The Anguilla Social Security Board hosted the 23rd Meeting of CARICOM Heads of Social Security at Paradise Cove from May 31 to June 1.
The Conference brought together key Social Security and National Insurance officials from some 13Caribbeanterritories from throughout the region. These included Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis,St. Lucia,St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the British Virgin Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, as well as host island, Anguilla. A number of specialists from the CARICOM Secretariat also came for the meeting.
Chairman of the Anguilla Social Security Board, Thomas Astaphan, delivered the welcome remarks. He observed that it was the second time thatAnguillahad hosted such a meeting, the first being in 2002. “We are very pleased that CARICOM has accepted our offer to host this meeting, so that you can experience some of our celebrations, though briefly, under the theme “1982 -2012: Social Security 30 years and Beyond,” he told the Conference attendees, while also mentioning the Anguilla Day activities.
Mr. Astaphan wished them much success in their deliberations as they sought to improve both their own social security systems and the level of cooperation between their systems and the various other CARICOM territories.
Dr. Steven McAndrew of CARICOM said in part: “This meeting comes at a crucial time because most of our member states are facing the dire consequences of the financial crisis which, since 2008, has plagued the world. In fact, this meeting comes at a time when we are wondering whether or not we will enter another crisis which, at this time, might be of a consequence of what is happening inEurope.”
He said that at this meeting in Anguilla, the CARICOM Social Security Heads were to set the agenda for the next several years. The first matter for consideration was the MOU, signed last year, relating to demographic and other issues. Another matter was to discuss the governance of the various social security schemes as tabled by The Bahamas. He added that it was also necessary to see how to best implement and monitor the operations ofthe CARICOM agreement on social security.
Director of Social Security, Timothy Hodge, delivered the feature address on behalf of Chief Minister and Minister of Finance, Hubert Hughes.The Chief Minister was quoted as emphasing the importance of social security systems in the region and the noted success of the system in Anguilla: “Our system is strong with reserves of 275 million dollars, at the end of 2011, and it is not expected to reach equilibrium for another 20 years, well beyond the horizon anticipated in the original plan design,” Mr. Hodge quoted Chief Minister Hughes as saying, our system “has served and continues to serve our people and country well. Last year, some 713 persons received long-term benefits totaling 6.7 million dollars. This is in addition to those who received 3.4 million dollars in short-term benefits.
“While these figures might sound miniscule to some of your countries, I assure you that in a population of just over 13,000, they are very significant indeed.Our system, like any national symbol, is inclusive and representative. Indeed, it is the largest single fund of national savings and has served as a source of strength and hope both for our Government and our people.”
The Chief Minister wished the CARICOM Heads of Social Security a very productive meeting in these extremely challenging times.
