BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – IN keeping with its pledge to reduce hemispheric crime, the Organisation of American States (OAS) has reaffirmed its commitment to crime prevention by sending a delegation to next week’s regional conference on Youth Crime and Violence.
The conference, which will be held at the Marriott Resort and Royal Beach Casino from June 22 to 23, will mobilise regional and international security officials and experts under the theme “Confronting the challenges of youth crime and violence: Defining a multi-sectoral response”.
All Caribbean countries are expected to be represented at the conference in addition to officials from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the Inter-American Coalition for the Prevention of Violence, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB).
The OAS delegation will consist of Assistant Secretary-General Ambassador Albert Ramdin, his Chief-of-Staff Sherry Tross, Charles Katz of the OAS’ Department of Public Security (DPS) and Starret Greene, resident OAS Representative to St. Kitts and Nevis.
Ramdin is one of several international officials set to address the delegation. The top diplomat said that “prevention programmes that promote self-esteem, respect for others and nonviolent conflict resolution could be an effective antidote to the culture of violence that is gripping our region”.
According to a communiqué issued by the hemispheric body, Ramdin is a “staunch supporter” of efforts by OAS member states to address the issue of youth crime and violence. It further informed of the Ambassador’s expertise in crime prevention, noting he had been integral to the work of the DPS.
“The mission of the DPS is to assist countries in improving training for their law enforcement agencies and designing programmes that allow young people to direct their energies in meaningful and productive activities. The Department also collaborates with countries to develop a combination of prevention, intervention and suppression strategies as well as to assemble the requisite political and community resources to address gang problems,” reads the communiqué.
In announcing the conference, Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Denzil Douglas revealed that issues of intervention and prevention, rehabilitation and integration, and the governance implications of violence would be tackled during the conference.
He also informed that participants would help develop a comprehensive strategy to crime and violence prevention in the region by advocating various strategies and best practices methods that have been advocated at the regional and international levels.
