Introduction to Social Protection Benefits for Old

Introduction to social protection benefits for old age Department of Social Welfare, Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement 18 July 2013, Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar

Introduction The workshop “Introduction to social protection benefits for old age” was held in Nay Pyi Taw on 18 July 2013 and brought together staff from the Department of Social Welfare (DSW) of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement and other line ministries. The workshop came in the context of growing discussion on the areas of social protection and ageing in Myanmar, and an existing specific proposal by DSW for a cash transfer to older people. The aim of the workshop was to give an introduction to social protection benefits in old age (with a focus on social pensions) and provide space for government stakeholders to discuss key questions to consider if one is to be introduced in Myanmar.

Minister’s speech Dr Myat Myat Ohn Khin, Minister of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement began by describing how the Myanmar Government has been implementing series of reform agenda since it took office and we are making significant results from the recent changes. In this transformation, we should be aware of the changes in social protection sector are very critical. Social protection sector plays a vital role in the country’s long-term socio-economic development strategy. Without progress in social protection sector, there will be no political stability and progress in the country. The Ministry is working together with different partner agencies to ensure the progress in social protection, which is basically a means to reduce the socio-economic risks of every citizen. In every society the older people are vulnerable to socio-economic disaster therefore protecting and supporting them is a must-to-do task. Currently older people comprise 10 per cent of the country’s population. It is expected that the number will rise to 15 per cent in 2030 and 25 per cent in 2050. Currently only a few people receive pension and benefits, so it’s time to address those who do not. Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement has a number of present and planned initiatives for supporting older people. The Ministry is going to open a social care for older people in Yangon and continue to work together with HelpAge International and other agencies implementing rural development for ageing projects, home-based elderly care programme and so forth. In terms of Social Protection for older people we need to learn from the experience of the international community and adopt good practices. I would like to urge all participants to do as much as you can. Please feel free to discuss about way to improve the lives of older people in the following workshop. Introductory session U Aung Tun Khaing, Deputy Director General at the DSW (Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement) began the introductory session by describing how in 2008 the Department began a programme of work on social protection for children, older people, people living with disability (PWDs) and women. The President gave instruction that older people should be included in social protection, and that it should be linked with wider poverty reduction. Ageing is included in Myanmar’s national development plan and currently DSW is in the process of developing and ageing policy. A core component of the policy will be to strengthen Older People Self-Help Groups (OPSHGs) as well as creating a mechanism to help these grassroots groups form at township-level, district-level, regional-level and as a national-level older person’s federation. We have to learn from the experience of other countries and adopt good practice. In terms of social pensions we need to learn which designs exist in different countries, and what is the best for our country. Moreover, we will have to consider how to finance a social pension, while taking account of the Myanmar context and what constitutes a culturally appropriate programme. Tapan Barman, Country Director for HelpAge International in Myanmar welcomed participants and said how pleased HelpAge was to co-host this workshop with the Department of Social Welfare, and with funding support from BMZ of Germany. The purpose of this workshop is to support the Government of Myanmar as it takes practical steps to expand social protection in the country, specifically as it applies to the older population. The Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement has a critical role as one of two focal ministries, along with the Ministry of Labour, to help guide this national development on social protection. For HelpAge, support for social protection is one of our core global themes. We realise that there are some groups in society, including some older people, who may be neglected or forgotten without extra assistance. The government as duty bearer has a role to make sure the weakest and most vulnerable persons in society are cared for. While social protection for vulnerable older people is our specific concern, we also realise that older people are only one of many vulnerable groups in society. By focusing on the needs of vulnerable older people, we also aim to collaborate with others in supporting the government to assist other vulnerable groups, including children, women in difficult circumstances, people with disability and others. This workshop today will focus on social protection benefits for old age as this is one proposal previously discussed by the government and already included in its development plans. The workshop will present how other countries around the world have approached the challenges of implementing a social pension. Traditionally, the family has cared for older people in Myanmar, but we need to remember that the situation is changing rapidly. Older people in the future will have fewer children to care for them. This is because families are becoming much smaller and children are looking for work away from their traditional homes. With the experience and lessons from other countries in Asia and elsewhere, we hope this workshop will help the Government of Myanmar to plan and consider the best options for social protection for older people which are suitable for the Myanmar context.

