Communicating social security in Latin America

Communicating social security in Latin America

Social security organizations from across Latin America came together in Buenos Aires on 6–7 August 2024 to discuss communication strategies. The ISSA Technical Seminar was hosted by Argentina’s National Social Security Administration (ANSES).

More than 130 registered participants from 32 social security organizations in 14 countries took part in this technical seminar, where presentations and discussions were framed by the ISSA Guidelines on Communication by Social Security Administrations, emphasizing the critical role of both internal and external communication in supporting the core mandates of these institutions.

The seminar was opened by Sandra Pettovell, the Argentinian Minister of Human Capital, together with Mariano de Los Heros, the Executive Director of ANSES, Florencia Misrahi, the General Administrator of the Federal Administration of Public Resources (AFIP) and Mariano Brener, the ISSA Regional Coordinator for the Americas.

The seminar opened with a keynote presentation by an expert on the current situation of communication in the face of saturation of information; highlighting the relevance and impact of effective communication.

During the event, ISSA member organizations from across the region shared best practices and innovative strategies through focussed sessions on specific aspects of communication:

  • Internal communication: The need for a unified corporate identity and culture, promoting shared values, employee motivation, and service excellence.
  • External communication: Successful integration of traditional and digital channels to reach diverse audiences.
  • Reaching difficult-to-access groups: Experiences in engaging groups such as rural populations, the elderly, and informal workers.
  • Access to information: The importance of public access to clear, precise, and timely information, while ensuring data protection.
  • Crisis communication: The need for timely, clear, and transparent information to avoid misinformation and confusion.
  • Measuring effectiveness: Evaluation methods to ensure that communication strategies reach the target audience and achieve goals.

The seminar closed with a keynote presentation by another expert that explored the use of behavioural sciences and experimentation to enhance communication strategies, providing insights into how these approaches can improve engagement and effectiveness.

The seminar provided a comprehensive overview of the evolving landscape of social security communication, and the discussions underscored the need for continuous improvement and adaptation to meet the challenges and opportunities presented by the digital age. The collaborative spirit and shared insights from the seminar are expected to drive significant improvements in social security communication across the region.

The recording of the seminar and all presentations are available for ISSA members on the event page.