Within the framework of the COMCEC-funded SESRIC Project on “Promoting Digital Technologies for an Integrated and Efficient Social Protection Systems in the OIC Member Countries”, the Centre, in collaboration with the Malaysian Social Security Organisation (SOCSO) and the Ministry of Family and Social Services of the Republic of Türkiye, organised a Training Course on “Using digital and integrated technologies in delivering social protection and assistance programmes” on 23-24 August 2023 through an online video conferencing platform.

152 experts and executives from the Ministries and relevant national institutions in charge of social protection policies and services in 19 OIC member countries attended the training course.

The training course, which was also organised within the framework of SESRIC’s Social Development Capacity Building Programme (SD-CaB), aimed at developing the knowledge and technical capacity of the participants in integrating IT or similar digital applications into their services to improve their utilization to enhance service effectiveness. It also provided insights into relevant technical topics to ensure digital management information systems (MIS) for social protection with different stages of digitalization, such as social registries and databases on potential beneficiaries. The training course also focused on the integrated system that allows for increasing the interconnectedness between social assistance programs and other relevant databases.

The two-day training covered the following topics:

•  Leveraging Digital Technologies for Effective and Inclusive Social Protection Systems
•  Digital Social Protection in the Post-COVID-19 World
•  Interoperability in Digital Social Assistance System 
•  Integrated Social Assistance System in Turkiye

 The project, titled “Promoting Digital Technologies for an Integrated and Efficient Social Protection Systems in OIC Member Countries”, encompasses two online training courses and an on-site workshop. These activities are designed to foster high-level digital engagement, promote inclusive social protection strategies, and share best practices among OIC member countries. In addition, they aim to enhance the capacities of staff working in relevant areas through targeted capacity-building and experience-sharing activities. This project is being executed under the umbrella of the 10th Call for Project Proposals of COMCEC Project Funding. Critical technical support for the successful implementation of the project activities is being generously provided by the Malaysian Social Security Organisation (SOCSO) and the Ministry of Family and Social Services of the Republic of Türkiye.

The COMCEC Coordination Office (CCO) introduced in 2013 the COMCEC Project Funding (CPF), a financing mechanism that funds projects submitted by the Member Countries and relevant OIC Institutions to realize the strategic objectives and outcomes of the COMCEC Strategy. The funding is provided in the form of a grant through the Development and Investment Bank of Türkiye, which is one of the main bodies in the COMCEC Project Funding scheme. Since the initiation of the CPF, SESRIC has implemented ten projects under various cooperation areas and in accordance with sectoral themes determined by the CCO. For more details about SESRIC projects funded by the COMCEC, please visit: https://www.sesric.org/tcd-activities-projects-funded.php

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