On 30 and 31 March 2011, the General Pension and Social Security Authority of United Arab Emirates (GPSSA) hosted in Abu Dhabi, the Eighth Symposium of Social Insurance Institutions on the theme Insurance Inspection and Its Role in Combating Evasion and Fraud.

The event, organized within the framework of Gulf Cooperation Council activities, was held under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashed Al Maktoum, Deputy Governor of Dubai, the Minister of Labour and the Chairman of the GPSSA Board of Directors.

In his opening speech, Mr Muzafar Al-Haj, General Manager of GPSSA, highlighted the importance of compliance, underlying the fact that within the next three to six months his organization will have completed the plan to extend social security coverage to self-employed persons in the United Arab Emirates.

During the Symposium, presentations were made by experts from the Ministry of Labour of the United Arab Emirates, The Public Institution for Social Security of Kuwait and the General Organization for Social Insurance of Saudi Arabia. Participants included Mr Maher Al-Obad, Undersecretary of Inspection at the Ministry of Labour of the United Arab Emirates.

The ISSA was represented by the ISSA Liaison Officer for Arab Countries Diana Jreisat. In her presentation she highlighted the importance of efficiency in collecting contributions, as a core function of contributory social security schemes. She also outlined the findings of the ISSA project on collection and compliance and underlined the critical factors that contribute to efficient performance in this field. These factors include the degree of automation, reliable ICT systems, coordination with government and non-governmental organizations, and information campaigns, providing participants with good practices from different countries. She also emphasized the role of inspection in combating evasion and clarified its important contribution toward efficient performance in the Social Security Corporation of Jordan.