KINGSTON, Jamaica — In his address at the 8th High Level Forum on the Korea-Caribbean Partnership, in Seoul, Korea on Wednesday, Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Pearnel Charles Jr, underscored the importance of international cooperation in matters of security, as Jamaica, along with the rest of the world, strives to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

“We attach great importance to the inextricable link between partnerships and development, underpinned by the 17 targets of the United Nations (UN) SDGs. We must accept that, jointly, all countries no matter their size or classification of development have a role to play in enhancing the global security landscape,” stated Charles.

Speaking under the sub theme, ‘Practical Cooperation for Promoting Peace and Strengthening Security – Cybercrime, Piracy and Human Trafficking’, the state minister detailed Jamaica’s progress in tackling the aforementioned breaches to national, regional and international security.

Noting that “public awareness must be at the centre of the national response to cyber threats,” the state minister informed the three-day forum of Jamaica’s Stop.Think.Connect. cyber security campaign and the country’s national observance of Cyber Security Awareness Month in October.

The state minister also informed the forum of Jamaica’s 2015 amendment of Jamaica’s Copyright Act to address digital piracy.