PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) -The Trinidad-based Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) says it has officially commenced the process of developing a new CARICOM Security Strategy (CSS).

The agency, which was established in 2006 as the implementation arm of a new regional architecture to manage CARICOM’s action agenda on crime and security, said the CSS is being developed in “the face of intensifying security threats and a rapidly evolving geopolitical and geo-economic landscape”.

It said that an inaugural meeting of the CSS steering committee was held virtually last week as a critical step toward crafting a strategic, forward-looking and cohesive regional security framework that is responsive to current and future challenges in the Caribbean region.

“The CSS will serve as the region’s principal policy instrument for guiding countries, regional and international entities in response to the growing range of security threats in the Caribbean,” CARICOM IMPACS said.

It said that the strategy will reflect current geopolitical realities, align with regional development priorities and integrate emerging issues such as artificial intelligence (AI), while embedding rights-and-responsibility-based approaches and public health-informed frameworks. It will also drive the modernisation and strengthening of national and regional security institutions to ensure greater adaptability, resilience and effectiveness.

CARICOM IMPACS executive director, Lt Col Michael Jones, said the current environment demands a recalibrated and adaptive regional strategy, “one that strengthens our collective capacity to anticipate, prevent and respond to multidimensional threats.”

“The strategy must reflect the urgency of this moment while offering practical solutions rooted in Caribbean realities and aligned with evolving global norms”, he added.

The steering committee, established to guide the development of the CSS, includes representatives from five CARICOM member states, namely Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, St Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago, as well as the chairs of the CARICOM Standing Committees of Operational Heads (Police, Military, Customs, Immigration, Prisons, and Intelligence).

It also brings together key regional institutions, including the Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), the Barbados-based Regional Security System (RSS), the Trinidad-based Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC), the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the University of the West Indies (UWI).

Members of the private sector and youth representatives, civil society, and international development partners such as Canada, the United Kingdom, the European Union, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) are also represented on the steering committee.

The acting assistant director, Policy, Strategy and Innovation at CARICOM IMPACS, Callixtus Joseph, outlined the core rationale behind the renewed strategy.

He said that the evolving nature, scale, and complexity of today’s threats, alongside the significant transformation of the global and regional security landscape, require new thinking and strategic repositioning. He noted the CSS will provide a forward-looking, action-oriented roadmap.

“This strategy will serve as a unifying framework to drive smarter, faster, and more adaptive responses to evolving threats. It will harness the full potential of frontier technologies such as AI, predictive analytics and digital innovation to strengthen national and regional capabilities and accelerate institutional modernisation.

“Above all, it will reaffirm CARICOM’s unwavering commitment to collective security as the cornerstone of sustainable development, regional resilience and a safer, more prosperous future for all Caribbean citizens”, he added.

CARICOM IMPACS said that the CSS is anticipated to deliver wide-ranging benefits across the region, including crime reduction, improved public safety, a stronger investment climate and greater regional influence in global security governance.

“By strengthening national security capacities, modernising infrastructure, digitising security systems and aligning national policies with regional and international commitments and frameworks, the strategy will equip member states to prevent, detect and respond to threats more effectively, while advancing stability, investor confidence and collective resilience across the Caribbean,” it said.

During the virtual meeting, the members adopted the Steering Committee’s Terms of Reference (ToR), which outlines its mandate to provide strategic oversight, policy direction and quality assurance throughout the development process.

Trinidad and Tobago was elected to serve as chair of the Committee, with Antigua and Barbuda serving as vice-chair.

The steering committee is expected to meet periodically over the coming months as CARICOM IMPACS leads the CSS’s development. The final draft will be presented for endorsement by the Council for National Security and Law Enforcement (CONSLE) and CARICOM Heads of Government.