By Elaine Hartman Reckord
KINGSTON, Jamaica, (JIS) – Emphasis will be placed on improving regional security at the upcoming meeting of the conference of heads of government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
The Meeting will be held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St James, from July 6 to 8, under the theme ‘People, Partnerships, Prosperity: Promoting a Secure and Sustainable Future.’
Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, is the incoming CARICOM chair from July 1 to December 31, 2025, and will preside over the meeting.
Speaking at a recent Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Thank, held at the Agency’s Television Department in Kingston, minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade, senator Kamina Johnson Smith, said that security will be a “big issue” on the agenda. She noted that the focus aligns with the theme, as peace, stability and security are essential for sustainable prosperity in the region.
Senator Johnson Smith highlighted that prime minister Holness had raised the matter at several international and regional forums, including the United Nations and the National Security Council.
“I have supported his call when I have spoken as well for increased global collaboration on the matter of transnational organised crime,” she said. The prime minister has urged that this issue receive the same level of attention, resources, and coordination as the global war on drugs.
According to the minister, the flow of guns and the interconnected networks of gangs represent “the new threat to States,” she explained. “The issue is less about ideology in certain circumstances and now more about gangs seeking power through profit and through terror. So that’s one of the major areas that we’ll be focusing on.”
In addition to security, the minister said that the Meeting will address how the region can best navigate an “increasingly dynamic and sometimes uncertain global trade environment.”
Senator Johnson Smith also pointed out that prime minister Holness will chair the prime ministerial sub-committee on external trade negotiations.
“So, work has been taking place behind the scenes in terms of understanding where we are as member states and then as a region, in terms of what may change around us in respect of tariffs and other trade-related matters,” she added.
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