2 Introduction to social protection benefits for old age Session 1: Setting the scene The first session aimed to introduce key concepts relating to social protection benefits in old age, and provide an overview the case study of Vietnam Charles Knox-Vydmanov from HelpAge International provided a background to the question of social protection benefits in old age, asking questions such as what is social protection, why is it of growing interest, where does old age fit in, and what are the options available. Definitions of social protection vary from country to country, and across different organisations but all see it as a response to the risks, shocks, and stresses that individuals, households and their communities are exposed to. These stresses can be broadly divided into two groups, i.e., short-term shocks (such as a natural disaster or economic downturn that last for a contained period of time, but often affect a large part of the population all at ones) and life-course risks and vulnerabilities (such as childhood, disability and old age that exist in all communities and nations of the world). Social protection can be seen as a set of policies and programmes that aim to protect people from these shocks and stresses in order that they do not push them into vulnerability, and poverty. Different definitions vary in which specific interventions can be considered social protection. Traditionally, the definition has focused on cash or in-kind transfers that aim to ensure income security, but some definitions also include basic social services (such as health and education) and active labour market policies. For purpose of this workshop, the discussion was limited to the income-focused components of social protection. These tend to consist of “safety nets” that aim to support people through short-term shocks, and “social security” as a set of policies to support people through life-course risks. Examples of social security include such policies as child and orphan grants to respond to vulnerabilities of being a child, unemployment insurance and widows allowance for persons of working age, and pensions to provide security in old age. Disability benefits also span across the life course. Social protection has a long history, having been articulated as a human right in 1949, as part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is also a big part of the business of government in more developed countries. Most OECD countries spend over 10 per cent of their GDP on social security, and old age benefits make up a substantial share of this. However, it is only recently that social protection has gone from being seen as a luxury for richer countries, to something of relevance for low- and middle-income countries. This change in thinking has been fuelled by the example of a number of lower income countries that have introduced social protection schemes, showing that they have major developmental impacts, and are affordable. So where does old age fit into social protection systems? Old age is one of the greatest challenges that all of us are set to face during our lives, and this appears to be no different in Myanmar. The population of Myanmar is ageing rapidly, and by 2050 nearly a quarter of the population will be aged 60 and over. Evidence from the recent Survey of Older Persons (2012) shows that - as a result of disability and health issues – only a third of older people continue to work into old age. The family – and particularly children – provide the main source of income for most older people. Only around 7 per cent of older people receive any kind of pension. It is likely that the significant financial dependency of older people on their children provides a strain for families today, but this will inevitably become even more challenging in the context of population ageing. In terms of future options, there are two approaches to expanding social protection benefits for older people, including (i) contributory pensions (known as social insurance) and (ii) non-contributory pensions (also called social assistance). Contributory pensions are those where eligibility is based on regular financial contributions throughout a person’s life, and there are a number of ways

3 Introduction to social protection benefits for old age which these can be designed involving government to a greater or lesser degree. A major limitation for contributory pensions is the fact that – due to poverty and informality – only a minority of the working population of Myanmar are likely to be able to contribute for an adequate pension in old age. It is for this reason that – if the aim is to ensure all people receive a pension in old age – social assistance is necessary. This can be either in the form of a general cash transfer programme targeted at the poor or a “social pension” which specifically targets older people. In contrast to contributory pensions, eligibility for a social pension is based on citizenship/residency and age, and possibly also other criteria such as income or assets. Associate Professor Giang Thanh Long from the National Economics University in Hanoi then went on to describe the rationales for social protection benefits for old age in Vietnam, and the impacts of the existing social pension. A primary driver for concern around old age is the ageing of the population, which is set to be particularly rapid in Vietnam, suggesting the country is set to “become old before becoming rich“. Prof. Long shared the visual picture of this change through the population pyramids from 1979 to 2050. More importantly, people are entering old age with significant health problems (see Figure 1) while living arrangements are also changing from multi-generational to nuclear families. In particular, the proportion of households with only older couples living together increased about 2.5 times between 1993 and 2010 (from 9.5 per cent to 25 per cent), and the proportion of older people living alone – while still small – doubled from 3.5 to 6.8 per cent in the same period. Figure 1: Self-rated health of older people in Vietnam

