Actualités

Les partenaires tripartites namibiens approfondissent leur compréhension des normes de sécurité sociale de l'OIT

Windhoek (ILO News) - 18 September 2025 - Namibia has taken a significant step forward in strengthening its social protection system through a two-day capacity-building seminar held in Windhoek on 17–18 September.

Organised by the International Labour Organization (ILO), the seminar focused on the Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No. 102), the cornerstone of international social security law. This initiative is part of the ILO's Global Ratification Campaign to promote the ratification and effective implementation of Convention No. 102 and other up-to-date social security standards. It is also one of the key interventions under Namibia UN SDG Joint Programme“Agri-Systems Transformation through Biomass Processing for Decent Job Creation and the Extension of Social Protection in Namibia”.

Bringing together a technical group of national stakeholders, the event underscored Namibia’s tripartite commitment to advancing social protection. Participants included officials from the Ministry of Justice and Labour Relations, the Ministry of Health and Social Services, the Social Security Commission, the Namibia Financial Institutions Supervisory Authority (NAMFISA), and the Government Pension Fund. Social partners were represented by the National Union of Namibian Workers and a union representative for informal workers.

The seminar aimed to:

u  Strengthen national capacity on international social security standards;

u  Deepen understanding of unemployment protection, a key component of Convention No. 102 and a priority for Namibia’s labour market;

u  Raise awareness of the global ratification campaign for Convention No. 102;

u  Support national reflection on ratifying Convention No. 102 as a policy goal.

Convention No. 102 is the ILO’s landmark social security Convention. It is the first and only international treaty which frames social security in a holistic manner, setting out qualitative and quantitative minimum benchmarks for nine contingencies (or risks) that people face during their lives: medical care, maternity, family responsibilities, sickness, disability, employment injury, unemployment, old age, and loss of the family income earner.

‘The Republic of Namibia has a solid constitutional and legal foundation for the development of a comprehensive national social protection system. This two-day workshop is a key learning point for all involved in shaping ongoing reforms in social protection system such as pension reform and protection in case of unemployment.  We will continue this type of capacity strengthening through UN SDG Joint Programme “Agri-Systems Transformation through Biomass Processing for Decent Job Creation and the Extension of Social Protection in Namibia striving that all new jobs created are decent with social protection coverage’.

Ms Philile Masuku,  ILO Director for CO Harare

The seminar’s timing is especially relevant given Namibia’s upcoming social security reforms, including proposed amendments to the National Social Security Act. The event successfully enhanced the technical understanding of Convention No. 102 among the 25 participants, while also kicking off a forthcoming comparative assessment of Namibian legislation against the Convention’s minimum requirements and principles. 

 u The Joint SDG Fund's joint programmes are under the leadership of the Resident Coordinator Office and implementing United Nations Agencies. With sincere appreciation for the contributions from the European Union and Governments of Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and our private sector funding partners, for a transformative movement towards achieving the SDGs by 2030.