The Regional Social Security Forum for Europe took place from 2 to 3 May 2022. This was a long‑awaited opportunity for member institutions of the International Social Security Association (ISSA) to finally meet, discuss and network in person after over two years of COVID-19 restrictions.
The Estonian National Social Insurance Board (ENSIB) hosted the event, which turned out to be a relevant experience for the 170 registered participants in Tallinn. The Minister of Social Protection of Estonia, Signe Riisalo, welcomed the delegates to Tallinn after “so many quiet years of COVID-19”, echoing ISSA President Joachim Breuer who said, “It has really been too much, too long. Thank you all for coming to Tallinn and I am delighted to open this milestone event in person”.
Over the two days of the Regional Forum, 55 speakers, panellists and moderators from ISSA member institutions, international and regional organizations contributed to the programme. They were able to reflect on the role of social security during COVID-19, where social security institutions have played a central role in tackling the crisis. Monika Queisser, Head of Division of Social Policies at the Organization for Economic Co‑operation and Development (OECD) summed it up, “If there is one big lesson from the crisis, it is that policy works”, and “in Europe, institutions have shown that they work very well”.
The Regional Forum could build its discussions on the new report, Priorities for social security – Europe 2022, and key themes beyond COVID-19 during the event focussed on institutional transformation and the future of social security management, and on social security for an ageing population. The latter theme links with the winner of the Good Practice Award for Europe 2022 competition. The Swedish Pensions Agency won the award for its Withdrawal Planner, an easy-to-use digital tool for retirement planning and which integrates both public and private pensions. Several of the other 96 good practices submitted in the competition were presented and discussed during the forum.
In his closing remarks, ISSA Secretary General Marcelo Abi-Ramia Caetano highlighted how the Forum had demonstrated that “Social security delivery has become mainstream for the discussion on social security subjects.” This is the result of the work of the ISSA and its members in promoting the role of the administration of social security in addressing social and economic challenges. The Regional Forum was organized via the professional cooperation with ENSIB. Deputy Director General Jako Salla pointed out that this was the biggest event they had ever organized. “I am really glad that we managed to gather everyone here, for discussions and sharing experiences, and that is all that matters”, he said.
Onsite participants had access to the programme and networking features through the ISSA’s event app. In addition, online participation was possible on the ISSA’s event web platform. The Regional Forum allowed ISSA members in Europe to learn, network and engage. The Forum was followed by the 16th ISSA International Conference on Information and Communication Technology in Social Security from 4 to 6 May.