On 20 September 2023, H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK paid a courtesy visit to H.E. Dato' Sri Dr. Mohammed Azman bin AZIZ MOHAMMED, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SOCSO and the current President of the International Social Security Association (ISSA), in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

H.E. Dr. AZIZ MOHAMMED expressed appreciation for H.E. SELÇUK's visit, praising SESRIC’s efforts in expanding its collaborative ties with relevant national institutions of Malaysia, including SOCSO.

Expressing gratitude for the warm welcome, H.E. SELÇUK underlined the potential of enhancing joint action between SOCSO and SESRIC for the benefit of the OIC Member Countries. She stressed the importance of bringing together synergies and expertise to promote social security and protection in OIC Member Countries.

In the course of their discussion, H.E. SELÇUK highlighted fruitful activities jointly organized by SESRIC and SOCSO within the framework of SESRIC Capacity Building Programmes, namely the Social Security Institutions Capacity Building Programme (SSI-CaB), Public Employment Services Capacity Building Programme (PES-CaB) as well as the OIC Public Employment Services Network (OIC-PESNET). The importance of customizing activities was also discussed to further assist OIC Member Counties in amplifying the human and institutional capabilities in social security and public employment services.

H.E. SELÇUK also recognized SOCSO’s efforts in the COMCEC-funded SESRIC Project titled “Promoting Digital Technologies for an Integrated and Efficient Social Protection Systems in the OIC Member Countries”, emphasizing how SOCSO's initiatives inspire other member countries to develop their social protection systems. She further thanked SOCSO for its new role as vice chair of the OIC-PESNET, representing the OIC Asia Group for 2024-2025.

The Social Security Organization (SOCSO) is a government agency under the Ministry of Human Resources in Malaysia, responsible for providing social security protection to workers. Established in 1971, SOCSO is headquartered in Kuala Lumpur and offers a range of benefits, including employment injury insurance, invalidity pension, survivor’s pension, and dependent’s pension, among others.