The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) is committed to working with Member States to disrupt, dismantle and defeat organised crime within its borders, with particular attention to corruption, money laundering and the facilitators of crime.

Speaking at a meeting entitled “Roadmap towards greater Caribbean cooperation and coordination on Anti-Corruption and Illicit Finance” which was held from 20-23 May 2024, in Miami, Florida, Lt. Col. Michael Jones, Executive Director, CARICOM IMPACS, explained that the CARICOM Crime and Security Strategy which guides the work of the Agency identifies corruption as a significant threat to the Caribbean Region.

“The Strategy ranks it among other threats such as human trafficking, smuggling, violent extremism, terrorism and climate change. While the impact of corruption is not always tangible, it is no less severe. It reaches far beyond financial losses, sowing seeds of distrust, hindering development, and undermining democratic institutions, judicial systems and law enforcement,” he lamented.

Lt. Col. Jones stated that success in this regard at the regional level, necessitates the presence of political determination, sustained momentum and substantial investments of resources.

The Meeting was a collaboration between CARICOM IMPACS and the United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO). It was facilitated by Wilton Park, which is an executive agency of the FCDO, that brings together experts, policy and decision makers to solve complex global issues. The aim of the Meeting was to determine the most effective way forward to enhance regional cooperation in order to address the issues of corruption and illicit finance in the CARICOM Region and served as a platform to develop its thinking and action on the commitment made by Caribbean Heads of Government at a Regional Symposium on Crime and Violence as a Public Health Issue held in April 2023 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

At that Symposium, the Conference of Heads of Government declared, inter alia, that CARICOM would “establish an entity under IMPACS to assist in the containment of corruption and financial crimes, including money laundering and cybercrimes, through greater collaboration to harmonise related legislation and operational processes.”

Lt. Col. Jones added that since the Symposium, CARICOM IMPACS developed its own plan of action to determine how best to operationalise this new directive. “Our foremost focus was to enhance our own understanding of the current state of play in the region and to determine what our Members and Associate Member States require from us to tackle these issues,” he said.

It is in this regard, that the Agency spent the past few months mobilising resources and consulting with national and regional policy and technical practitioners involved in the work of addressing anti-corruption and illicit finance. CARICOM IMPACS’ aim was to determine what currently exists at the national and regional levels; to identify where gaps exist, and to highlight and share some of the best practices from within CARICOM to learn from and potentially model.

Following these consultations, CARICOM IMPACS worked in partnership with the FCDO and Wilton Park to convene the dialogue for CARICOM Ministers of National Security in Miami, Florida, where the opportunity was used by Member States to discuss in-depth the challenges in addressing illicit finance and corruption including the shortfalls in institutional capacity, limited financial and human resources, the need to strengthen legislation and the criminal justice system to become more effective in prosecuting these complex crimes.

Discussions also centered around the need for enhanced coordination and collaboration among countries to address illicit finance and corruption across the region, and for improved data collection, information sharing and harmonised approaches.