World Social Security Forum
The World Social Security Forum (WSSF) is the highlight of every ISSA triennium, and this was also the case with the WSSF held in Marrakech, Morocco, 24–28 October 2022.
- 1,300 participants
- 225 speakers
- 140 countries
- 130 sessions
Social security for resilient and inclusive societies
Under the theme Social security for resilient and inclusive societies, the over 1,300 participants from 140 countries took stock of developments during a triennium that included the unexpected, and drew lessons for the future of social security.
The WSSF was the first occasion in three years where the entire global community of social security leaders and professionals could meet, network and exchange. It became a powerful moment and an enriching experience for all participants, with a combination of high-level policy and management discussions, presentations of experiences, good practices, and innovations, and interactive sessions for co-creation of ideas.
The ISSA report Priorities for social security – Global 2022, which took stock of major developments, set the scene for discussions at the World Forum. This first ever ISSA e-publication, gives easy access to a rich base of resources on the key issues of management, coverage, ageing, social inclusion, and of course COVID-19, which had such a great impact on societies and social security since 2020.
A lot of learning from the COVID-19 period was shared during the WSSF. The pandemic placed social security on the agenda like never before. Social security institutions showed remarkable resilience, managing not only business continuity, but also demonstrating their capacity to scale up and innovate with speed. New schemes were implemented, and new groups of beneficiaries were included in record time. Effective management of staff capabilities and resources was crucial, and a lot was learnt from having to find new ways of working almost overnight. The Summit session bringing together ministers from around the world confirmed the key role of social security for inclusive societies, in crisis and non-crisis times.
This spurred the development of the ISSA Guidelines on Human Resource Management in Social Security Administration and the ISSA Guidelines on Continuity and Resilience of Social Security Services and Systems, which were launched at the WSSF. These are topics that will inform social security in the years ahead, and they are integrated into ISSA priorities, projects and activities in the 2023–2025 triennium. During the World Forum, the ISSA Council also met to elect the leadership and to adopt the priorities of the Association for the period 2023–2025.
WSSF 2022 was organized under the High Patronage of
His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco
Celebrating excellence
In addition to all the excellent good practices demonstrated and discussed in the 130 sessions of the World Social Security Forum, a special ceremony was organized to award Certificates of Excellence to member institutions for their successful implementation of ISSA Guidelines. Ten social security institutions from nine countries received certificates under the Recognition programme in various areas of social security administration. Altogether 30 Certificates of Excellence were awarded in the triennium 2020–2022.
ISSA President Joachim Breuer (right) and Secretary General Marcelo Abi-Ramia Caetano (middle) with Khalid Safir, Director General of the Deposit and Management Fund (Caisse de Dépôt et de Gestion) of Morocco. This was Prof. Dr Breuer’s final duty as President, after six year’s of excellent service. He is today retired but continues to promote social security both at home in Germany and internationally, and has been named Honorary President of ISSA.
During the WSSF, the ISSA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Social Security was awarded to Iceland for its remarkable results on gender equality and social security. Iceland has taken a comprehensive and holistic approach to ensuring social security contributes to gender equality objectives, led from the Prime Minister’s Office. Important achievements include individual parental leave entitlements for both parents, a minimum pension guarantee, certification of companies for equal pay and special measures for vulnerable groups of women.
In the Innovation Zone, ISSA members demonstrated innovations in 33 interactive sessions in small groups that enabled participants to immerse themselves in emerging technologies and advanced solutions.
The ISSA Collaborative Innovation Hub was launched, inviting members to work together on developing innovative projects and strengthening innovation capacity.
