03/07/2014
The Social Protection European Union Expertise in Development Cooperation (SOCIEUX), of which the FIIAPP is a partner, is giving a course in Burundi on strengthening its pension system.
Formadores del curso para el fortalecimiento del sistema de pensiones en BurundiTrainers from the course on strengthening the pension system in Burundi
The objective of the course, held over five days at the end of June in Buyumbura, the capital of Burundi, was to support the capacities of the National Pensions and Occupational Risks Office (ONPR, its French acronym) of this African country, in which only 3.8% of the population entitled to receive a pension benefits from it. This course was also aimed at other institutions that provide pension benefits.
The recently created ONPR faces the challenge of efficiently managing a system of contributory pensions and occupational risks. SOCIEUX responded to the application submitted by the institution requesting personalized training on pensions, in addition to an in situ assessment of its management needs.
The training, directed at 45 civil servants from the ONPR and other national institutions, addressed everything from the essential elements that make up a social protection system to how to analyze current pensions systems, including the actuarial methodology and the role and functions of a pension institution.
To demonstrate how to manage the transition towards a contributory pension system, reforms carried out in systems for civil servants, both in Europe and neighbouring African countries, were analyzed. The training also emphasized the importance of expanding social protection to cover undocumented workers and vulnerable groups, and of simplifying pension-related legislation.
“We are very satisfied with the training received, which no doubt will contribute to improving social protection operations in general and those related to social security in particular”, noted Onesphore Baroreraho, Director General of the ONPR.
The SOCIEUX programme is a project established by the Directorate General for Development and Cooperation (EuropeAid), and it is comprised of the FIIAPP consortium, GVG, ADECRI and GIZ, each of which has provided different collaborating partners. In the case of the FIIAPP, these collaborators are: AECID, the Spanish Ministry of Employment through its legal services, FCSAI and OISS.
FIIAPP will centralize the participation of the Spanish and international expertsto be provided by the Spanish institutions and the OISS.
