Universal social protection floors
countries the fiscal response has averaged 1.2 per cent of GDP.
Developing countries, particularly low-income countries, have limited domestic resources, made worse by falls in some export commodity prices. They are simply unable to put in place the comprehensive crisis response measures their people need, let alone the longer-term social protection systems that would create more fundamental resilience.
Even before COVID-19, 69 per cent of the global population was either not covered, or only partially covered by social security. Almost two-thirds of the world’s children had no social protection coverage, only 22 per cent of unemployed people received unemployment cash benefits, and just 28 per cent of individuals with severe disabilities received disability cash benefits.
Global crises like this pandemic observe no geographical or political borders.
Against them we are only as strong as the weakest among us. If we are to build greater resilience, and a more effective ability to recover, we need to support all countries in creating robust social protection floors. The current piecemeal approach is like starting
to recruit firefighters after a blaze has broken out, and then directing them to save only a few rooms in the burning building.
Clearly, this doesn’t work. In these circumstances,
IN the interest of those fifth and sixth form students across our region who have been negatively impacted by the controversy surrounding the declared results of this year’s Caribbean Examinations Council’s (CXC) sitting, it is critically important that a remedial process be quickly settled upon and applied.
However, I fear that the search for such a solution is in danger of being delayed by the many misunderstandings and misconceptions that seem to surround the CXC, and the manner in which those misconceptions and misunderstandings are resulting in “us against them” attitudes and positions.
I, therefore, think it is important that I — in my capacity as Barbados’s ambassador to Caricom – make an effort to disseminate some information as to what CXC is and what it is not.
First of all, it needs to be understood that the CXC is an institution of Caricom, and is therefore owned and financed by the member states of Caricom. It was established by our Commonwealth Caribbean governments in 1972. It was decided back then that the operations of the council would be divided into an Eastern Zone (headquartered in Barbados) and a Western Zone (headquartered in Jamaica). The inaugural meeting of the CXC was held in Barbados in 1973, and Barbados went on to play an extremely important role
such a parallel process will require the urgent re-examination of the SBAS and multiple-choice papers of those students who the various school authorities across the region identify as “likely” victims of a system that malfunctioned in some of its operations.
We should therefore have no time for finger-pointing and the unconstructive “us versus them” postures.
The affected students are our collective children. There is a very real sense in which they belong to us all. Likewise, CXC is ours; it belongs to us collectively, and it has served us well and done us proud over the years.
Let all parties therefore come together in constructive dialogue and urgently agree upon and put in place a remedial process in which the affected students can have confidence.
David A comissiong is barbados’s ambassador to caricom. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or dcomissiong@foreign.gov. bb.