By Kimberly Ramkhalawan
March 24, 2023
CDB President and Speaker, Dr Gene Leon is calling for a more regional approach to its security without too much reliance on external financial organisations, and is suggesting the establishment of a Regional Security Trust fund. He says without this, which he views as being critical to the CDB, “if not tackled would lead to the notion of instability in security,” which he says can “work against investments”.
Speaking at the 40th RSS Council of Ministers’ meeting in Grenada on Wednesday, Dr Leon says the regional security framework is a strategic component in its integrated development agenda that cannot be separated from the pillars of environmental and social resilience. But to him, taking this approach means that the region needs to know how to solidify security as a regional public good, and how it must rethink its cooperation and collaboration with strategic development matters.
In laying down his two issues that have been directly linked to the region’s problems, Dr Leon says the approach to donor financing provisions, which have been limited to direct bi-lateral channels as opposed to a cooperative framework aimed addressing gaps in the regional security landscape, has not done much good. And continuing along this current approach implies pursuit of segmented solutions to what are regional challenges, will be less likely to achieve comprehensive and sustainable results. In the second instance, he spoke to the ownership of the space by key actors in the region. Dr Leon says “Currently specific country innovations appear to be driven by access to specific developmental partners financing”. In the spirit of regional collaboration and development outcomes, taking this holistic view he speaks of, he suggests that the region re-examine how to build complementarity and regional public value through stronger coordination with developmental partner agendas and the execution of the regional framework”.
He issued a strong call for the fundamental shift to cooperation, collaboration and financing, which also allows for regional ownership and direction of the security framework. To achieve this, he says we need to find appropriate financing mechanisms.
To this he suggests the CDB’s regional security fund. Highlighting that time is running out, and the need to start today, there is a greater need for the role of the CDB as a strategic partner in the region’ security agenda. He adds that working with the RSS to achieve its strategic objectives to enhance the maritime security capacity of member states, and to counter threats of transnational organized crime and cybercrimes, that have the potential to curtail its trade performance, by destabilizing territorial integrity, maritime sovereignty and border security.
Looking at some of the assistance the bank has already provided to a landmark project in collaboration with the RSS, Dr Leason says it aims to develop an inclusive regional, maritime, security strategy, overarching territorial security policy that would also assist, RSS member states in developing integrated and cohesive frameworks for national security strategies in accordance to CARICOM Crime and security strategy for 2013.
Prioritizing regional security as a public good is also demonstrated through the CARIFORUM, European Union EPA, and CSME standby facility through capacity building projects titled ‘Establishment of Integrated Border Systems for the Organization of the Eastern Caribbean States’. The project is being implemented through a strategic partnership with the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security, IMPACS, and the EU, through the “leveraging of technological advancements and cooperation to improve the collection and use of data for enhancing border system operations and safety through a maritime single window.
Countries will also benefit from a risk management framework that assists the Customs administrations in strengthening safety and security across the region. Dr Leon says the end goal of this 30-month holistic initiative is increased private sector competitiveness that to be achieved through more secure and efficient port systems that can attract greater trade opportunities with global markets.
The establishment of a single secure digital, connected digital government systems and increased use of technological advances in data analytics and intelligence systems can take that regional public value of this particular regional initiative to higher levels than wherever it has attained today.
Something in his view can be labeled as sequential development. Through those interventions, he says the bank has shown to be a key player with the region’s security agencies to promote security as a regional public good, and to approach its support from a programmatic sense.
Meanwhile, Executive Director of the Regional Security System (RSS) Commodore Errington Shurland is expressing concerns over an increase in gun violence in Caribbean member states. Commodore Shurland says the matter is having a “deleterious” effect on some of these states, he describes as stable and peaceful societies. And while the RSS continues its thrust to reduce the impact to against transnational organized crime, climatic events and other natural and manmade disasters for member state, he described re-establishing the structures and enablers for further economic development, inherent to this is the relationship had with the Caribbean Development Bank as a key partner with the RSS.
