Guyana inks two security sector support agreements with U.S. - will receive additional U.S.$860,000 in security assistance under the Obama-led CBSI programme
Written by, Friday, 01 February 2013 21:56, Source
MINISTER of Foreign Affairs Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and United States Ambassador Brent Hardt yesterday signed two agreements which will see the U.S. government supporting Guyana in the improvement of its security sector.
Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and U.S. Ambassador Brent Hardt shake hands after signing the Letter of Agreement to modify specific objectives under the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, yesterday. (Adrian Narine photos)
The first agreement is an amendment to the Letter of Agreement previously concluded between the two countries under the President Barack Obama-led Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) in April 2011 and will provide an additional U.S.$860,000 to facilitate cooperation in the areas of the rule of law and anti-corruption, law enforcement professionalisation support which will include border and ports, strengthening counter-narcotics control capabilities and money laundering and financial crimes.
Under the modified CBSI pact, the Guyana Government will benefit from assistance in law-enforcement training and enhanced port security. Immigration officers will be trained to detect fraudulent documents and illicit smuggling of goods and persons.
During a media briefing after the signing of the agreement in the ministry’s boardroom, Minister Rodrigues-Birkett stressed that security has been on top of the agenda, not only for Guyana but for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) as a whole.
Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and U.S. Ambassador Brent Hardt during yesterday’s signing ceremony, in the presence of Director-General in the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Elizabeth Harper, and other officials.
She added that in a few weeks there will be a meeting of heads of government in Haiti, at which the main subject that will be addressed is security.
The minister noted that recently some additional initiatives were outlined by the Government of Guyana and more specifically, by Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee with respect to the security sector and the signing of the agreements would in fact complement what has already been done.
“We know that for us to achieve a full citizen security it is not just the business of the government, but it is the business of all of the citizens and we are very pleased that a number of organisations and individuals have come forward to support our security sector plan and we hope that others would come on board shortly,” she stated.
In addition, she stressed that even as they work on security at the national level, it is impossible to achieve a large degree of success without the cooperation of other countries in the Region as well.
“We are therefore very pleased that the United States has continued to support us, of course under the rubric of the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative which is an initiative between CARICOM and the United States of America...” she asserted.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Hardt explained that the CBSI, which was first launched in May 2010, is a security partnership that has allowed the countries to work together to develop a comprehensive regional response to security, law enforcement and social challenges affecting the safety of citizens throughout the Caribbean.
He noted that at the most recent ministerial-level CBSI meeting in Trinidad and Tobago last December, the U.S., Guyana and other Caribbean partners marked the extraordinary partnership and recommitted themselves to the priorities of substantially reducing illicit trafficking, advancing public security, and promoting social justice.
“The signing of this 2012-2013 Letter of Agreement brings total CBSI funding allocated to the United States’ partnership with Guyana to US$1.5 million...This additional funding is significantly boosting cooperation and coordination between U.S. and Guyanese authorities and among Caribbean countries to address regional security challenges that transcend borders,” he stated.
INFORMATION-SHARING NETWORK
In addition, the second agreement which was signed yesterday is the Cooperative Sensor Information Integration (CSII).
Minister Rodrigues-Birkett explained that according to this agreement, the Cooperative Sensor and Information Integration System is an internet-based, information-sharing network that allows the participants to fuse data on air-borne, maritime and ground tracks in order to develop a common operating picture.
Ambassador Hardt pointed out that the CBSI partners had decided that their efforts to reduce illicit trafficking would benefit from security forces developing and working from a common maritime and airspace strategy.
“That is why the United States proposed the CSII programme to its CBSI partners so we can all share land, sea and air traffic data in order to detect, monitor and interdict illicit activities in the Caribbean,” he related.
He noted that in signing the agreement, Guyana has become the sixth CSII participating Caribbean nation, joining Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Dominica, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. (Nadine Sanchara)
