Social security systems in Asia and the Pacific are increasingly perceived as integral to economic and social development, but the further extension of social security and health-care coverage requires sustained political will, according to a new report from the International Social Security Association (ISSA).

The report, Dynamic Social Security for Asia and the Pacific: Integrated  Responses for More Equitable Growth , analyses achievements by social  security programmes across the region, and confirms that the current economic  and financial crisis has reaffirmed the need for effective systems of social  protection.

“Social security systems in Asia and the Pacific are increasingly put at the  centre of the social, economic, and political development of countries,” said  Hans-Horst Konkolewsky, ISSA Secretary General.

“Where most successful, the strengthening of social security and health-care  systems has been supported by strong political will, and has been designed as an  integrated part of broader national development strategies,” Mr. Konkolewsky  stated.

 

Regional policy challenges

Dynamic Social Security for Asia and the Pacific: Integrated Responses for  More Equitable Growth  identifies and analyses some of the most important  recent developments and trends in social security in Asia and the Pacific. The  report looks at the areas of extension of coverage, health-care and pension  systems, and points to a series of policy challenges facing social security in  the region.

Although high-income countries in the region enjoy near-universal social  security coverage, there is substantial scope for increasing coverage in low-  and middle-income countries, particularly in health-care and cash benefits, the  report argues.

The report, the latest in a series of regional studies of social security  prepared by the ISSA for its Regional Social Security Forums, also underscores  the crucial role of governance and management in ensuring legitimacy,  performance and accountability of social security schemes, which the report  identifies as a condition for successful extension of coverage.

 

Complementary reforms for equitable growth

A key conclusion of the report is that social security reform strategies require complementary reforms in other areas and should be integrated with broader national development goals if they are to be effective. The report calls for public policy responses that are capable of promoting more equitable economic growth and cementing social cohesion.

Dynamic Social Security for Asia and the Pacific: Integrated Responses for More Equitable Growth  will be launched at the first Regional Social Security Forum for Asia and the Pacific, which opens in Manila on 21 October.  

 

Report

Developments and Trends:

Dynamic Social Security for Asia and the Pacific: Integrated  Responses for More Equitable Growth >>