CARICOM IMPACS and the Commonwealth Secretariat Collaborating to Prevent and Counter Violent Extremism in the Region

The CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS) and the Commonwealth Secretariat have collaborated to build the capacity of over 110 participants from Trinidad and Tobago and over 300 regional participants to prevent and counter violent extremism in the Region, at a three-day Course on 23^rd - 25^thJuly 2019 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.    Titled: Preventing Violent Extremism Course in CARICOM, the course advances the CARICOM Counter Terrorism Strategy.

Over 130 persons have left the region to support the Islamic State (IS) as Foreign Terrorist Fighters. This presents an urgent threat that CARICOM governments are continuing to address.  (CARICOM IMPACS) and the Commonwealth Secretariat have also pledged support to the Region to Prevent Violent Extremism and Counter Terrorism. 

The Police, Military, Customs, Immigration, Prisons, as well as Government Agencies, Tertiary Level Academia, NGO’s and other Regional Organizations will benefit from both face to face and online video instruction, which will expose them to best practices and support measures. They will also be able to use this platform to discuss key concepts, international agreements and norms. International experiences and regional cooperation in preventing violent extremism is also an area of focus.

The participants will also be provided with an in-depth understanding of both CARICOM IMPACS and the Commonwealth Secretariat Counter Terrorism and Preventing Violent Extremism Programmes.

Ae key objective of the  Preventing Violent Extremism Course in CARICOM  is to build the capacity of stakeholders to develop innovative responses; while promoting the protection of freedom of expression, privacy and other fundamental freedoms.

It is expected that these efforts will provide a detailed understanding to manage returning and relocating foreign terrorist fighters, counter terrorism financing and prevent the exploitation of social media and digital spaces. 

Funded by CARICOM IMPACS and the Commonwealth Secretariat, this initiative ensures that the Commonwealth Secretariat’s assistance package is in synergy with the CARICOM Counter Terrorism Strategy.

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About CARICOM IMPACS

CARICOM IMPACS is the coordinating and implementation arm of the region’s multilateral crime and security management architecture, specifically designed to administer a collective response to the crime and security priorities of its Member States. Its members comprise 15 CARICOM Member States and five Associate States. IMPACS comprises the Headquarters which is located in Trinidad and Tobago and two sub-Agencies, the Joint Regional Communications Centre (JRCC) and the Regional Intelligence Fusion Centre (RIFC). The Agency was responsible developing the CARICOM Counter Terrorism Strategy which was approved in February 2018 by the Conference of CARICOM Heads of Government of CARICOM.

About the Commonwealth Secretariat

The Commonwealth Secretariat is a voluntary association of 53 independent and sovereign states which represent 2.4 billion people across five continents. The Commonwealth Secretariat, based in London (UK), supports member countries to achieve development, democracy and peace through technical assistance and senior level engagement and information exchange. The Commonwealth Secretariat’s CVE Unit was mandated by the Commonwealth Heads of Government to strengthen member countries’ ability to prevent and counter violent extremism.

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