4.8

29.8 Very poor/poor Fair 65.4 Good/very good

Source: Vietnam Aging Survey (VNAS) 2011 These trends have made older people more vulnerable to health and income risks, especially female, rural and ethnic minority people. Children and others, as well as continued work, remain the core source of income for older people. Poverty amongst older people (particularly over 70 years) is higher than average in Vietnam, as is poverty amongst women, ethnic minorities and the rural population. The social protection system in Vietnam consists of four pillars: active labour market mechanisms; social insurance; social assistance; and basic social services. Social pensions for older people fit under the social assistance pillar, which also includes in a variety of other cash transfers. The social pension was introduced in 2000 to older people over 90 with a benefit of around $3. Since then a number of modifications have taken place, with the current policy giving minimum 9.5 US$ to older people aged 80 and over who do not have retirement or other social allowance benefits. Other groups of older people aged 60-79 also received social pensions with various requirements. The social pension has had an important impact on reducing the poverty of older people, and without it the poverty rate of older people would have increased by 4

4 Introduction to social protection benefits for old age percentage points. Recipients have reported major impacts in covering basic needs such as food and health costs (see Box 1). Older people also share the benefit with other household members, such as grandchildren or their own children living with disabilities. Meanwhile, despite concerns that the social pension would reduce labour force participation of older people, the low level of the benefit means that most older people continue to work where they can.

Box 1: Testimony on impact of the social pension in Vietnam “…Though the pension is small, I can use to it buy some additional food like meat or fish. Without the pension, my meals could not change, since I cannot work much and only have little income from agriculture.”

“…With the current living standard of older people in our commune, a small pension benefit still really helps the recipients in their daily expenses.”

“…I have chronic backbone pain, so that I cannot do anything. Although I have the free health insurance card, the medicine provided by this card is not enough for me. I can have more medicine with my pension money.” (an 86- year-old female)

“…we do not have any money to stay in district or provincial hospitals. Health insurance cannot cover everything. So I usually buy medicines to take at home with advice from local doctors.” (an 89-year-old male)

A short Q&A session followed the presentations. Questions included: • How can older people be identified if they don’t have a birth certificate? Prof Long shared experience from Vietnam where alternative documents were used to identify the age of recipients. Mr Knox-Vydmanov outlined that a variety of approaches are available for verifying the age of individuals, and also that age- based entitlements can actually catalyse the wider process of strengthening civil registration systems. • Where should a social pension be budgeted from, central government or regional government? Prof Long explained that, in Vietnam, each fiscal year the government allocates funding for all provinces to deliver cash to all older beneficiaries. The central government guarantees to pay all required amount covering the minimum $9.5. Depending on budget capacity, provinces can add some additional amount to increase benefit level. • What are the institutional arrangements for social pensions, and how have they evolved? What kind of payment system is in place for getting cash into the hands of older people? Vietnam’s Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) and its affiliations at lower levels are in charge of identifying and managing list of beneficiaries. Ministry of Finance is in charge of financing, and its affiliations at lower level, in coordination with MoLISA's affiliation, deliver cash to older beneficiaries. Local NGOs and socio-policial associations are in charge of supporting local affiliations of MoLISA and MoF, as well as supervising deliver of cash. Older people usually receive cash directly at local People Committee's office. In some cases, such as older people cannot go to office, cash will be delivered to their relatives who are commissioned to receive, or directly to older beneficiaries at their homes.

5 Introduction to social protection benefits for old age • Should a social pension be targeted to the whole country, or just rural areas? Both presenters described how social pensions usually have a greater impact in rural areas than urban – as poverty is higher there to start with. But the question of whether benefits should be limited to rural areas – to be discussed later in the day – is more complicated. Following the Q&A and a tea break, a film on the question of affordability and sustainability of the universal social pension in Mauritius was shown. The film can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyetLX- 5OvU&list=PLF497AA77C60D940C&index=14