Achieved considerable results in countering the trafficking of illicit drugs along maritime domain and in weakening the financial strength of transnational criminal actors and strengthening police investigations by the use of digital evidence.
As for 2022, Commodore Shurland shared that 91 successful counter drug missions that were supported by the airwing which resulted in seizures of 918kg of cocaine and 2,172kgs of marijuana, while the digital forensic lab initiated 405 cases submitted by member states as well as The Bahamas.
Through its asset recovery unit, mentored on live cases involving assets valued at over $95M dollars, produced and assisted member states in guiding them in procedures valued at $4.5M, restraints valued at $8.7M, confiscation valued at $227,000 and cast forfeitures at $2.4M. He says they have also provided critical mentorship to the national investigative prosecutorial authorities on money laundering cases before the courts valued at $13.7M through its training institute, delivering training programs for 1,069 persons across the RSS.
He added that coming to the end of the year it renewed its relations with the EU to provide capacity building opportunities in countering transnational organized and in testing the full strength of the RSS response mechanism.
He says all of this could not have been done without its strong partnerships with its allies and the vital contribution it has played in the International development Partners has played with the RSS.
However, Commodore Shurland says the level of gun violence currently plaguing societies can only be happening because there is corruption in Caribbean societies, that allow these weapons entry into the borders through individuals who facilitate such transactions.
Chair of the RSS Council of Ministers, Grenada Prime Minister, Dickon Mitchell as first order of business welcomed Guyana into the fold, the first country to join the RSS in the last thirty years.
He says this is proof that the RSS continues to provide significant value to the region, while in the same breath commended it for adapting to regional converging threats, while recalled its very first RSS mission in 1983, which managed to secure Grenada’s streets, as well as its assistance rendered after the devastation of Hurricane Ivan in 2004.
Mitchell says even as the region emerges from what he calls the most challenging last three years in history, he commended the staff at its headquarters for execution of its duties in some of the most trying circumstances, as it was responsible for transporting COVID-19 samples within the region to CARPHA situated in Trinidad and Tobago for testing, as well as assistance rendered during the La Soufriere volcanic eruptions in St.Vincent and the Grenadines in 2021. He used the opportunity to commend them for their bravery and sterling dedication in serving the region during such circumstances.
PM Mitchell also shared with the panel present that the RSS was working on an execution style hit involving six shots fired on Tuesday night on his island, which resulted in a fatality. He said preliminary investigations suggested the perpetrator may not have been originally from Grenada.
He paid particular thanks to the RSS airwing for providing transport since his coming into office last June, and only recently having the opportunity to fly on a commercial airline last week Thursday in his trip between Grenada and Barbados. However, Mitchell expressed his hope that this challenge of inadequate airlift in the region will soon be addressed allowing the Air Wing to concentrate more fully on one of its primary missions of drug interdiction.”
CDB President and Speaker, Dr Gene Leon illustrated the intersection between security and development in the region as citizen security was also impacted by climate preparedness and resilience. He added this was also linked to socio-economic instability which gives rise to crime as it also correlated to wider gaps in inequality.
Dr Leon says this was reason enough to put the transformational agenda that he spoke of as urgent, because the current socio-economic reality in our region is one that is marked with several setbacks, admittedly, consistent with global trends.
“I believe that our region must transform rapidly, without pause and innovate to address inherent structural weaknesses, to support a stronger and more resilient regional ecosystem that is well protected and secured even in times of economic, social and environmental uncertainty and distress,”
He added that it was time that the region re-examine security as a public good, and especially as a fourth pillar of integration. And while he said that it has shared values and vulnerabilities, it was a natural choice for the region to come together for resolving the potential destabilizing circumstances it can face. Dr Leon says the time had come for it recognize the benefits it has and can accrue in shared ownerships, costs, towards the long term success in addressing security and in creating an enabling bedrock for economic resilience and sustainability.