BUCHAREST, ROMANIA—- On Wednesday, October 9th, 2019, the Social Economic Council (SER) of Sint Maarten was re-elected to the international board of the International Association of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions (AICESIS) during its General Assembly in Romania. This is yet another outstanding achievement for Sint Maarten that allows our country to participate on major decision-making policies and regulations on an international platform.
AICESIS is a worldwide organization representing more than seventy (70) member states from four (4) different continents. AICESIS functions as an important international organization for social and economic policy
SER Sint Maarten was reappointed to the board of AICESIS for the second time since 2015.
Sint Maarten will represent the region of Latin America and the Caribbean together with the members Dominican Republic and Curaçao. SER Sint Maarten’s membership on the board means that Sint Maarten has a voice with regard to various socio-economic subject matters affecting the region of the Caribbean and Latin America. SER Sint Maarten now has the opportunity to propose, present and negotiate policy proposals with various members states which each member can use to advise its respective government. These proposals should ultimately serve to benefit the people of Sint Maarten. For example, with respect to changes in labor regulations, Sint Maarten could adapt new ideas related to technological change; these changes should be in line with the changes in labor and social protection legislation and the governing accord of the government of Sint Maarten.
In Bucharest the countries from four (4) continents gathered to discuss social and economic topics, exchange best practices, and plan future activities. The delegation of Sint Maarten consisted of SER chairman Ir. Damien Richardson, and Secretary-General, Gerard Richardson. During the General Assembly, the members of AICESIS voted to install the new board for the years 2019-2021. The president of the Economic, Social, Environment and Cultural Council of the Ivory Coast, Charles Koffi Diby was elected President of the international board of AICESIS.
On October 10th AICESIS teamed up with the International Labor Organization (ILO), topics of concern were governance of the Digital Economy: The Strategic Role of Social Dialogue through the Social Economic Councils. One of the objectives of the conference was to publicize and share with the ILO the activities of the institutions on these issues. Various countries, through presentations, shared their views and concerns on the topic. In addition to the general framework of changes related to the future of work, specific issues related to the effects of the digital economy (platform economy and changing social regulations) were also examined.
For this occasion, the Chairman Ir. Damian Richardson took part in the panel discussion and gave a brief presentation on the importance of ‘manufacturing change’; focusing on diversification of the technological industry and the tools that are implemented to evaluate and achieve such goals, in order to foster opportunities that affect the various levels of our environmental and human experience.
The re-election of Sint Maarten on the AICESIS board serves as an example that after the devastation of the country due to Hurricane Irma and Maria, SER Sint Maarten is once again ready to expand on its local responsibilities to the people of Sint Maarten on an international level.
Picture 1 L to R: SER Chairman, Ir Damian Richardson and Secretary-General, Gerard Richardson