Session 2: Key considerations in design and implementation The second part of the day aimed to look in more detail at the questions that need to be asked in designing and implementing social protection benefits for older people. Mr Knox-Vydmanov began by outlining core design questions, with a focus on social pensions. Over the last decade, social pensions have become an increasingly popular approach to ensuring income security in old age. Over one hundred countries globally currently have some kind of social pension, and over 20 have introduced them in the last ten years – with many more significantly expanding adequacy or coverage. Social pensions can be defined as state- provided non-contributory regular cash transfers to older people. The two main design decisions which influence the cost and impact of programmes are eligibility and benefit level. Eligibility can be defined by various components. In a low-income country like Myanmar, most of these decisions are likely to involve a trade-off between what might be considered an ideal scenario (i.e., a universal pension to all people over a certain age) and what can be considered affordable in the near future. The question of how to target a social pension is the question which has greatest influence on the nature of the programme. Universal social pensions – which exist in such countries as Bolivia, Mauritius and Namibia – have particular advantages in their simplicity. The minimal information needed to determine eligibility and the fact this only needs to be done once, means that they are administratively straightforward to implement and are also successful at reaching the poorest people. For the sake of affordability, however, it is often suggested that a more efficient use of resources is to target benefits at poor older people, by using some kind of “means-test”1. Means testing will likely reduce the cost of a social pension; however, all programmes of this nature have significant targeting errors which mean a large portion of target beneficiaries (usually over half) will miss out. Means-testing is also associated with higher administrative costs and a range of other social and political costs. A potential “middle-way” to targeting is to use what is called a pensions test to exclude or reduce the benefit for those with other pensions – an approach used in countries including Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam. Another approach with similar objectives to a means-test is to limit benefits to a certain geographical area (namely, geographic targeting). Examples for this include rural social pensions in Brazil, Mexico, and China. The benefit of this approach is that it can focus benefits on poorer areas, but it can also exclude the many poor older people living in urban areas. A further question relating to

1 A means-test is a tool that measures the level of need of an individual or household, for example, through a test of income, assets or living arrangements.

6 Introduction to social protection benefits for old age geography is how to divide decision-making and resourcing between national and regional levels. India, for example, uses an approach of the central government providing a basic amount that is expected to be matched at the state level. Some states (such as Tamil Nadu) have used state resources to go well beyond this level, while others have made no contribution at all. Moving onto age of eligibility, the choice of the aforementioned “ideal scenario” will be country specific and may change over time. One of the useful benchmarks is life expectancy, with the basic logic being that countries where life expectancy is higher might have higher pension ages. Another benchmark would be to look at when the challenges of ageing become particularly acute, with evidence from Myanmar suggesting over 70s face significantly greater vulnerability. On the other hand, poorer people may not actually live as long as others, suggesting that too high eligibility age could favour the relatively better off. Some regional benchmarks are noted in Table 1. Factoring in the question of affordability, if the ideal eligibility age is deemed not to be possible straight away, a country might take an approach similar to Vietnam or Nepal, i.e., start with a high age and then lower it as resources can be made available. Table 1: Age of eligibility

Country Age of eligibility

Bangladesh 65 (m) 62 (w)

India 60

Nepal 70 (60 in some regions)

Thailand 60

Source: HelpAge International, Social Pensions Database, www.pension-watch.net As with the question of eligibility age, the chosen benefit level will also be influenced by contextual factors and how they change over time. The key driving question on adequacy of a social pension should be what constitutes a basic minimum income security in old age. In Myanmar, the poverty line (currently 34,500 Kyats per month) could be considered a suitable benchmark, however, at 45 per cent of average income this would make the benefit level high by international standards, and possibly unaffordable. A variety of other benchmarks are available relative to the food poverty line. In order to give a picture of how these decisions influence the cost of a programme, some costing scenarios were presented relative to other social pensions in the region and the world. Figure 2 shows some of these scenarios, all of which are for universal pensions. A benefit of 6,500 Kyats per month (about one-fourth of the food poverty line) for over 75s would cost 0.16 per cent of GDP – similar to programmes in countries such as Vietnam and Bangladesh, but lower than Thailand. Lowering the age to 60 but keeping the same benefit would increase the cost to 0.75 per cent of GDP, putting it more on par with programmes in countries such as Kiribati and Timor-Leste. Finally, providing 13,000 Kyats per month (a half of the food poverty line) to over 60s would put the cost somewhere between the Maldives and Mauritius (about 1.2 per cent of GDP). While there may be considerations regarding whether these costs can be accommodated in Myanmar in the short term, it is worth noting that all of them are modest by international standards, especially when considering OECD countries tend to spend upwards of 10 per cent of their GDP on social protection.

