Formalization of the Informal Economy Project

Training on extending social insurance coverage for workers in the informal economy

ILO-Formalization of the Informal Economy Project organised a two-day training for social insurance staff in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The training was conducted in collaboration with the International Social Security Association (ISSA).

The ILO-Formalization of the Informal Economy Project organised a two-day training for social insurance administrators and inspectors in collaboration with the ISSA from 1 to 2 May 2024. A total of 36 staff from Provincial Social Insurance Departments of 21 provinces and 9 districts and the General Authority for Social Insurance (GASI) participated in the training.

Regional Coordinator for the Asia and the Pacific, ISSA, Indrajid Nurmukti, Senior Social Protection Specialist, ILO DWT-Bangkok, Kenichi Hirose, and Director General of GASI, Munkhzul Lkhagvasuren

In the opening remarks, Director for ILO Country office China and Mongolia, Chang-Hee Lee, noted that today’s joint ILO- ISSA training on extending social insurance coverage to workers in the informal economy and herders is the first capacity-building training with the presence of an expert from the ISSA since Mongolia became a member organization of the ISSA in 2005.

Director General of GASI, Munkhzul Lkhagvasuren expressed her appreciation to the ILO for its valuable support in extending social insurance coverage to informal workers.

Senior Social Protection Specialist, ILO DWT-Bangkok, Kenichi Hirose, and Regional Coordinator for the Asia and the Pacific, ISSA, Indrajid Nurmukti delivered the training. The training aimed to strengthen the capacity of social insurance staff at the national level to extend social insurance coverage and improve contribution collection.

The training also focused on practical aspects of the social security administration based on ILO principles, ISSA guideline, and international good practices. As well as developing an effective registration system and increasing awareness and communication strategy for populations “difficult to cover” under contributory social security programmes.

The ISSA guideline on Administrative Solutions for Coverage Extension was translated into Mongolian and distributed to Social Insurance Offices in 21 provinces and 9 districts. The guideline aims to strengthen the GASI staff’s capacities to deliver effective contributory programmes and work towards extending coverage to groups that are typically difficult to cover.

Social administrators during the workshop

In the last session, the participants engaged in group work and developed an action plan to improve social insurance coverage by applying the tools they learned to their provincial context. Participants also shared their insights on extending voluntary social insurance coverage locally and identified proper solutions.

The English version of the guideline is available here.

The Mongolian version of the guideline is below:

Нийгмийн Хамгааллын Хамрах Хүрээг Өргөтгөх Захиргааны Шийдлүүд

ISSA Guideline [mon].pdf - PDF 1.43 MB