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SUMMARY OF SPEECHES DELIVERED AT THE OPENING SESSION OF THE SEMINAR
ANNEX 1
1.
Speech of Mr. Hugo C. Lane, Director.
ILO Area Office in Manila
This
On behalf of the International Labour Office, the Director of the Area Office welcomed all the participants to the Asian Regional Seminar on Social Security, National Economy and Planning. He was grateful to the generous co-operation of the Government of the Philippines in hosting the seminar and in making available the facilities and services which were so important for the success and to the Norwegian Agency for International Development for providing the funds which made the convocation of the seminar possible. He considered that every country represented in the seminar was genuinely determined to reconcile the economic and social a nd human factors in development policy in order that the economy should fulfil its social function of meeting human need and enlarging human freedom. fundamentally was the objective set by the Strategy of the Second United Nations Development Decade and it was in this context that the ILO convened this regional seminar on the undisputed grounds that social security had a vital place in social and economic planning and that there was now a clear need for the integration of social security schemes in national development programmes. If the progress made in social security was regarded as a barometer of the social concern of governments the evolving situation in many Asian countries was encouraging. A realistic approach was being taken to the selection of contingencies, and various types of practical measures were being undertaken. Viewed over-all a very substantial foundation was laid. First was the elaboration of schemes providing protection against both short- term and long-term contingencies consistent with the countries' social and economic development. Anot her, of equal importance, was the extension of social security cover to large numbers of workers who were completely without protection, namely agriculture, domestic, casual and independent workers and those employed by small enterprises. The practical difficulties to be faced were certainly formidable. These difficulties could be overcome, however. The ILO convened the seminar as a first major step at regional level on this direction. A stage was now reached, for social security was widely recognised as a major weapon in the struggle against mass poverty, and it should therefore become an integral part of long-term national and regional development strategy. In order to achieve this, it was necessary to have a thorough understanding of the problems involved; i.e. those of economics, of planning, of administration. Such an understanding should then be the springboard for action. This was the challenge set before this seminar. It was designed to include all the principal parties concerned, namely development planners from government social security experts and specialists from employers' and workers' organisations.
in
the
Mr. Lane was confident that the seminar would emerge as a milestone development and expansion of social security and as such would be a worthy achievement in our common on ward progress towards social justice for all the peoples of this region.
2.
Speech delivered by Dr. Manual 0. Hizon, Chairman Permanent Committee of Actuaries and Statisticians, ISSA
As the Chairman of the Permanent Committee of Actuaries and Statisticians cf the International Social Security Association, and on behalf of the President of the Association, Mr. Hizon conveyed to the seminar the warm greetings and best wishes for the success of its work. The ISSA was collaborating very closely with the ILC. As a matter of fact, in all international conferences, round-table meetings, the ILO representative was always present whenever the ISSA holds such international meetings.
He then informed the participants of the selection of a new Secretary-General of the ISSA which would take place in the month of October, following the retirement of
the present incumbent. He then referred to the Asian representation at the Bureau
of his Association.
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