Dr. Mohammed Azman’s Foreword as the AWCA President
11 November 2021 DISTINGUISHED MEMBERS OF THE AWCA AND COUNTRY REPRESENTATIVES FROM ALL OVER ASIA Good day to everyone and greetings from Kuala Lumpur! 1. Firstly, I would like to thank you for the nomination for Asia Workers Compensation Association (AWCA)Presidentfor the year 2022-2023. On behalf of Social Security Organization (SOCSO), Malaysia, I humbly and grateful accept the role in managing AWCA as an international platform to promote Social Security policies and good practices in the Asia region. 2. Following the shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic, I believe all practitioners here can appreciate the role of Social Security and Workers Compensation in protecting affected workers, preventing families from falling into poverty as well asstabilizing the economy. Immediately, I can see AWCA acting as a platform to share countryspecific experiences in managing the COVID-19 pandemic across the Asian region such as expanding our coverage to Work from Home (WFH) cases, providing cash assistance for positive COVID-19 workers on unpaid leaves, subsidizing the screening of COVID-19 virus and many more. 3. Besides that, I also look forward to promoting portability or exportability of social security benefits. As an extension to existing bilateral arrangements between countries in Asia, I believe we can set up a specific Technical Commission for protection of Migrant Workers under AWCA to ensure portability in workers’ compensation against work injury or diseases. 4. Together with the Technical Commission of Rehabilitation, AWCA welcomes the opportunity to even explore portability of post-injury support in home countries, which will include training in Certified Disability Management Professional (CDMP), or even sharing clinical practice at SOCSO’s Rehabilitation Centre. Building upon a network of certified Disability Management coordinators all around the Asia region, rehabilitation can be provided to disabled migrant workers returning to their home country. 5. Thirdly, I am confident that AWCA can spearhead the Vision Zero initiative in Asia. AWCA will be a great platform for member countries to promote the campaign, and adapt the concept to the Asian environment. AWCA can co-publish guidelines and organize joint knowledge sharing sessions to implement the well-researched preventive measures. Asia can rise as strong as our Vision Zero partners in Europe and Africa. 6. With all these initiatives in mind, SOCSO looks forward to catching up with the secretariat team from COMWEL, Korea in administrative areas of AWCA such as membership recruitment drives, documentation, and promotional material. I would like to also take this opportunity to thank both COMWEL, Korea and National Social Security Fund, Cambodia in contributing towards the growth of AWCA for the past two years. 7. Finally, I would like to also congratulate Ms. Stella Zipagan-Banawis from Employees' Compensation Commission, Philippines in accepting the nomination as Vice-President of the AWCA. I am looking forward to working with you and your team, which hopefully will strengthen the relationship between Malaysia and the Philippines. 8. To emphasize the importance of our engagement, I will end my foreword with a famous quote from Japanese author, Ryunosuke Satoro: “Individually, we are one drop. But together, we are an ocean!” So, I look forward to collaborating with all membersin AWCA. Thank you.

Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service(COMWEL) is one of public organization in the Republic of Korea, which is entrusted by the Minister of Employment and Labor. COMWEL has provided various social security and labor welfare services and programs as specified in relevant laws and regulations, including integrated assessment and billing of employment insurance and workers’ compensation insurance benefits, medical care, rehabilitation services, loan service, credit guarantee, wage claim guarantee, retirement pension plan, etc. COMWEL contributes to the improvement of workers’ quality of life through optimal workers’ compensation programs, rehabilitation supports and welfare services. Especially, COMWEL operates 10 hospitals and various rehabilitation programs to promote return to work for injured workers. COMWEL is wholeheartedly helping injured workers so that they can return to a life as it was prior to occupational accidents through a variety of rehabilitation and medical services. As a workers’ welfare agency that provides the highest quality of service, COMWEL is committed to the welfare and happiness of working people by taking customer satisfaction as top priority. COMWEL is striving to become a Social Welfare Agency that workers can trust the most during hardship by improving business process and meeting customer demands with customer-oriented thinking and through respecting the voice on the scene.