The ISSA has initiated a Good Practice Award programme to recognize good practices in the administration of social security.

The ISSA Good Practice Awards will be given out on a regional basis over a three-year cycle at each ISSA Regional Social Security Forum. One Award will be given at each Forum as well as certificates of merit as decided by the Jury. The winning good practices will also be featured at the World Social Security Forum in Qatar, in 2013.

The first of four Good Practice Awards will be given at the Regional Social Security Forum for Africa, in the United Republic of Tanzania, in December 2011.

Good Practice Awards priorities

The ISSA Good Practice Awards will be attributed according to the following ISSA Programme and Budget 2011-2013 priority areas:

• Administrative and operational efficiency and effectiveness
• Extension of social security coverage
• Proactive and preventive approaches in social security
• Adequacy and quality of social security benefits and services

Who can participate?

• ISSA member organizations in the region of competition.
• An ISSA member organization can submit one or more entries.
• ISSA Good Practice Awards are given to organizations and not to individuals.

How to enter a good practice?

• The electronic entry form and guidelines are available at www-issanet.issa.int.
• Member organizations can submit one or more entries, using the electronic entry form, to the ISSA Good Practice Award by e-mail to issa-goodpracticeaward@ilo.org or by post to the ISSA Secretariat.
• All entries must be endorsed by senior management in the applying organization.
• Submissions which are transnational must be joint submissions or be validated by the other institutions concerned.
• There is no charge to submit an entry.

How is the winning good practice selected?

• The submissions will be reviewed for completeness and recorded by the ISSA Secretariat. All of the qualified submissions will be provided to the Jury.
• The Jury will be composed of the Chairperson of the Editorial Board of the International Social Security Review , a former ISSA President and a representative of the International Labour Office.
• The Jury will identify one winner of the Good Practice Award, as well as certificates of merit for outstanding good practices in the region.

Good Practice Award deadline 2011

• ISSA members in Africa can enter a good practice for consideration up to: 12 September 2011 (extended deadline).
• The ISSA will acknowledge receipt of all applications.

Good Practice Awards selection criteria

The following criteria will be used to attribute the Good Practice Awards and the certificates of merit.

A good practice should:

• Be current:  The practice must still be in place.
• Have clear objectives:  The targets, the expected outcomes, the context surrounding the good practice and the issue to be addressed are easily identifiable.
• Demonstrate an innovative approach: A creative/ forward-looking solution has been developed to address a specific issue/challenge, with the ultimate goal of reaching excellence. It could be a completely new solution or an existing practice involving qualitative changes (e.g. use of a specific performance management tool, substantial changes in organizational structure, introduction of a new method of risk management, a new technology infrastructure).
• Be efficient and effective:  The resources/inputs applied to implementing the practice have been used in an optimal way (e.g. financial and human resources, time, technical and organizational inputs) and the objectives set have been met or the expected outcomes achieved. The impact as much as possible is measurable or verifiable. This means that the good practice has been evaluated and the results provide evidence of its positive impact and effect.
• Provide learning experiences and have a potential for replication:  Useful lessons can be drawn from the good practice (e.g. strengths and weaknesses of the practice, the constraints and difficulties met and the solutions to overcome them) and the practice has a potential to serve as inspiration or model for other social security administrations facing the similar issue/challenge. The practice is transferable with adaptation to the context.

GOOD PRACTICE AWARD FOR AFRICA 2011: SUBMISSION

ISSA member organizations in the Africa region can submit good practices using the online form on the ISSA Extranet >>