at the CISS
The Anguilla Social Security Board was a recent signatory to the Cancun Declaration on “Strengthening Social Security and Protection as an inclusive mechanism to address the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution”. The Declaration was adopted at the recently-held General Assembly of the Inter-American Conference on Social Security (CISS) in Cancun, Mexico. It marked the 75th Anniversary of the founding of the organisation.
The Social Security Board was represented at the Inter-American Social Security Conference during the period April 18-20 by the Director, Mr. Timothy Hodge; the Deputy Director, Dr. Maglan Lewis; and Board Member, Mr. Kiel Connor, who is also the Comptroller of Inland Revenue.
“The General Assembly, which was first scheduled for November 2017, was postponed because fifty of the seventy member countries of the Conference were affected by natural disasters during that year,” Mr. Hodge explained. “These included two earthquakes in Mexico, the hurricanes that affected many other members in the Caribbean, the United States and Latin America. As a result it was decided to reschedule the conference to April of this year and to include a focus on social security systems in times of emergency.”
Speaking to The Anguillian newspaper, Mr. Hodge said he participated in one of the panels which had the involvement of climate specialists as well as representatives of such world organisations as the United Nations and the Economic Commission of Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). The panel was concerned with dealing with disasters before and after and the role of social security.
He went on: “In my presentation as Director of Social Security in Anguilla, I made the point that the importance of social security systems in times of disaster goes beyond the original mandate which is to collect contributions and to pay benefits. Social security systems are much more important in the national scheme of things.
“At the Assembly, social security systems, which have played a significant role in the Inter-American Conference on Social Security over its life-time of seventy-five years, were recognised and they included the Anguilla Social Security Board which has been a member for the last twenty-six years. Persons who have made major contributions to social security in the Americas were also recognised, as well as several directors from the Caribbean including myself.”
Of note is that the Conference covers every country and social security system in the Americas. There are five regions. Region Four includes North America (USA and Canada) and the English-speaking Caribbean. Mr. Hodge is the Coordinator of this region and, like the other Coordinators and Heads of the various Commissions, he is on the Governing Board of the Inter-American Conference on Social Security.
Replying to a question from The Anguillian, Mr. Hodge said: “The direct benefits to Anguilla from the Conference included the sharing of best practices, technical advice and training. Several Social Security staff members were engaged in training as recently as this year. Some of the training – has been online and other portions at the headquarters of the Inter-American Conference on Social Security in Mexico City.”
