Social Protection

Building social protection floors
and comprehensive social security systems

Result achieved

Linked projects

Outcome summary

The Communist Party of Viet Nam promulgated Resolution 28-NQ/TW to guide future social insurance reform under a Master Plan on Social Insurance Reform

Outcome achieved

In May 2018, the Communist Party of Viet Nam promulgated Resolution 28-NQ/TW to guide future social insurance reform under a Master Plan on Social Insurance Reform (MPSIR). The MPSIR was developed by Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) in consultation with Viet Nam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) and Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce (VCCI). The MPSIR is a commitment to achieve universal social protection coverage through multi-tiered systems. It plans a gradual extension of social insurance coverage to both wage and non-wage workers including those in informal employment, while extending coverage of long-term benefits (old-age pension and survivors’ pension) and short-term benefits (sickness, maternity and family benefits). The MPSIR set the target to cover 60% of the working population by 2030, meaning that the number of covered people will double by 2030. Through the development of the MPSIR and preparation for its implementation, The Government of Viet Nam aligns itself with the key international labour standards such as the ILO Social Protection Floors Recommendation 202 and the Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention (No. 102). With MPSIR and MPSAR, those most left behind will be covered through combination of tax-financed social protection benefits and the extrension of SI to informal workers. The Government and the ILO jointly developed one technical note aiming to identify the poverty, vulnerability and natural disaster context and the rationale for and global experience around risk-informed and shock responsive social protection. The technical note provided an overview of the current social assistance and disaster risk management systems and the challenges and opportunities to further linking of these systems.

ILO's contribution to the outcome

With support of the Government of Japan, the ILO supported MOLISA in developing evidence-based knowledge on social protection coverage extension. The ILO delivered 10 major technical notes and conducted a series of technical meetings to assist MOLISA in the MPSIR development. Three national dialogues were organised in April, June and July 2018 with more than 300 participants representing the workers, employers and relevant stakeholders on the policy options for the reform. The ILO provided technical support through meetings and discussions throughout the biennium, highlighting the core elements of the ILSs to the Government’s drafting committees. Besides, the ILO supported the MOLISA in the assessment of the gaps between the draft legal documents and the ILSs, and proposed the revision of the legal documents to ensure alignment with the ILSs. The ILO supported the Government to conduct nation-wide tripartite consultations on the Government Programmes of Action, Master Plan on Social Insurance Short-terms Benefit Packages and Master Plan on Reforming Social Insurance Policies Communication. The ILO, with the support of the ILO/Irish Aid project, and in partnership with FAO, supported MOLISA to conduct a review study and consultations on the issues of disaster-informed and shock-responsive social protection system that allows proactive approaches and builds long-term resilience against disasters/shocks. Recommendations drawwn were provided to MOLISA for strengthening Viet Nam’s social assistance system to better support households before, during and after natural disasters. On 16 May 2018, the ILO in collaboration with MOLISA organized a workshop to disseminate the report.

Gender equality & non-discrimination

The technical notes on rationale for increasing retirement age (May 2018) submitted to MOLISA included a proposal for equalizing the retirement age between men and women. Such measure will have a significant gender impacts, which will ensure the rights of working and the rights to social adequacy of millions of Vietnamese women. The National Master Plan on Social Insurance Reform (MPSIR) endorsed by the Government in May 2018 aims at a high quality and comprehensive national social insurance system that offers income security to all citizens across the lifecycle, protects the workers in both formal and informal sectors. The Technical note on Multi-Tiered Child Benefits submitted to the Government as the inputs for developing Social Insurance Short-terms Benefit packages proposes to introduce a child/family benefit to cover 100% children in Viet Nam from 0-15. If the proposal is endorsed by the Government of Viet Nam, it will help to improve gender equality in Viet Nam. In particular, it will offers public transfers or services to families alleviating the private burden of care—disproportionately borne by women around the world— which can enable women to remain in or re-join the workforce. The ILO also supports MOLISA to submit a proposal to the Government of Viet Nam to introduce a multi-tiered maternity benefit that ensures the right to income protection during maternity for all. If this is endorsed it is expected to increase the coverage of maternity benefits from 30% at the moment to 100% of the pregnancy female population. The ILO is supporting VGCL to improve their staff’s knowledge and skills for communication work on health insurance system and maternity protection for female factory workers.
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