7 Introduction to social protection benefits for old age

Figure 2: Cost of social pension Age: 60+ Benefit: 13,000 2.00 1.80 Age: 75+ Age: 60+ 1.60 Benefit: 6,500 Benefit: 6,500

1.40 1.20 1.00 0.80 % of GDP of % 0.60 0.40 0.20 0.00

Source: Author’s calculations based on IMF, World Economic Outlook Database, April 2013 Edition and United Nations Population Division, World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision (2011)

Prof. Long’s second presentation on the Vietnam case focused on issues in design and implementation. The social pension in Vietnam has a variety of criteria based on age, poverty and living arrangements, and also a range of benefit levels for different sub-groups. These are listed in Table 2. In 2008 the programme covered just over half a million older people at a cost of around 0.05 per cent of GDP – although the benefit has since increased. By 2011, the scheme covered 1.43 million older people, which account for 16 per cent of the all older people over 60.

Table 2: Who are the beneficiaries of social pension scheme in Vietnam?

No. Beneficiaries Multiplier Benefit level

1 Older people living in poor households, AND: 1/ living alone; or 2/ living with ill older spouse and do not have any children, grandchildren or relatives to support

- 60-79 1,0 180 ($9.5)

- 60-79 and are severely disable; 1,5 270

- 80+ 1,5 270

- 80+ and are severely disable; 2,0 360

2 80 years old and over who do not have retirement or other social 1,0 180 allowance benefits

8 Introduction to social protection benefits for old age

Prof. Long highlighted six key areas where there were issues encountered in implementation: 1. Identification of beneficiaries This relates to both the definition of poverty and living arrangements. In Vietnam, the “food poverty line” is defined by MoLISA and measured by the annual amount of money required to purchase a “typical” basket of food items providing 2,100 calories per person per day. The line is differentiated by rural and urban areas due to different costs of living. An older person is considered poor if he/she is living in a poor household, whose per capita expenditure is lower than the defined poverty line. In terms of living arrangements, one challenge has been around the identification of households where older people live alone, particularly relating to the fact that some older people appear to have left their household in order to become eligible for a benefit. All of these issues have led to serious inclusion and exclusion errors. There are also challenges with overlap of different programmes, with recipients of the social pension sometimes receiving other benefits while some vulnerable households receive none at all. 2. Adequacy of benefit and age of eligibility The benefit level is currently considered to be very low, especially in the context of high inflation in recent years. There are also questions around whether the age of eligibility should be set at the same level for different regions and areas, as life expectancy is low in more disadvantaged parts of the country. 3. Payment process Payment is delivered either directly to older people at the People’s Communal Office, at the home of an older person for those living with illness (through a relative or neighbour) or through the bank. The banking system has been seen to be particularly unpopular due to the fact there is limited reach in rural areas. One challenge in payment has been late delivery, which is mostly due to late transfer of funds from central and provincial governments. 4. Administrative capacity Administration is shared between the Ministry of Labor (MoLISA) that manages beneficiaries; Ministry of Finance (MoF) that finances the payment and local level NGOs (such as Vietnam Association of the Elderly and Vietnam Women's Union) for supervision. One challenge is that while the number of beneficiaries is swiftly increasing, the number of staff in charge of implementation is small. This results in a heavy workload, meaning staff cannot update and supervise all programs well. In the meantime, most of the staff do not have professional training. There is also little or no compensation for local associations involved in supervision, which brings to question whether this model is sustainable. 5. Monitoring and evaluation As mentioned, local associations are participating in monitoring / supervising some processes of implementation, including identification of beneficiaries and benefit payment. Every year MoLISA and MoF at all levels together review the scheme in order to update the list of participants. 6. Financing, fiscal cost and affordability The cost of social pensions has been gradually increasing and now stands at 0.1% of GDP. While this figure is low, there are still questions as to how the cost will continue to increase, particularly as the population ages. Past studies show that the highest cost for a universal social pension scheme in Vietnam will be 3 per cent of GDP in 2050 if Vietnam would cover all older people (who will account for 26 per cent of the total population) with a benefit being equal to 10 per cent of

