Guillermo Lasso integrates a commission that will prepare a legal project for the pension system

The President of the Republic, Guillermo Lasso, created a so-called Interdisciplinary Commission to evaluate the situation of the Ecuadorian Social Security Institute (IESS) and prepare a bill focused on the pension system.

In the Government Palace, this January 10, the Interdisciplinary Commission was formed to prepare a bill to reform the pension system, which will be chaired by the economist Augustus of the Towerprofessor and former official of international organizations.

The Government reported that the work of this group will focus on life insurance disability, old age and death (IVM)as well as in the programs related to the IESS.

The President of the Government, Guillermo Lasso, gathered in one of the halls of the Government House authorities from the economic front, from the IESS Board of Directors and from this Commission, to whom he entrusted the preparation of a strategic plan that “leads to the resolution of problems of sustainability and financial and fiscal viability of the pension system, taking into account the principles of efficiency, solidarity, obligation, universality, subsidiarity, sufficiency and social equity”.

“Concerned about the situation of the IESS, we have thought it convenient to create a citizen commission to evaluate this institute and propose a set of reforms that provide the services that affiliates should receive; that ensures sustainability over time and, in this way, meet the demands of the citizens”, the president had pointed out during the meeting.

At the end of this meeting, Augusto de la Torre explained that this commission plans to deliver an evaluation report in the next four months, and during this time they will hold meetings with civil society, academics and experts in the field to prepare this legal project.

“We hope to present a proposal for legal reform of the pension system. We will not interfere with the administrative and operational work of the IESS. The goal is to have a system that ensures the sustainability of the pension system,” said De la Torre.

Alfredo Ortega, president of the Board of Directors of the IESS, assured that this commission is made up of “probos” citizens, who will work on a methodology that allows the sustainability of the pension system.

He noted that the IESS will deliver the necessary information to the Commission so that, in the next four months, they present a project to the Government that proposes the changes required by the pension system.

It was reported that this instance will also be made up of academics Andrés Hidalgo Cevallos, president of the Board of Directors of Grupo Faro; the lawyers Doménica Cobo, Eduardo Carmigniani Valencia, Karla Morales; academic and economist Pablo Lucio-Paredes; and Andrea Angulo and Fabián Villema, teachers at the Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (Espol). (YO)