Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says that the Region must continue to stand in solidarity on free movement, trade and security which are vital to its sustainability.
She was delivering an address at the opening of the 25th Intersessional Meeting of the Caricom Conference of Heads of Government which started on Monday.
“Sustainable development can only be achieved through the free movement of people and goods, reliable transportation across the region has also become a priority, Persad-Bissessar, who is also the Immediate Past Chair of the Caribbean Community told the Heads at the Intersessional meetings currently ongoing in Buccament Bay, St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Persad-Bissessar’s comments were made in the context of the ongoing work of the Caricom Commission on the Economy, which was established to advise the Conference of Heads of Government on solutions that would lead to growth and development, in the wake of economic challenges which faced member states and the Region, according to the Caricom Secretariat.
United approach needed on Arms Trade Treaty
She also identified decisive cooperation to eradicate the threat that crime poses to the safety of the people of Caricom. In this regard, Trinidad and Tobago proposed an amendment to the agenda of the Intersessional meeting for the ratification of the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty and support for Trinidad and Tobago’s Caricom-endorsed Bid to Host the Secretariat in Port of Spain.
“The Arms Trade Treaty provides us with a significant component in the global fight against the trade of conventional arms in illicit markets,” Persad-Bissessar said. To date, 116 states have signed the Treaty, including all Caricom members, except Haiti. Eleven states have ratified the Treaty expressing their consent to be legally bound by its provisions. They are Iceland, Guyana, Antigua and Barbuda, Nigeria, Costa Rica, Mexico, T&T, Grenada, Panama and Norway.
For the Treaty to come into force with the minimum of delay, Article 22 requires the signatures and early ratification by 50 signatory states. Mexico and Chile have already formally pledged support for T&T’s Caricom-endorsed Bid to Host the Treaty Secretariat. However, among member states only Guyana, Antigua and Barbuda, T&T and Grenada have so far ratified the Treaty.
Persad-Bissessar said it is imperative that Caricom member states participate with a unified approach in the negotiations before and after the Treaty becomes operational to ensure that it retains an influential role in the settlement of outstanding issues. These include the selection and funding of the provisional Secretariat provided for in Article 18 of the Treaty; the funding mechanism for the Secretariat; the periodicity of meetings of the Conference of States Parties; and settlement of the Rules of Procedure of the Conference of States Parties.
IMPACS
The prime minister also noted the critical importance of ensuring the sustainability of the Caricom Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS). IMPACS has continued to play a significant role in providing technical assistance to a coordinated approach to crime and security in areas including the Advance Passenger Information System, and the Regional Intelligence Fusion Centre.
Further, she noted that the implementation of the free movement regime and the right of entry of Caricom nationals following the Shanique Myrie ruling will necessarily require greater reliance on and development of the elements of the regional security mechanism which is managed by IMPACS.
Caricom member states have benefited from the agency’s expertise in the negotiations for the UN Arms Trade Treaty and its current implementation phase, as well as provisions under the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI).
Since 2009, the agency has had a significant impact and continues to support national crime fighting agendas. Member states have also benefited from training opportunities in the areas of information and intelligence sharing, border security, cyber security and ballistics.
However, Persad-Bissessar noted that collective effort is needed to secure continued funding for the agency as it has resulted in several successful crime interventions including interdicting drug traffickers, identifying paedophiles, monitoring and preventing, where required, the movement of terrorist elements; and assisting national entities in identifying trends to mitigate the potential threats which could be detrimental to recovering economies.
Notwithstanding these valuable contributions, the agency is in urgent need of financial resources to sustain its operations, meet its contractual obligations to pay staff salaries as well as suppliers and service providers, the prime minister reiterated.
“We have grown to rely not only on the expert services of the Agency, but also on the expertise of its people and we must resolve to be more solemn in our recognition of their contribution. To put at risk our joint investment in regional security infrastructure is a mistake we cannot afford to make,” she said.
Further, the prime minister said, Heads of Government must continue to be in solidarity on actions that will ensure that the Region realises its potential.
“To attain that secure future, to build sustainable development and progress, we must be willing to not only do the work that is required, but also take the tough decisions and fulfil our obligations,” she said.
