coverage and the role of different players in developing appropriate mechanisms to reaching out to difficult-to-cover groups.

The Technical Seminar is mainly dedicated to ISSA member organizations in the Southern African region. However, the event remains open to ISSA member organisations from the other regions of Africa. The working language will be English.

Hotel registration and reservation forms will be made are available on this event website.

Visa information

Participants are responsible for their own visa if needed and vaccination requirements.

All visitors to Swaziland must hold a passport that is valid for at least six months from the date they are entering the country.