Trinidad and Tobago, May 22nd-23rd, 2024 - The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), through its Global Cybercrime Programme under the project "Tackling Cybercrime: Strengthening Legislation, Law Enforcement, and International Cooperation (Phase III)", funded by the United Kingdom (UK), and in collaboration with the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), hosted a regional meeting. This event, titled “Regional Meeting of Communication Regulators of the Caribbean and the Private Sector to Discuss Proactive Actions to Prevent Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation and Develop Standards of Collaboration in Countering This Crime”, aimed to bolster efforts against online child sexual abuse and exploitation.
Participants included representatives from both the public and private sectors across 11 Caribbean countries: Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Maarten, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turks and Caicos. A total of 54 professionals attended, encompassing National Telecommunications Regulatory Commissions, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (including the Cyber and Social Unit, the Department of Special Victims, the Child Protection Unit, and the Financial Investigation Unit), the Ministry of Attorney General and Legal Affairs (AGLA) of Trinidad and Tobago, INTERPOL, technical advisers of the communication regulators, CTU Member States, operators such as Internet service providers, the private sector, CARICOM IMPACS, and international experts from the UK, the USA's Homeland Security (HSI-ICE), UNICRI, Chain Analysis, Western Union, Binance, former police officers from the USA, and UNODC.
The opening ceremony featured addresses from Mr. Rodney Taylor, Secretary-General of the CTU, and a video message from Mrs. Harriet Cross, the British High Commissioner to Trinidad & Tobago. Additionally, Mr. Kevin Aston from the British High Commission and Ms. Lourdes Gutiérrez, the Regional Coordinator for Central America and the Caribbean from the UNODC Global Programme on Cybercrime, were present. Their support and guidance were instrumental in the success of this initiative.
The primary objectives of the meeting were to enhance international cooperation at regional and international levels, including collaboration with the private sector; promote the exchange of best practices; and increase the ability to detect and respond to the risks and threats of transnational online child sexual abuse and exploitation, as well as other severe forms of cybercrime.
