ILO celebrates 100 years of social protection at the China’s 14th International Forum on Social Security
“100 years of social protection at the ILO: the road to universal social protection”
Beijing (ILO News) -- Ahead of its 100 year anniversary in 2019, the ILO joined the 14th International Forum on Social Security organised by the China Association of Social Security on September 15 - 16 in Dallin, China. The Forum gathered about 200 experts from all over the world to exchange on the latest developments in this field. The ILO took an active part in the discussions and co-organized a side-event with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation entitled: “100 years of social protection at the ILO: the road to universal social protection”.
In his opening statement, Dai Xiaochu, Deputy Director of the ILO Country Office for China and Mongolia, recalled that despite existing gaps, remarkable progress have been made in extending social protection over the last 100 years. “Social protection is a central element in the fight against poverty, this is why the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) call upon all countries, regardless of their level of development, to intensify their efforts and achieve universal coverage by 2030”, he said.
Zhengg Gongcheng, President of the China Association of Social Security
Social protection is a key driver of social justice and the best way to celebrate the ILO’s 100th anniversary is to stick to its core values: social justice and decent work for all."
Zheng Gongcheng, President of the China Association of Social Security
During his intervention, Zheng Gongcheng, Member of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress and President of the China Association of Social Security highlighted the ILO’s relentless efforts in assisting countries, including China, to establish robust national social security systems.
Jin Weigang, President of the China Academy of Labour and Social Security Studies, an institution attached to the Ministry of Human Resources of Social Security, reviewed China’s achievements, experiences and lessons learnt in social security development, stressing that the current multi-tier system aims at achieving universal basic protection. Remarkably, it took China only a few decades to achieve universal health care and in 2017, as many as 900 million people were covered by the old-age pension schemes.
Experts in the event
The forum was an opportunity to look at current policies and anticipate the ones that will be needed in the future to respond to new developments such as demographic shifts and a changing world of work. Intense discussions focused on the social protection of workers in the digital economy and in new and non-standard forms of work, a topic of particular relevance in the Chinese context. As new global challenges emerge, participants underlined the indispensable role of the ILO in global social governance.
