CARIBBEAN SECURITY CONFERENCE 2020.
From 27 – 31 July
2020, CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) will host
the first-ever Virtual Security Conference in the Caribbean Community
(CARICOM), under the heading of ‘Securing Our Caribbean Community Within The
Era Of Covid-19 and Beyond’.
The crisis
presented by coronavirus (COVID-19) is unprecedented in CARICOM. In response to
the COVID-19 outbreak, Governments across the Region imposed several measures,
including social distancing, restrictions, border closures and suspension of
non-essential services to prevent the spread of the pandemic. In support of
these measures, law enforcement, and security officials played a crucial role to
prevent and control the spread of the virus, while at the same time managing
and operating within the changing multi-dimensional security environment.
In an effort to
understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the security
environment and the operations of law enforcement and security officials, as
well as to identify best practices that can be applied to similar situations in
the future; CARICOM IMPACS will bring together a network of practitioners,
security experts, government officials, academics, private sector
representatives and civil society officials to discuss the challenges, impact
and implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Security of our Region. The
Virtual Conference will address the following thematic areas such as:
- Peace, Security & Development – A Roadmap For The Future In The
Context of COVID-19;
- Criminality & Organised Crime During COVID-19: Present and
Future Trends;
- Policing In The Time of a Pandemic- Lessons Learnt;
- Enhancing Cyber Security In The Age of COVID-19;
- COVID-19 & the Future of Borders;
- Crisis and Gender-Based Violence;
- Climate Change and Security- Building Resilience in Small Island
Developing States (SIDS)
- Impact and Implications of COVID-19 on Prisons and Correctional
Services; and
- Maritime Security and the Blue Economy
CONFERENCE
OBJECTIVES
The CARICOM
Virtual Security Conference will gather leading representatives from
government, regional and international agencies, academia, private sector and
civil society organisations to discuss the impact and implications of COVID 19
and measures to respond.
Specifically, the Virtual Security
Conference will:
- Consider
how COVID-19 is shaping the security landscape today and in the future;
- Identify
how COVID-19 has impacted criminality and organized crime and the
implications for the future;
- Facilitate
constructive exchange of information, best practices and lessons
identified during the COVID-19 outbreak, so that states can strengthen
their abilities to continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and
prepare and response to future pandemics;
- Assess
and evaluate the threats and opportunities created by the COVID-19
pandemic;
- Explore
how the pandemic impacted law enforcement and security officials roles,
responsibilities and standard operating procedures, resilience, and food
security among other issues;
- Provide
a consultative forum for discussion between leading practitioners and
representatives from the government, regional and international agencies,
academia, private sector, and civil society. This is especially important
when speaking of Border Security and border movements post-pandemic.
CONFERENCE OUTCOME
The Virtual Conference will serve as
source material for the development of a “Lessons Learnt and Guidance
Document for Preparing for and Responding to Threats such as Pandemics and
other crises”.
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