Communist Review - The period of 2021 - 2030 is a breakthrough period in the country's socio-economic development towards creative growth and social security. Therefore, formulating social security strategies requires new approaches.

Firstly, every citizen really has the right to social security.

In terms of human rights, the right to social security is one of the basic human rights. People have the right to exist and develop as a matter of course. Therefore, the 2013 Constitution states that "Citizens have the right to social security" (Article 34) is indispensable objectively, which is both a country's development goal and in consonance with the progressive trend of the world.

Ensuring people's right to social security is a new approach in the contemporary world and has been adopted by many countries. This approach is different from the traditional method in that not only does it pay attention to the people's social security goals, but also to the selection process and method to achieve the goals and is considered according to a systematic structure of social security.

In essence, this approach takes the criteria of human rights to social security as a basis for determining expected results and takes principles as conditions and frameworks for the course of action. The goal is to promote the achievement of protecting people.

The social security rights-based approachis very different from the social security approach towards "the poor". Social security programs are built on the basis of people being "citizens" and not on the level of poverty. Empowerment programs have a broader coverage, often universalizing to entire population. In contrast, poverty alleviation programs often have a high subject omission rate. Therefore, developing countries, including Vietnam, need to shift the approach from addressing poverty to accessingto social security rights.

Secondly, the social security system adopts international standards and is in line with the general trends of countries around the world.

Access to social security is based on the rights standardized and stipulated in many international conventions of the United Nations, the International Labor Organization (ILO), especially The Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No. 102). Article 22 of the United Nations "Universal Declaration of Human Rights" (1948) states: Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality. Article 25 of this Declaration also states: “(i) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.; (ii) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection."

According to the above approach, there are still "gaps" in the social security system in Vietnam that need to be "filled". Specifically:

- Although social security of Vietnam has been working towards those standards, based on universal rights, covering the entire population, especially in health and education sectors,the social protection coverage isprioritised forthe poor, the disadvantaged, the vulnerable, those in remote areas and ethnic minoritiesdue to limited investment in social security. As a result, the coverage of social security towards the entire population is still limited.

- Generally, the model of social security system in Vietnam is multilayer structure, including the basic pillars under Resolution No. 15-NQ / TW, dated June 1, 2012, of the 11^th Party Central Committee, on "Several social policy issues during the period 2012-2020", is consistent with the general trend of the world; however,it lacks flexibility. The relationship and cohesion as well as sharing among social security pillars are not close enough to support each other in preventing, reducing and overcoming risks for people.

- The social security system with specific policies designed for each subject group has initially started with life-cycle risks associated with each age group of the population, but it is not really closely linked to supporting and sharing risks between generations, across stages of human development.

- Social security policies must ensure that all people have a minimum standard of living according to national standards. However, the reality in Vietnam is that social security policies do not ensure that people have this standard of living, and each type of policy has different standards, such as poverty line, social welfare standards, and basic social services ... Therefore, the subject omission rate is still high, a significant proportion of peoplelivingbelow the minimum living standard have not yet benefited.

Thirdly, the approach with inheritance to develop and improve the current social security system.

The awareness of the people’s social security rights through the Party congresses from Doi Moi to the present is an inheritance and development in line with the country's socio-economic development in the conditionsof socialist-oriented market economy and gradually approaches international standards in the integration process. In particular, in the Resolution No. 15-NQ / TW of the Party Central Committee, on "Several social policy issues during the period 2012-2020", for the first time, our Party has stategic awareness, views and solutionsto ensure the social securityapproach based on human rights. That is the foundation and orientation for institutionalizating them into the State’s mechanism, policies and laws in real life, with the approval of the people. Therefore, the social security system development strategy in the 2021 - 2030 period needs to inherit the current perceptions, perspectives, orientations and policieson social security to continuously improve and reach new heights in the 2021 – 2030 period.

Posing challenges

- The challenge of "middle income trap". Becoming a middle-income developing country is an important opportunity and condition for the social security system development of Vietnam in 2021 – 2030period. However, Vietnam is still a low middle-income developing country, facing major challenges in terms of growth and socio-economic development so as not to fall into the "middle income trap". Therefore, we need to concentrate our resources and have breakthrough solutions to maintain high and sustainable growth, improve the quality of growth, increase the scale of gross domestic product (GDP) and average GDP so as to have basic prerequisites and conditions for implementing a rights-based social security policy towards universal coverage regulated by the Constitution.

