KINGSTON, Jamaica — Member of Parliament for East Rural St Andrew, Juliet Holness, is currently attending the Caribbean Regional Workshop for Parliamentarians and Policy Makers on Cyber Security in Washington DC. The workshop began on the 17th of October and will end on the 20th.

According to the Communications Unit at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), the workshop is organised in partnership between the Commonwealth Parliaments Association (CPA) and the Organisation of American States (OAS) as a part of the OAS’s Cyber Security Program and will bring together an audience of parliamentarians and policymakers across the region as well as high-profile experts from international and non-governmental organisations, civil society and academia.

Holness said: “We depend heavily on the Internet, it brings many opportunities and while it facilitates this openness, it also makes individuals and companies easy prey for hackers and fraudsters. The government has a responsibility and a mandate to ensure that cyber security is high on the national agenda.”

The workshop seeks to strengthen parliamentarians’ awareness of cyber security threats and promote the implementation of appropriate legislative scrutiny and oversight mechanisms in their respective jurisdictions and aims to produce an international e-Handbook on cyber security.

Holness is joined by Member of Parliament for South Eastern St Andrew Julian Robinson. She left the island on Monday, October 17, after celebrating National Heroes Day events.