The 24th Council for National Security and Law Enforcement (CONSLE) Meeting opened on Thursday in Jamaica, highlighting the relevance of regional integration amid increased security challenges.
Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Assistant Secretary-General (ASG), Human and Social Development Alison Drayton, addressed the subject at the opening.
“The challenges that threaten our security have put in sharp focus the need for increased emphasis on the relevance of regional integration and functional cooperation to the Community in its approach to security,” she told her audience.
And Drayton spoke of the need for increased cooperation and information sharing among the Member States.
The senior CARICOM official observed that the CONSLE meeting in Jamaica was the first face-to-face gathering since the COVID-19 pandemic.
In this regard, she noted that the last two-and-a-half years worsened the pre-existing crime and security issues and created new issues that CARICOM needs to address as a unified body.
“The Regional Response Mechanisms had to be strengthened through inter-sectoral cooperation within regional security to protect our citizens and we worked well with other sectors,” Drayton recalled.
She said the intensification and diversification of risks and threats to CARICOM are occurring against fundamental shifts to the broader global environment.
As a result, Drayton explained that the meeting was an opportunity to strengthen cooperation and shared responsibility to safeguard and preserve the peace, security, and socio-economic development of the region’s nations and citizens.
“The Secretariat remains committed to supporting your efforts through our technical team and at the forefront of our agenda is keeping our citizens safe,” she declared.
Headline photo: Alison Drayton (Image courtesy Jamaica National Security Ministry)