- The challenge of population aging. Vietnam is now in a period of "golden population" structure. This is a huge advantage. However, since 2017, when the proportion of the elderly has accounted for 10% of the national population, Vietnam has quickly become an aged society. According to the World Bank (WB) prediction, Vietnam is becoming one of the fastest aging countries in the world. In 2010, there was an elderly out of 11 Vietnamese people whereas that of 2030 is expected to reach 1 out of 6. Thus, Vietnam will just take about 15 years to transform from a young population to an aging population; while Vietnam is still not a rich country (countries around the world take decades or even centuries for this process). The fast aging population will exert enormous pressure on social security policies when the number of social security subjects increases rapidly.

- The challenge of climate change. Climate change, especially global warming and sea level rise, will lead to an increase in the frequency and severity of natural phenomena, such as droughts, floods, storms, and tsunamis... resulting in disasters for humans and production activities ... Vietnam is forecast to be one of top five countries most severely affected by climate change. With 1-meter sea level rise, 12% of the area and 10.5% of the Vietnamese population would be affected, possibly 7% of the agricultural land,of which 60% - 70% belongs to the Cuu Long river delta, would be intruded by salinity..., resulting to many serious consequences for agriculture, farmers, rural areas and for the whole country. Preparing and coping with climate change is a huge challenge for Vietnam in socio-economic development, especially in ensuring social security.

- The challenge of global integration. International integration in the trend of globalization is indispensable and a great opportunity for the development of Vietnam. However, the process of international integration also creates fierce competition pressure in the field of human resources, employment, regional labor market and world market... In that context, the trend of migration and labor movement from rural to urban areas and towards the international market has become increasingly strong, posing many problems in ensuring the social security policy.

- The challenge of institutional reform. The social security policy must be finalized to overcome the current irrationalities. Synchronization with other relevant laws and internalization of international commitments when joining the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA), the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)... is a great pressure placed on institutional reformand social security policy design towards innovation in the 2021 - 2030 period.

- The challenge of achieving balance betweenservice system’s demand and responsiveness. Along with the process of diversifying social security, increasing social security coverage in Vietnam will also be the process of increasing the demand for social security services. While the required quality is higher and higher, the responsiveness of this service system is limited even in the period 2021-2030.

Development strategy orientation

About target orientation:

Firstly, to develop and improveuniversally a rights-based approach to social security on the basis of extending social security coverage to new target group; to have a roadmap towards universal coverage, first of all is children under 6 years old, people aged 70 years and over, the disabled,the ethnic minorities in danger of extinction and people whose lives are below the national minimum standard of living.

Secondly, to improve the quality of social security assurance through multi-layered and comprehensive social security policies, to share and develop the system of social security service provision so that people can access easily and benefit from it.

Thirdly, to develop sustainably and balancedly social security funds in long term, especially tobalance between revenue and expenditure of pension and death insurance, unemployment insurance, health insurance funds and other social funds...

Fourth, to achieve people's satisfaction on an effective and user-friendly social security policy system capable of preventing, limiting and overcoming social risks.

Regarding content orientation:

Firstly, to develop social security standards in accordance with the country's socio-economic conditions in the 2021-2030 period and to approach international standards. Accordingly, to unify regulations on national minimum living standards for the period 2021 - 2030 as a basis for developing policies and systems to ensurethe benefits of social security for all people whose living standards below this level (the lowest level of social welfare payments willreach this standard); to set a uniform social pension standard equal to or higher than the national minimum living standard; to set social incentive regulation standards higher than the national minimum living standards to ensure the living standardof people with meritorious services to the revolution to be higher than the social average; to build social security floors to ensure social security for people on multidimensional access to basic social services (education, health, drinking water, housing, culture, information...).

Secondly, continuing to develop and perfect a multi-tiered, flexible and mutually supportable social security system. Accordingly, establishing linkages between policies and programs to ensure social security for people based on a person's life cycle. Each age has an appropriate social security policy, which clearly defines the investment responsibilities of the State, the people and the community; continuing to develop and perfect a flexible, multi-layered social security system that is shared and oriented towards universal coverage.

Thirdly, to develop and perfect the social security system in a close and balanced relationship with the development and perfection of the social care system to meet the growing service needs of citizen. Accordingly, to arrange public social care facilities towards concentration, modernity, quality and effectiveness; to strongly develop non-public and community-based social care establishments (social care facilities and centers, social and council housing ...); to quickly develop social work profession towards professionalism expressed in specialization, quality and efficiency.

