Ippei Tsuruga is Social Protection Programme Manager for Indonesia at the International Labour Organization. He has worked on the design and reform of social security schemes—including unemployment, old-age, invalidity and survivors’, employment injury, maternity and sickness benefits—in Indonesia, Viet Nam and Myanmar. He is a published author on social protection, with a strong focus on extending social protection to workers in the informal economy. Prior to joining the ILO, he worked on development cooperation in Africa and Washington, D.C. with JICA.

Samreen Shahbaz has been working toward the advancement of bodily autonomy, gender equality, and social inclusion for more than 10 years. She has previously led the international advocacy portfolios of multiple women’s rights civil society organizations. 

Currently, she is working with the World Bank and Asian Development Bank as a social development consultant on issues related to social inclusion and social safeguards for the vulnerable and marginalized groups. 

Ippei has been managing programs and providing technical support to social security reforms at the country level in Indonesia, Viet Nam and Myanmar, and also contributing to research and knowledge management at the ASEAN regional and global levels. He has been involved in various policy discussions and research activities on unemployment benefit, old-age, invalidity and survivors’ benefits, maternity benefit, sickness benefit, and the extension of social protection to workers in the informal economy.