Anti-corruption groups meeting in Jamaica

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Apr 24, CMC – The Commonwealth Caribbean Association of Integrity Commissions and Anti-corruption Bodies (CCAICACB) began a five-day conference here on Monday that the organisers said provides an opportunity to share best practices and develop mechanisms for tackling corruption regionally.
Jamaica is hosting for the first time, the third staging of the regional conference being facilitated through the London-based Commonwealth Secretariat.
Contractor General Dirk Harrison said the sharing of practical operational experiences among anti-corruption bodies from across the region will be part of the conference agenda.
“The main objective is to see ways in which we can develop our own systems and programmes for the betterment of the countries. It’s looking at how we actually investigate, and how we share and gather information. We have sought, through the Commonwealth Secretariat, to ensure that we have a number of partners on board that we can share best practices and learn from each other,” he said.
The conference brings together at least 30 international delegates including Commonwealth Deputy Secretary General, Deodat Maharaj and Governance and Anti-Corruption Advisor, Dr. Roger Koranteng, as well as CCAICACB, Chairman, Lady Anande Trotman-Joseph.
Harrison said a regional document will be formulated based on recommendations from the country papers delivered at the event, which will provide a legally binding framework to guide members of the CCAICACB in implementing practices agreed on.
“We at the Office of the Contractor General have never believed that we can do it alone, as we know one hand can’t clap, so importantly, we continue to forge friendships and to share with our regional and local partners,” he said.
The Contractor General emphasised the importance of Jamaica hosting the conference and engaging with the region on the issue of corruption, as the country is a signatory to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC).
The conference is being held under the theme: ‘The Anti-Corruption Agenda – Today, Tomorrow, the Region and Beyond’.
The CCAICACB hosted the first conference in Grenada in 2015 and the second in Trinidad in 2016. It comprises 11 Commonwealth Caribbean countries, namely Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia, Dominica, Turks and Caicos, Antigua and Barbuda, Cayman Islands, St. Kitts and Nevis, Guyana, St. Vincent and Anguilla.
The group encourages Integrity Commissions and Anti-Corruption Bodies to develop and implement meaningful and effective strategies to achieve effective control of corruption.