2018 ISSA Membership
Purchase of a 2018 Membership to the International Social Security Association (ISSA) This is a renewal of the 2017 Membership.
This procurement is for a 2018 membership in the International Social Security Association (ISSA) in Geneva, Switzerland. This is a renewal of the 2017 membership. The original membership was purchased in 2015 and the ISSA membership has been renewed each year. The International Social Security Association is a non-profit international organization consisting of institutions, government departments, agencies and other entities administering one or more aspects of social security. Furthermore, The International Social Security Association (ISSA) is the world's leading international organization for social security institutions, government departments and agencies. The ISSA promotes excellence in social security administration through professional guidelines, expert knowledge, services and support to enable its members to develop dynamic social security systems and policy throughout the world. The missions of ISSA is to grant its members access to social security is a human right and social security is essential for individuals, societies and economic advancement. Excellence in social security administration is a condition for the successful implementation of the right to social security. Social security coverage and protection cannot be reached without well-governed, performing and trusted social security administrations. The objective of the Association is to co-operate, at the international level, in the promotion and development of social security throughout the world, primarily through its technical and administrative improvement, in order to advance the social and economic conditions of the population on the basis of social justice.
ISSA is different than US SSA because ISSA works to share global occupational safety and health practices, particularly through the Special Commission on Prevention, throughout the world. The US SSA does not have that same mission or reach. Also, NIOSH does not have worker safety and health outreach globally through the US SSA. Additionally, ISSA is fostering the concept of Dynamic Social Security (DSS), which promotes the innovative use of integrated, proactive and forward-looking social security policies with the near-term aim of building high-performing social security organizations. Underlying this idea is the view that effective and well governed organizations are vital for social security's credibility and, ultimately, its sustainability. Building on this first step, the longer-term aim of DSS is to contribute to providing universal access, at least, to basic cash benefits and primary health care in all countries.
a. What can this product/service do that other products/services cannot do?
The work of the ISSA in these areas ties closely to NIOSH's mission to "Provide national and world leadership to prevent work-related illness, injury, and death by gathering information, conducting scientific research, and translating the knowledge gained into products and services." Involvement in international organizations provide unique opportunities for the Institute and CDC in driving prevention goals world-wide and to bring back knowledge from other parts of the world to the benefit of US workers. The ISSA aims to promote, encourage, facilitate and support administrative improvement initiatives by member institutions across all social security branches and regions. Its services are based on the ISSA Guidelines, which are internationally recognized professional standards in social security administration, developed under the auspices of the ISSA Technical Commissions and validated through extensive consultation process. The ISSA offers a package of services designed to provide each member institution with practical support as it faces challenges in initiating and moving along a four-stage process model for organizational change and development. Membership in ISSA entitles NIOSH to access the full range of services of ISSA services including their conferences, publications, and the services offered by their new ISSA Centre for Excellence in social security administration. In addition, as a member institution, NIOSH will have access to ISSA information, expert advice, business standards, practical guidelines, and platforms to build and promote dynamic social security systems worldwide. NIOSH will have the opportunity to collaborate and provide input in these areas-sharing workplace safety and health experience and knowledge that occurs in the US and learn from experiences of other collaborators across the world by obtaining access to conferences and publications. No other organization provides the same specialized services. The benefits of NIOSH being a member include 1) being able to share NIOSH research and information through the ISSA platform which reaches international communities, particularly health and safety professionals and global industries and 2) having input to prevention efforts in occupational safety and health through ISSA platforms, benefiting from their reach to health and safety professionals and global industries.
With the purchase of the 2018 ISSA membership NIOSH is able to engage in opportunities to provide worker safety and health information to professionals throughout the world and provide best practices. The US SSA is a benefits organization for US citizens-providing administrative and financial support through retirement, disability, etc. It is not an organization promoting worker safety and health in the United States or internationally. I cannot say what benefit the US SSA receives from being a member organization but it is clearly different from NIOSH engagement. NIOSH engagement is through the Special Commission on Prevention, a component of ISSA. Without this membership, NIOSH would not be able to be part of the ISSA Special Commission on Prevention (US SSA is not part of the Special Commission to my knowledge-at least not listed in membership that I have found and has not been to any meeting where I have been). This Special Commission addresses both traditional occupational risks found in specific sectors (that align closely with NIOSH industrial sectors) and new and emerging occupational psycho-social risks (where NIOSH has expertise). There are 13 international prevention sections and NIOSH actively participates in at least two of these sections as well as attends Special Commission meetings to lend expertise and best practices to activities that reach international partners. NIOSH has worked on subcommittees to advance health and safety work practices through this organization. This activity would be lost without membership.
Angelo D. Hubbard, Phone 404642025, Email kwq8@cdc.gov
