Mongolia has achieved remarkable progress in extending social protection coverage, with several universal social protection programmes (social health insurance, education, child allowance) and a high participation of private and public sector employees in social insurance. However, poverty remains a significant concern in Mongolia despite a continued decline to a national average of 21.6 percent in 2014 compared to 27.4 percent in 2012. Only one out of four herders, self-employed people and informal economy workers contributes to the voluntary social insurance scheme, leaving a large majority vulnerable to events such as injuries at work, unemployment, sickness, maternity, disability and old age. Moreover, the system is still too vulnerable to economic cycles and public finance constraints, jeopardizing the continuity, accessibility and quality of social protection programmes and social services.

In response to recent requests of the tripartite constituents in Mongolia, the ILO has provided technical assistance in social protection yielding a number of knowledge products including:

• Financial assessment of the proposed reform to the social security system for older persons and a proposed new pension scheme for the herders and self-employed persons
• Report to the Government: Assessment of the social security legislation for the ratification of the Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No. 102)
• Social protection on assessment based national dialogue: Definition and cost of a social protection floor in Mongolia

Extension of social protection should be done in a way that will provide effective and adequate level of protection to the whole population, including groups still lacking proper coverage, e.g. elderly, herders, self-employed and workers of the informal economy. This and other important principles, rooted in the ILO two instruments, namely ILO Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No.102) and the ILO Social Protection Floors Recommendation, 202 (No. 202), can guide strengthening of the social protection system in Mongolia, especially in the current economic situation. At the conference, Mr. Nuno Meira Simoes da Cunha, ILO Senior Technical Specialist on Social Protection will present on the following topics:

• International perspectives and the ILO vision on Social Insurance Policy
• The international pension debate and its relevance for Mongolia

Around 100 participants from the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, the General Authority for Health and Social Insurance, other relevant government institutions, Mongolian Employers’ Federation, Confederation of Mongolian Trade Unions, international organizations, researchers and academic institutions will attend the conference.

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