It was a joint undertaking between the ACS, Human Rights Internet (HRI), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO), the Regional Coordinator of Economic and Social Research (CRIES), the University of the West Indies (UWI), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The Seminar’s topics emerged from the basic premise that violent conflict is costly in human and material terms and must be prevented in order to sustain economic and social development. Indeed, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appealed for an international policy shift from a culture of reaction to a culture of prevention.

In his keynote address Ambassador Ramdin stated that when we “survey the global landscape and witness situations of war, civil unrest and ethnic strife, escalating economic opportunities and environmental degradation, it is clear that addressing the issues of peace and conflict are more important than ever.” In order to build a culture of peace there must be an “understanding of the nexus between peace, security and development.”

In this vein, the Seminar focused on such contemporary security threats as trafficking in persons, arms and drugs, and issues relating to regional tourism and security.  It also covered youth violence and violence in schools.  The goal of the Seminar was to identify threats to stability with an aim to building institutional capacity in areas of governance. In the final session, which included reflections on the design of public policy for creating conditions for sustainable peace and development, the organizations involved drafted a joint plan of recommendations for the future.

About the ACS

The Association of Caribbean States is the organization for consultation, cooperation and concerted action in trade, transport, sustainable tourism and natural disasters in the Greater Caribbean. Its Member States are Antigua & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago and Venezuela. Its Associate Members are Aruba , France on behalf of French Guiana , Guadeloupe , and Martinique , and the Netherlands Antilles .

For further information, please contact:

Denise Lewis Martínez
Communications Officer
Association of Caribbean States
E-mail: communications@acs-aec.org
Tel : 1-868-622-9575
Fax : 1-868-622-1653