Khaberni - The Economic and Social Council announced today, Wednesday, the results of the national dialogue on the proposed amendments to the Social Security Law, based on the outputs of the eleventh actuarial study that assessed the financial position of the General Social Security Institution and its sustainability over the long term. The council stressed the importance of dealing with the recommendations of the dialogue as an integrated system that is feasible for gradual implementation, emphasizing the preservation of acquired rights and benefits for those who have met the eligibility requirements before the enactment of any legislative amendments. Dr. Musa Shatnawi, the president of the council, said during a press conference that the council conducted thorough national dialogues with nine groups representing various stakeholders, including political parties, unions, employers, civil society institutions, and experts, in addition to parliamentary party blocs, ensuring the representation of women and youth, and received several research papers and recommendations. He explained that the dialogue aimed to build a shared national understanding of the financial reality of the Social Security Institution, and contributed to shaping practical recommendations consistent with the vision of economic modernization and the government's executive program for the years 2026–2029 within the framework of social protection. Shatnawi pointed out that the discussions focused on the main challenges, foremost among them early retirement, old-age retirement age, insurance evasion, weak investment returns, and coverage of informal labor. He clarified that the outputs of the dialogue were distributed over three main pillars: governance, sustainability, and protection and social justice, where the governance pillar recommended separating the chairmanship of the security board from any ministerial position and enhancing institutional governance, while the sustainability pillar recommended controlling early retirement, expanding insurance coverage, gradually raising the old-age retirement age to 63 for males and 58 for females, and enhancing compliance and developing investments. As for the protection and social justice pillar, it emphasized enhancing protection in occupational injuries, maternity and unemployment, reducing the gap in retirement salaries, and organizing the inclusion of categories with special insurance statuses, with an emphasis on not infringing on acquired rights.
