
Managing Director of JSC "State Social Insurance Fund" (hereinafter - SSIF) Zhanybekov M.A. and the chief specialist of the department for work with international organisations Nurtaza A.M. took part in the work of the International Conference "Social Reforms in the CIS: Trends, Potentials and Solutions" (hereinafter - Conference), held from February 23 to 24, 2022 in the capital of the Republic of Azerbaijan - Baku.
This event was organized by the International Association of Pension and Social Funds (IAPSF) and the State Social Protection Fund of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
The Conference was attended by heads and representatives of pension and social funds - members of the IAPSF, representing the Russian Federation, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Moldova, the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Tajikistan.
The Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Sahil Babayev, delivered a welcoming speech to the participants of the Conference, noting the relevance of its holding in the current economic conditions dictated by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Welcoming video messages to the participants of the event were also expressed by:
- Secretary General of the International Social Security Association (ISSA) Marcelo Caetano;
- Chairman of the IAPSF, General Director of JSC "SSIF" Kurmanov A.M.
The Managing Director of the State Social Insurance Fund Zhanybekov M.A. made a report on the topic: “The current state of the system of compulsory social insurance in the Republic of Kazakhstan and further development trends”.
In the speech of Zhanybekov M.A. further development trends and prospects included further deepening of digitalization and the proactive nature of the provision of public services by the SSIF beneficiary, optimization of the nature of participation in social insurance of persons involved in new employment formats, as well as ensuring a fair and balanced tariff policy to ensure a balance of interests of payers and beneficiaries.
In the work of the conference, Deputy Director of the Central Branch for the Coordination of Social and Pension Provision of PJS State Enterprise “Government for Citizens” Amirov T.M. presented different formats for the provision of public services in the field of social insurance in the Republic of Kazakhstan, noting the availability of digital documents on the egov.kz electronic portal and demonstrating several mobile applications through which citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan can apply for benefits online.
The participants were informed about the work to reduce inequalities in the pension system by the Deputy General Director S.M. Vekvert from the National Social Insurance Fund. One of the priority actions is to revise the conditions for granting disability pensions, changing the length of service in relation to age and acquiring a disability and a minimum disability pension.
Detailed information on the prospects for the development of the pension system in Tajikistan until 2030 was presented in his speech by Davlatzoda D.A., Director of the Agency for Social Insurance and Pensions under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan. The main directions for the development of the pension system include ensuring the balance and long-term financial stability of the pension system, balancing the formed pension rights with the sources of their financial support, reforming the institution of early pensions, introducing a nationwide component of pension provision that does not depend on the payment of insurance premiums, setting a pension replacement coefficient for age above 45% of lost earnings with a standard insurance period and average wages, increasing the efficiency of the funded component of the pension system, as well as establishing genuine equality of opportunities for working men and women with family responsibilities (gender inequality in the performance of family responsibilities related to caring for family members).
The Deputy Chairman of the Social Fund of the Kyrgyz Republic Dzhumataeva G.M. introduced the reform of the pension system, noting the main areas of pension reform, such as improving the system of state pension insurance, improving the tariff policy of state social insurance, streamlining the funded pension system, simplifying and accelerating the procedures for appointing, paying and recalculation of pensions, as well as regular communication with the population of Kyrgyzstan in order to ensure transparency and inform about innovative projects of the Social Fund and automate the procedures for assigning, paying and recalculating pensions.
Executive Director of the Extrabudgetary Pension Fund under the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Uzbekistan Khaydarov A.A. made a presentation on the topic: “Social and pension reforms”, outlining the following strategies for the development of Uzbekistan for 2022-2026, such as building a humane state by raising the honor and dignity of a person and further developing a free civil society, turning the principles of justice and the rule of law into a fundamental and a necessary condition for the development of the country, as well as the accelerated development of the national economy and the provision of high growth rates.
In the report of Professor and Doctor of Economics, Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, Solovyov A.K., on the topic: “Social well-being of pensioners: the role of the state and personal participation”, criteria for the effectiveness of the insurance pension system were noted, such as the adequacy of the size of the pension for the insured person, together with financial stability for the insurer.
Based on the results of the plenary session, the following conclusions can be drawn as the main trends and prospects for the development of social reforms:
- in Kazakhstan, social funds (SSIF, Unified Accumulative Pension Fund, Social Health Insurance Fund) function autonomously from the state budget. Moreover, the implementation of investment activities provides the state with an additional reserve of funds in case of unforeseen situations (in particular, in the event of a 2020 pandemic);
- representatives of Azerbaijan, Russia, Uzbekistan, where social funds continue to receive subventions from the state budget and are in deficit, - they consider this practice ineffective and are aimed at reducing dependence on the state budget;
- the development of mixed systems of social protection is the main trend, suggesting the equal presence of the so-called DB (Defined Benefit) and DC (Defined Contribution) components, as well as basic benefits;
- any political decisions to increase the level of social benefits and the list of covered risks should be balanced and balanced in terms of funding sources. The required rates of social payments are subject to consensus by business and the state;
- the deepening of digitalization and the proactive nature of the provision of public services are a challenge of the times and a general trend.
On the second day of the Conference, the organizers made a direct acquaintance with the visit to the place in Baku - the office of the DOST Agency, which provides the entire range of public services in the field of social protection of the population and employment on the principle of a "single window". It should be noted that development in this direction in the Republic of Azerbaijan is at an early stage, unlike our country, which has already passed this stage over the past ten years.