QNA
Doha
Qatar on Wednesday chaired the 23rd meeting of the Committee of Heads of Civil Retirement and Social Insurance Agencies in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
Chaired by Director-General of the General Retirement and Social Insurance Authority HE Ahmed bin Ali Al Hammadi, the meeting discussed the follow-up report on the committee’s action plan, statistical indicators for implementing the unified system for extending insurance protection, technical committees work governance, periodic seminars, and the Civil Retirement and Social Insurance Funds Award for Scientific Research, the proposals submitted by member states and the General Secretariat, in addition to targeting workers who are not registered in the unified system.
Addressing the inaugural session, Hammadi said the occasion offers an opportunity to share knowledge and expertise in the area of retirement and social insurance, in addition to reinforcing cooperation between the retirement systems in the GCC states to achieve social security and economic stability for their citizens.
He added that the meeting convenes amid overwhelming challenges that face civil retirement systems and social insurance, including the demographic changes in population, thereby increasing the significance of the responsibility shouldered by those who are tasked with exploring innovative and enduring solutions to support the stability of these systems, prompting the imperative of crafting legislation and programs in line with the best global practices, and safeguarding the privacies and needs of the Gulf communities.
He noted the efforts of the General Retirement and Social Insurance Authority (GRSIA) in the joint action to support social programmes and offer a dignified and safe life for citizens, emphasising the importance of updating studies and drawing on global indicators and statistics to consistently develop the systems.
For his part, Head of the Human and Environmental Affairs Sector at the GCC Secretariate General Engineer Abdullah bin Ali Al Rubaie lauded the exerted efforts to advance this sector and the cooperation of all to support the joint Gulf action.
Pioneering personalities in the field of civil retirement and social insurance were honoured on the margins of the meeting in the presence of Minister of Finance HE Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, in recognition of their salient efforts and incredible contributions to advancing the civil retirement sector and social insurance.
The Minister of Finance underlined that hosting this meeting underscores the concerted efforts of the GCC states to ensure the sustainability of the retirement systems and social insurance, with emphasis on exploring effective strategies to enhance these systems.
He stressed that cooperation and coordination represent the core pillar to ensure joint success, especially since this cooperation has stimulated innovation in pension systems, including supporting research projects through the second edition of the Pension Funds and Investment Insurance Award.
The Committee of Heads of Civil Retirement and Social Insurance Agencies in the GCC was established to reinforce cooperation and expertise between member states in the field of civil retirement and social insurance and has been holding its meetings annually since 2001, by focusing on optimising pension systems and ensuring social protection for citizens of the GCC states.