9 Introduction to social protection benefits for old age GDP per capita. This result is in line with those found in the report by UN-DESA (2007)2 The presentation concluded with some policy recommendations. First, Prof. Long emphasised that social pensions must not be seen as a panacea for dealing with income security for older people in particular and ageing issues in general. It should be considered in a broad view of 'successful ageing', where an appropriate combination of economic, health and social policies exist to protect and promote older people in their later lives. In relation to the social pension, a key lesson is that focusing on older people in rural areas is most beneficial in terms of poverty reduction. The role of NGOs is also important in identification of beneficiaries and supervising administration of the scheme. Question and answers following the two presentations focused on areas including the government retirement age in Vietnam, and broader questions about how social pensions fit into a wider SP system. In response, Prof. Long said that the normal retirement ages for females and males in Vietnam are respectively 55 and 60, along with some other regulations such as number of years of contribution and early retirement. He also explained again that the social pension is considered a component of social assistance scheme with an aim to provide regular cash transfers to older people under different categories. U Aung Tun Khaing, Deputy Director General at the Department of Social Welfare (Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement) presented evidence on the situation of older people in Myanmar, and how it might influence decisions around how to target social protection benefits for old age. Over one third of households in Myanmar have an older person present. When these households are compared to those without an older person, it is found that they are more likely to be female headed and significantly more likely to have someone present who has a disability. Likely as a consequence of increased levels of disability the average number of days lost to ill health is higher in households with an older person. The following kinds of households with older people are found to be more vulnerable: households with an older person above the age of 70, households where the older person is disabled and households where older people live alone. Households where older people are living alone are found to be particularly vulnerable (4.2 times more likely than others). From this evidence it is possible to make policy recommendations for targeting of social protection benefits. Analysis of the relative efficiency of different targeting approaches shows the most efficient targeting approach is to target households where older person lives alone, and households headed by female older person. For the first option this would mean providing benefits to 1.1 million households and for the second it would mean providing benefits to 117,000 households.

Session 3: Group discussion and panel In order to provide a space for discussion of key issues, participants were split into four groups and asked to discuss two questions:

1. What are 1-2 main issues that need to be addressed to implement a social pension in Myanmar? 2. What are the next steps for addressing these issues?

2 United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA), 2007, World Economic and Social Survey 2007: Development in an Ageing World. United Nations: New York.

10 Introduction to social protection benefits for old age Key points emerging from the group discussion included: • The need to undertake advocacy and awareness raising activities on social protection benefits for older people to raise awareness amongst national and regional policy makers • The need to improve data management in order to answer key questions, including how many older people there actually are in the country; • Defining the age of eligibility is a key area to address; • How can social protection benefits for old age (and other groups) be financed; • There should be a special agency at the community level to implement activities around a social pension; • There is currently a lack of technical skills around social protection; • There will be need to develop a regulatory framework for social pensions; • There should be special thematic groups at national, regional and local level; • How should cash be delivered? • The need to develop strong policies and procedures Following the group discussion, a set of panellists including Prof Long, Ms Puja Dutta (World Bank), ATK and Mr Knox-Vydmanov responded to some of the emerging points. Mr Knox-Vydmanov confirmed the existing challenge for Myanmar in terms of data on the numbers of older people in the country, and where they live. He noted that the upcoming census (the first for three decades) would provide an invaluable source of information on the size and distribution of the older population. On the question of financing, he emphasised that this was not simply a question of asking where money could be found for this specific programme. Rather, sources of financing would depend on how committed the government is to extending social protection and what is the broader strategy of the Myanmar government to increase fiscal space for this kind of spending. He nevertheless reassured participants that the costings presented suggest there are low cost options for making a first step in introducing a social pension. Ms Puja Dutta highlighted that the need to broaden evidence was something that applied not only to older people, but a broader range of population groups. Increasing information on older people should therefore be seen within this wider objective. In relation to how a social pension would fit in with a wider system, Ms Dutta also highlighted that the fact Myanmar was in the early stages of developing a social protection system put it in a potentially advantageous situation. In particular, Myanmar had the advantage of being able to plan ahead in order to align new programmes, and establish implementation mechanisms that could be shared across them. This in turn has the potential to save cost on administration. In response to some of the above questions with Vietnam's experiences, Prof Long said that policies and programmes for older people would not be practical unless they are counted in the development processes of the country. As such, policies towards aging and older people need to be considered in socio-economic development planning, so that older people are active contributors rather than inactive and burdensome population. In regard to social pensions, there would be hard but important 5-A questions in design and implementation, including Accessibility, Adequacy, Acceptability, Accountability, and Affordability

