GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador, Ag 20, CMC – Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries are expected to indicate next year, their willingness to be part of the Alliance for Security, Justice, and Development that is intended to coordinate the implementation of public policies and resource mobilization to address, with a new approach, the challenges to economic and social development posed by organized crime in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The alliance was proposed at the Regional Security Summit that ends here later on Tuesday. A second summit will be convened along with the Caribbean justice and security ministers in December 2025 in Barbados.
So far, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay have indicated their willingness to join the Alliance as proposed by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
Ecuador has committed to assuming the first presidency of the Alliance, and the IDB announced that it will serve as the technical secretariat.
The IDB said that through the alliance, it would provide financing, assistance, and technical advice to governments to expand successful, evidence-based interventions; launch innovative pilot initiatives to prevent and address crime and violence; and build institutional capacities. As a result, it would magnify regional experiences, ensure the sustainability of policies, and mobilize resources for countries’ security and justice systems.
The alliance would also complement existing networks and platforms by giving countries opportunities to dialogue, cooperate, and exchange knowledge with each other.
Crime and violence stand in the way of development and economic growth in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The IDB estimates that they lop an average of 3.5 per cent off countries’ gross domestic product (GDP), taking into account loss of human capital and public and private funds spent to address crime.
The alliance aims to allay widespread violence and, in turn, promote sustainable economic development and social cohesion.
CMC/ad/ir/2024