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| Social security |
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» Technical cooperation projects
» Subregional conferences
In the field of social security, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe face major challenges in achieving these objectives as they enter the 21st century. These challenges include the need to restructure benefits and schemes to reflect the transformation of economic and political systems; the need to adapt to fiscal constraints set by governments and international financial institutions; rapid growth of informal employment; and the ageing of national populations, a phenomenon on the horizon in nearly every country.
CEE governments have responded to these challenges by adopting a wide range of reforms. The restructuring of pension schemes is a major issue across the region, with most countries seeking to reduce costs and make benefits more individualized and earnings related, through markedly different approaches. Countries have also established social insurance schemes to finance health care, expanded social assistance to address rising rates of poverty, and established unemployment insurance.
There have also been systematic changes in scheme administration. Centralized systems have been replaced with regional or local arrangements; tripartite governing boards have been established to guide and oversee administration; private actors are being relied on in some cases to deliver benefits (i.e. pensions and health care); and several countries are unifying the collection of contributions for different benefits (i.e. sickness, maternity, and old age) in an effort to improve enforcement and compliance.
How can - and does - the ILO SRO-Budapest help?
The ILO SRO-Budapest is assisting in these efforts by providing policy analysis and advice, technical cooperation and training, as well as by facilitating exchanges of information and experience among CEE countries.
In Albania, ILO SRO-Budapest is managing a major project funded by the Italian government which aims to increase the range of social services through training and, in particular, through contracting with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to deliver new services. In April 2000, it sponsored a regional pension conference along with the Czech government, and the proceeds of the meeting provide the basis for a new ILO SRO-Budapest paper on the progress of pension reform in the region.
ILO SRO-Budapest also initiated a new regional project funded by the French government, which includes research on the impact of social security reforms adopted in the early and mid 1990s, and disseminated the findings to countries still in policy deliberations. This project also has major training component for governments, workers and employers. ILO SRO-Budapest provides training attachments for scheme officials and assist the social partners in participating more effectively in social security policy debates and in serving on social security scheme governing boards.
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| ILO Film |
| Fully fit at work |
Film about the advantages of employing persons with disabilities. As this ILO film (Fully Fit at Work) shows, not only may people with disabilities be more productive, they may actually be more skilled in some jobs than non-disabled people. Produced for the ILO by the Andrzej Wajda Master School of Film Directing.
Watch the film online in Polish with English subtitles. Duration: 21 min 11 sec
If the video is not displayed, download the free RealPlayer™
Press release in English and
Polish |
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