MONTEGO BAY, St James — Minister of Labour and Social Security Pearnel Charles Jr has pointed to Monday’s earthquake felt across nine parishes in Jamaica as a reminder of the need for robust social security systems throughout the Caribbean Community (Caricom).

The quake inflicted minor infrastructure damage on the island but left people traumatised.

Addressing delegates at the opening ceremony of the 31st meeting of heads of Caricom Social Security Organisations, Charles Jr noted that the movement of the earth was “a stark reminder of our vulnerabilities and the unforeseen challenges we face as a region”.

“The earthquake, much like the pandemic before it, has laid bare the essential need for robust social security systems — systems that stand as bastions of stability when the ground shakes and the unexpected strikes,” the labour and social security minister said.

He stressed that the resilience of small island developing states is tested during these “times of crisis”.

“It is in these moments that the true strength of our social security systems is measured — not just in the support they offer, but in the hope they promise. As we stand shoulder to shoulder, let us renew our commitment to fortify our networks of safety and support, to prepare for the shocks and the unforeseen, just as we have learned from the lessons of the pandemic,” Charles Jr appealed.

He attributed Jamaica’s ability to rebound swiftly from the humanitarian crisis sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic to the presence of a strong social protection policy framework.

“Our experience is no doubt shared by many of our Caribbean neighbours who are represented here today as part of this regional network: a network in which knowledge-sharing and shared priorities have led to a coordinated regional approach to economic and social development, including a shared vision for the protection of the most vulnerable among us,” the minister said.

“The importance of a strong social protection policy agenda to the achievement and maintenance of social stability cannot be overstated. Notwithstanding the gains in strengthening our systems regionally over the past three to four decades, we recognise that there remain significant gaps, and that as a region, we have much further to go toward the attainment of a robust and comprehensive system of social security programmes and initiatives,” he added.

The conference is being held at Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa in Montego Bay.