Paradise Island, Bahamas - The following is a Joint-Statement released at the closing ceremony at the Second Caribbean United States Security Cooperation Dialogue.
NASSAU, Bahamas -- The Hon O.A.T. “Tommy” Turnquest Minister of National Security introduces Prime Minister the Rt Hon Hubert A Ingraham at the Second Caribbean-United States Security Cooperation Dialogue opening ceremony in the Atlantis Theatre, November 10. Sitting on the dais from left: Carl Francis Smith, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of National Security; Her Excellency Nicole Avant, United States Ambassador to The Bahamas; The Hon Janet Napolitano, United States Secretary of Homeland Security; Prime Minister of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas the Rt Hon Hubert Ingraham and Chairman, Council for National Security and Law Enforcement. (BIS photo/Kristaan Ingraham)
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CARIBBEAN BASIN SECURITY
INITIATIVE
JOINT STATEMENT
SECOND CARIBBEAN-UNITED
STATES (US) SECURITY COOPERATION DIALOGUE
10 November 2011
Nassau, The Bahamas
We, the Governments
of
Antigua and Barbuda;
The Bahamas;
Barbados;
Belize;
the Commonwealth of Dominica;
the Dominican Republic;
Grenada;
the Coo-operative Republic of Guyana;
the Republic
of Haiti;
Jamaica; St. Kitts and Nevis;
Saint Lucia;
St. Vincent and the Grenadines;
the Republic of Suriname;
the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago; and
the United States of
America,
REAFFIRMING
our commitment to the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) Partnership
launched on 27 May, 2010, at the Inaugural Caribbean-US Security Cooperation
Dialogue in Washington, D.C.;
REAFFIRMING
also our keen interest in advancing our commitments stated in the
Caribbean-United States Declaration of Principles; the
Caribbean-United States Plan of Action on Security Cooperation;
and the
Joint Caribbean-United States Framework for Security Cooperation
Engagement;
RECALLING the
2010 Commitment of Bridgetown and the 2011 Joint Press Release on the
US-Caribbean Ministerial Meeting, which celebrated the strong spirit
of cooperation underlying the CBSI Partnership;
RECOGNIZING
the key security priorities identified over this past year by the CBSI
Technical Working Groups and outlined in the Joint Implementation Report;
UNDERSCORING
the value of international partner support and the need to maximize
the effectiveness and sustainability of that support in order to reduce
duplication of efforts and generate a more effective impact in advancing
common security objectives in the Caribbean; and
ACKNOWLEDGING
the importance of greater regional coordination and sustainability of
our efforts over the long-term to effectively address crime and violence
in the Caribbean to advance the safety and security of our citizens
and countries;
JOINTLY PLEDGE
to work together in a spirit of partnership and mutual respect to –
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Strengthen the Caribbean
Community (CARICOM) security structure and institutions, such as the
CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS), and improve
ties between CARICOM and the Dominican Republic, in order to more effectively
promote regional and international coordination, the sharing of best
practices, and the implementation of the CBSI to address the security
challenges facing the Caribbean.
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Develop and
implement
sustainable programmes to address the security challenges in the Caribbean
region.
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Adopt
policy and legislative reforms, as appropriate, in accordance with national
laws to implement information sharing mechanisms on a region-wide basis,
including the sharing of –
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radar and sensor data for
the purpose of detecting, monitoring, and interdicting illicit
activities in the Caribbean; and
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law enforcement information
such as fingerprint and ballistics data in order to strengthen the fight
against crime.
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Develop
a common strategy, as well as standard operating procedures or other
measures including, as appropriate, those provided in the
Caribbean
Regional Maritime Agreement1and the
CARICOM
Maritime and Airspace Security Cooperation Agreement, that allow
for the coordination of maritime interdiction efforts between and among
Caribbean countries, to include regional security institutions such
as the Regional Security System (RSS).
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Adopt a sustained
approach to citizen safety in the Caribbean by strengthening budgetary
measures to meet recurring security costs.
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Develop a sustainable
regional defence, maritime and security training capacity in the Caribbean
that utilizes existing national and regional training facilities and
expertise to establish and maintain standards for regional training.
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Enact, as necessary,
and
harmonise legislation in the Caribbean that allows for the
seizure of assets used in illicit activity and, in turn, makes these
assets available to support law enforcement and crime prevention initiatives
as a means to strengthen national and regional security capabilities.
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Adopt a coordinated
approach for engaging development partners in the implementation of
social development and crime prevention initiatives;
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Establish a regional
repository of best practices in the areas of crime prevention and social
justice to facilitate networking, policy development, and programming.
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Develop a regional
juvenile justice policy and harmonised legislation promoting community
intervention and alternatives to sentencing and incarceration.
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Create a mechanism
for dissemination of information on CBSI and national efforts to address
crime and violence in the Caribbean.
NASSAU, Bahamas -- The Hon Janet Napolitano, United States Secretary of Homeland Security brings remarks at the Second Caribbean-United States Security Cooperation Dialogue opening ceremony in the Atlantis Theatre, November 10. (BIS photo/Kristaan Ingraham)
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NASSAU, Bahamas -- Her Excellency Nicole Avant United States Ambassador to The Bahamas introduces Secretary of Homeland Security the Hon Janet Napolitano, United States Secretary of Homeland Security at the Second Caribbean-United States Security Cooperation Dialogue opening ceremony in the Atlantis Theatre, November 10. (BIS photo/Kristaan Ingraham)
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NASSAU, Bahamas -- The Hon Dr Errol Cort, Chairman, Council for National Security and Law Enforcement and Minister of National Security, Antigua and Barbuda brings remarks at the Second Caribbean-United States Security Cooperation Dialogue opening ceremony in the Atlantis Theatre, November 10. (BIS photo/Kristaan Ingraham)
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