Fourthly, restructuring the resources to ensure social security towards: Increasing the State's investment in social security policies and programs with the view that investing in social security is to invest in development and plays a core role; restructuring the parameters of payment - entitlement to social insurance and unemployment insurance to ensure the social insurance and unemployment insurance funds are firmly balanced in the long term (in terms of payment and entitlement levels, time of social insurance payment,pension calculation formula, retirement age, management expenses, funds’ development investment…); developing and expanding social security funds ("gratitude" funds, charity funds, emergency assistance funds) with the contributions of businesses, organizations, people, communities and international assistances in accordance with the law.

Fifthly, to renew and improve the leadership and management of social security. Accordingly, the Party and the State continue to renovate the thinking, awareness and viewpoint on the rights-basedaccessible social security system development on the basis ofsummarizing theories, practices and international experiences to shape a new system of perspectives and orientations on social security for the 2021-2030 period, with a further vision suitable to Vietnam's socio-economic conditions and international standards for integration; unifying the state management of social securityinto one focal point; strengthening coordination in the State management system related to social security; highly decentralizing in the localities and grassroots; promoting the role of social organizations and effectively using the market mechanism in ensuring social security; improving the quality of human resources for State management of social security towards staffs streamlining, but improving good physical health, high knowledge, good management skills, good political and social behaviors and awareness; highlytraining social workers towards specialization and professionalism according to the needs of the society; separating the functions and the tasks of State management in the field of social security from State administrative agencies and public non-business units providing services, implementing social security assurance policies to avoid overlapping and confusing of functions and tasks, or trends of civilization and administration among these non-business units; continuing to modernize the state management of social security on the basis of applying high technology, building e-government, attaching social security codes ...

Some solutions in the near future

Firstly, continuing to institutionalize the Party's new guidelines and viewpoints on social security into mechanisms, policies and laws, creating a legal corridor to operate the social security system effectively and efficiently in 2021 - 2030 period.

On the basis of reviewing and evaluating the current system of social security policies and laws according to international criteria and standards on rights-based social security access, as well as new awareness and viewpoints on social security expressed in the Party's resolutions to supplement and amend the current social security laws (Labor Code, Employment Law, Law on Social Insurance, Law on the Elderly, Law on Persons with disabilities...); continuing to codify international conventions and commitments related to social security in the process of supplementing and amending current social security laws; studying and developing some new laws on social security, such as the Law on Social Work, the Law on Social Assistance, ... to formulate a synchronous and complete social security legal system (such as the Social Security Code).

Secondly, mobilizing resources for social security, such as increasing state investment according to annual, medium-term and long-term plans with investment levels of 1% - 1.5% of GDP / year; promoting mobilization of enterprise resources, people's contributions, international support to ensure 30% of the total investment from the state budget for social security; developing sustainable social security funds in the long term, especially social insurance funds, gratitude funds, charity funds, social emergency funds ...; innovatingresources management and use to ensure right goals, right subjects and effectiveness.

Thirdly, forming an overall program on social security. This program is based on the integration of the National Target Program on sustainable poverty reduction; target program on vocational education, employment and occupational safety; and current social assistance projects (The Community-based Project to Care for children living in especially difficult circumstances for the period 2013-2020 including orphans, abandoned children, children infected with HIV/AIDS, victims of toxic chemicals, children with severe disabilities and those severely affected by natural disasters; Project on social support and community-based rehabilitation for people with mental health illnesses for the period 2011- 2020; Project on Supporting people with disabilities in the period of 2012-2020; Project on developing social work profession in the period of 2010-2020.

Fourthly, developing and improving the operational quality of the social security service delivery system, such as employment services, social protection beneficiary care services, payment services, and social work services, ... towards professionalism and autonomy; attaching importance to taking care of the subjects in the community and expanding the non-state areas (social organizations, non-governmental organizations, enterprises, ...) to participate on the basis of applying market mechanisms according to national regulations and laws, mandates and orders associated with ensuring and improving socialist orientation.

Fifthly, promoting and improving the efficiency and quality of international integration and cooperation on social security; continuing to contribute to international conventions and standards development of the United Nations, the International Labor Organization (ILO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), multilateral and bilateral cooperation agreements related to social security ...; proactively, positively and responsibly implementing international commitments on social security; proactively responding by policies to unwanted impacts during international integration to limit risks for people; enlisting international support in terms of technique, staff training and finance, ... in order to increase resources, together with the Nation, to ensure social security for people./.