11 Introduction to social protection benefits for old age Participants

Name Organisation 1 Daw Mar Lar UAGO 2 U Min Min Htut UAGO 3 Daw Aye Aye Tint MOE Dept 4 Daw San San Oo UN 5 Daw Khine Moe Moe Ei RRD 6 Daw Thein Thein Myint DSW 7 U Aung Myat Kyaw Budget Dept 8 Daw Naw Win Mar Lar Oo Budget Dept 9 Daw Su Su Hlaing MOLES 10 U Paw Oo DSW (Maw La Myine) 11 U Khin Maung Nyein DSW 12 Daw Win Win Mar DSW 13 Daw Hla Hla Khine DSW (Maw La Myine) 14 Daw Me Me Thet Paing Oo Pension Dept 15 U Ki Ling DSW 16 U Aye Min Nyunt DSW 17 U Win Thiha MSWRR 18 Daw Su Thwe Win DSW 19 Daw Aye Aye Myint DSW (Kayin) 20 Daw Lei Yin Win DSW 21 Daw Yi Yi Cho DSW 22 Daw Tin Lai Lai Tun DSW – Ayeyawaddy 23 Daw Aye Myint Yee DSW – Sagaing 24 Daw Hsu Mon Soe DSW –Bagan 25 U Sar Mue DSW (Rehabilitation) 26 Daw Khin San Yee DSW (Rehabilitation) 27 Daw Khin May Nu DSW 28 U Khin Maung Win Pension Dept 29 Daw Yee Yee Khaing DSW – Mandalay 30 Daw Myint Myint Than DSW – Mandalay 31 Dr. Thuzar Chit Tin DOH 32 Daw Yupar Mya DSW 33 Daw Myint Myint Kyi DSW – Sagaing 34 Daw Mya Mya San Planning Dept – Mandalay 35 U Yan Naung Kyaw Swar GAD Dept 36 U Khin Maung Thein DSW 37 U Yee Thant MOIP 38 U Tun Oo DSW 39 U Myo Myint Thar RRD 40 Dr. Saw Thandar Myint DOH 41 Daw Khin Mar Yee DSW 42 Daw Ohn Mar Kyaw DSW 43 U Aung Kyaw Moe DSW 44 Dr. Thant Zin Htoo DOH 45 Daw Cherry Maung Maung Planning Dept 46 U Myo Myint Than RRD

12 Introduction to social protection benefits for old age 47 Aye Myat Phyu HelpAge International 48 Yamin Htun HelpAge International 49 Piya Dults World Bank 50 Gaing Thanh Long NEU, Vietnam 51 Peter Marrison HelpAge International 52 Tapan Barman HelpAge International 53 U Aung Tun Khaing DSW 54 U Aung Kyaw Moe DSW 55 Saw Thant Zaw Win HelpAge International 56 Khin Zaw Latt HelpAge International 57 Saw The Maw Rural Development Dept 58 Ne Lynn Aung HelpAge International 59 Daw Thein Thein Htwe DSW 60 Daw Pyone Pyone Than DSW 61 Daw Ohnmar Swe DSW 62 Daw Khant Khant Shyie DSW 63 Daw Zin Mar Kyi DSW 64 Daw Khin Hnin Yu DSW 65 Daw Moe Moe San DSW 66 Daw Khin Khin Tun DSW 67 Daw Su Su Tin DSW 68 Daw Thi Thi San DSW 69 Daw Tin Mar Win DSW 70 Daw Ma Ma Gyi DSW 71 Daw Yamin Hlaing DSW 72 Daw Khin Thuzar DSW 73 Daw Nitar Aye DSW

HelpAge International helps older people claim their rights, challenge discrimination and overcome poverty, so that they can lead dignified, secure, active and healthy lives. HelpAge International PO Box 32832 London N1 9ZN, UK Tel +44 (0)20 7278 7778 Find out more about ageing and social protection at: Fax +44 (0)20 7713 7993 [email protected] www.pension-watch.net www.helpage.org