BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – Senior representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Transparency International, and the World Bank will join other leading figures from academia, the private sector, law enforcement, and civil society this week at the Caribbean Development Bank’s (CDB) 2021 Caribbean Conference on Corruption, Compliance and Cybercrime (3Cs 2021).

The free, virtual conference, now in its second year, will be focused this year on the theme ‘Ending Poverty and Driving Growth: Promoting Good Governance by Curbing Corruption, Money Laundering and Cybercrime in the Caribbean’.

It will be held today and tomorrow via the HopIn virtual conferencing platform.

The event will include discussion fora and keynote presentations, bringing thought leaders from across the world to share and discuss new challenges and solutions for corruption, compliance, and cybercrime in the Caribbean.

Dr Toussant Boyce, head of CDB’s Office of Integrity, Accountability and Compliance, which is coordinating the conference, said:

“Corruption, money laundering, and cybercrime are challenges that, if left unchecked, can have a devastating effect on a country’s development and the region’s potential to end poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth. The COVID-19 pandemic, in particular, has shown us that the perpetrators of these crimes are relentlessly inventive in finding ways to take advantage of crises.

“It’s important for CDB to provide thought leadership to the Caribbean about how to promote good governance through crises. We must share new, bold ideas on how to combat these ills and learn about the ways in which we can sharpen and improve our compliance and oversight functions to keep them at bay.”

Among the highlights will be a high-level panel on day one of the conference featuring Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank Timothy Antoine; World Bank’s Director of Governance Global Practice Edward Olowo-Okere; and CDB’s general counsel Diana Wilson Patrick on The Role of Governance in the drive to End Poverty and Drive Growth in the Caribbean.

Leaders of two major regional organisations will look at how the private sector can curb corruption, money laundering, and cybercrime in the closing CEO Roundtable on day one, which will see president and CEO of Republic Financial Holdings Limited Nigel Baptiste; managing director of Goddard Enterprises Anthony Ali in discussion with CDB vice-president (operations) Isaac Solomon.

The persistent and growing threat of cybercrime will be in focus with a session focusing specifically on new developments in the area.

A panel of regional and international experts, including cybercrime expert and former FBI special agent Jason Manar and Professor Lloyd Waller will examine topics such as the new cybercrime methods and tools being used by perpetrators and ways of combatting same.

Last year over 800 participants attended the inaugural 3Cs 2021, and this year a similar number of attendees is expected to participate in the various sessions and discussion during the two-day conference.