KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of National Security, Robert Montague recently met with St Lucia’s Minister of National Security, Hermangild Francis and the executive of the Regional Security System as they discussed a number of issues concerning multilateral areas of cooperation in securing the cyber capacity of the region.

The meetings, which took place at the Caribbean Stakeholders conference on Cyber Security and Cybercrime in Antigua from March 20-24, was attended by national security ministers from the region, executives of the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS), and other Caribbean security executives.

The talks centred on establishing a proactive approach to cooperation across the region for the sharing of intelligence, technical assistance and Jamaica’s participation in regional security efforts.

The cyber security and cybercrime conference facilitated discussion among Caribbean stakeholders under the theme, “Developing a regional message to raise awareness on Cyber security threats in the Caribbean.”

Montague’s attendance at the conference comes amidst recent developments concerning Jamaica’s Cybercrime Act.

As head of the Jamaican delegation to the conference he participated in several sessions on the current status of cyber security in the Caribbean and the need for a collaborative approach and awareness as main priorities.

The conference highlighted several challenges that the Caribbean faces, such as the lack of a joint and coordinated approach to a cyber-attack, lack of awareness among Caribbean populations and the need for a legal and technical framework for this to be established.