The meeting is held in Qatar from 3 - 5 October 2022 The GPSSA participates in the 52nd meeting of the permanent technical committee for civil retirement bodies in the GCC region
Abu Dhabi, 1st October 2022: The General Pension and Social Security Authority (GPSSA) is participating in the 52nd meeting of the permanent technical committee for civil retirement and social security bodies in the GCC region, which is held in Doha, Qatar from 3 - 5 October 2022, in the presence of GCC representatives from the civil retirement bodies and social insurance sector.
GPSSA’s participating delegation is headed by Mohamed Saqer Al-Hammadi, Head of Pension Operations at the GPSSA, member of the technical committee representing the GPSSA in meetings related to the GCC regions standing committee for civil retirement and social Security, alongside Arif Ahmed, Section Head – GCC Pension in the Pension Operations Department at the GPSSA.
Al Hammadi stated that the meeting aims to raise issues related to the affairs of GCC nationals working in GCC countries who enjoy the protection extension system, a system that obliges employers across government and/or private sectors in the GCC countries to extend the umbrella of the insurance protection to GCC citizens working outside their home-country. The provisions of the Pensions and Social Security Law are applicable in any of the GCC countries.
In its 52nd session, the meeting will discuss a number of initiatives, most importantly the need to review and update the unified system for extending insurance protection, the electronic link between civil retirement and social insurance agencies, the launch of a unified annual awareness campaign to raise awareness of the system of extending protection across GCC countries and the need to develop collection mechanisms.
Additionally, at the level of taking part in international events, participants will also discuss mechanisms to enhance their participation internationally in order to benefit from outputs raised to improve pension practices in the field of social insurance, as well as share the different experiences of the pension system in the GCC region, especially since the international systems are known for their unique approach in terms of expanding insurance coverage.
The meeting will also discuss a set of propositions aimed to facilitate and ensure the process of paying contributions within the protection extension system, targeting employees who are not registered in the system according to direct coordination between pension agencies, alongside other topics on the agenda.
It is worth noting that the Unified Law of Insurance Protection Extension was approved and issued under the decision of the Supreme Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Member States during the 25th session held in the Kingdom of Bahrain in December 2004, when the unified system for extending insurance protection for GCC citizens was approved for employees not working in their own home-country, but rather employed in a GCC member state of the council.
The UAE has enacted the law on 1st January 2007 by the Cabinet Resolution No. 18 of 2007 issued by the Council of Ministers on July 22nd 2007 to regulate the provisions of insurance protection extension for GCC citizens working in civil retirement agencies outside their country in any of the GCC countries. This system was named the extension protection system and the decision to specify the GPSSA as the implementing agency in the UAE was taken.
