ISLAMABAD - Shangai Cooperation Organisation had a threadbare discussion on informal pensions and retirement systems in the member states during a webinar held here on Tuesday.
“Addressing informality: Analysing pension prospect in SCO Member States’ retirement systems” was the topic of the webinar which was held at the Ministry of Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Pakistan (PA&SS). Since Pakistan is the permanent chair of the Special Working Group on Poverty Alleviation (SWGPA) therefore, Navid Ahmed Sheikh, Secretary PA&SS presided over the webinar wherein the member states shared their experiences, policies, and best practices in their respective countries in areas of social protection and safety.
Representatives of Belarus, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan presented within a limited timeframe.
The Special Working Group on Poverty Alleviation (SWGPA) was approved by the Council of Heads of State (CHS) on 16 September 2022 and its Terms of Reference were approved on 26 June 2023. In its capacity as the permanent chair of the SWGPA, Pakistan hosted the inaugural session namely ‘Leveraging Digital Technologies to Enhance Social Safety Nets in SCO Member States’ on 06 December 2023.
The webinar aimed to seek an exchange of the best practices and tools for pension schemes, and their integration into the inclusive social safety mechanism among SCO member states. Its main objective was to address informality within the SCO Member States and to share diverse approaches to unemployment and pension schemes. The event also underlined the need for integrating strategies into inclusive social safety mechanisms.
It highlighted experiences and lessons learned from SCO Member States regarding implementation of social protection schemes for informal economy workers, intending to foster mutual learning and collaboration.
The webinar analysed the role of pension and unemployment schemes in bringing informal economy workers under social protection coverage, drawing insights from successful initiatives implemented across SCO member states.
The webinar was structured around the thematic conversation on informality. The discussion focused on informality in SCO Member States.
