KINGSTON, Jamaica — National Security Minister Robert Montague is now in Antigua where he is attending the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) Caribbean Stakeholders Meeting focusing on Cyber Security and Cybercrime.

The security ministry in a release today said that the meeting, which has as its theme “Developing a regional and common message to raise awareness on Cyber Security threats in the Caribbean”, will seek to: inform delegates of the state of cybercrime in the Caribbean; provide insight on building a Strategic Cyber Security Awareness Campaign; and develop a model Cyber Security Awareness and Education Campaign.

The CTU says together with the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS), the Organisation of American States, and the Commonwealth Secretariat, two Caribbean stakeholders meetings were convened to foster a regional, coordinated approach to building more effective Cyber Security and combating cybercrime.

 The outcome of these meetings resulted in the development of a comprehensive Cyber Security and Cybercrime Action Plan that identifies five priority areas of intervention for addressing Cyber Security and cybercrime issues in the CARICOM region.

 These five priority areas are: Public Awareness, Building Sustainable Capacity, Technical Standards and Infrastructure, legal Environment and Regional and International Cooperation Collaboration – Incident Response, Cybercrime.        

The Caribbean Telecommunications Union says the issues of Cyber Security and Cybercrime are borderless; hence the CARICOM Cyber Security and Cybercrime Action Plan will serve as the platform on which all Caribbean countries can collaborate.

Executive Director of CARICOM IMPACS, Francis Forbes will give an overview of the current status of Cyber Security in the Caribbean and the need for a collaborative approach.

Participants include representatives from ministries of national security, information technology, attorneys general, chief justices, and police commissioners.

Representatives from international development agencies, academia, the financial services sector, private, and civil society organisations are also attending the meeting.v