Current Events

• Visit to Trinidad and Tobago by ASG Albert Ramdin
  Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Friday March 15, 2013
  
  OAS Assistant Secretary General, Ambassador Albert Ramdin, paid an official visit to Trinidad and Tobago, on March 14-16, 2013, and held high-level meetings with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Winston Dookeran and the Minister of National Security, Hon. Jack Warner.
  
• IACHR Announces Trinidad and Tobago Forum on the Strengthening of the Inter-American System of Human Rights
  Institute of International Relations, UWI, St Augustine, Friday September 21, 2012
  
  September 14, 2012
  
  Washington, D.C. - The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) announces the Trinidad and Tobago Forum on the Strengthening of the Inter-American System of Human Rights, which will take place September 21, 2012, at the University of the West Indies St. Augustine, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. This forum is co-organized by the IACHR and the Institute of International Relations, University of the West Indies (UWI).
  
  The Forum will be opened by the Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago, the Hon. Anand Ramlogan, SC; IACHR Commissioner Tracy Robinson; and the Director (Ag) of the Institute of International Relations (IIR) at UWI, Dr. Anthony Gonzales. Commissioners Rose-Marie-Belle Antoine and Dinah Shelton will make presentations on the relevance of the Inter-American system of Human Rights, the strengthening process, and the implications for the Caribbean region. Among the panelists will be: Judge Margarette May Macaulay, of the Inter American Court of Human Rights; Dr Hans Geiser, of the IIR; Mr. Colin Robinson, from the Coalition Advocating for the Inclusion of Sexual Orientation (CAISO), Dr. Arif Bulkan, of the Faculty of Law at UWI and Mr. Douglas Mendes, SC, attorney-at-law. The moderators will include Sir Dennis Byron, President of the Caribbean Court of Justice and Dr. Michelle Scobie of IIR.
  
  The Forum of Trinidad and Tobago is one of a series of sub-regional events on the strengthening of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which are taking place place between August and September. These events are part of a profound study that the IACHR diligently conducts with the purpose of reviewing and improving its norms, policies and practices for a better protection of human rights of all persons in the region.
  
  The Forum will start at 9:00 a.m. (local time in Trinidad and Tobago) at the Institute of International Relations, University of the West Indies St. Augustine. It will be Webcast.
  
  A principal, autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), the IACHR derives its mandate from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has a mandate to promote respect for human rights in the region and acts as a consultative body to the OAS in this matter. The Commission is composed of seven independent members who are elected in a personal capacity by the OAS General Assembly and who do not represent their countries of origin or residence.
  
  
  
  
• Trinidad and Tobago Comes Full Circle: Opening Drug Treatment Court Pilot Project in September 2012. OAS Drug Treatment Court in the Caribbean in action
  Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuesday September 11, 2012
  
  One year ago, nearly to the day, at the opening of the 2011-2012 Law Term, Chief Justice Ivor Archie announced an initiative to establish the first drug treatment court in the country. This required a multi-sector approach involving various levels of the government represented on a Steering Committee convened by the Chief Justice, comprising the Judiciary, the Magistracy, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Ministry of National Security including the Police and the National Drug Council (NDC), the Ministry of Justice - including Probation Services, the Prisons Service, the Legal Unit and the Forensic Sciences Centre and the Ministry of Health.
  
  The first pilot Drug Treatment Court is slated to be launched on the 11th of September. OAS Assistant Secretary General Ambassador Albert R. Ramdin will join the Chief Justice and the Ministers of National Security and Justice, as well as representatives from the different government agencies involved at the launch, along with Justice Kofi Barnes (Chair of the Canadian Association of Drug Treatment Court Professionals CADTCP), Ms. Beverly Reynolds (representing the CARICOM Secretariat), and Mr. Cyril Joseph, Acting High Commissioner of Canada to Trinidad and Tobago.
  
  In introducing the concept of Drug Treatment Courts as an alternative to incarceration for drug dependent offenders last year, Chief Justice Archie noted that the experience in the hemisphere and particularly in Jamaica had shown that the approach ultimately leads to significant reduction in the number of repeat offenders, and a resultant decrease in the number of prisoners and persons appearing before the Courts. According to the statistics of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service arrests for drug related offences exceed 5,000 annually, with implications for backlogs in the Court system, cost of incarceration, recidivism, and public health. Drug Treatment Courts have proven successful in other countries (Jamaica, United States, Canada, Chile, the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Australia, Belgium, Ireland, and the UK).
  
  Throughout 2011 and 2012, Trinidad and Tobago has participated in various international activities (information and training workshops, exchanges of good practices), carried out by the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD), of the Secretariat for Multidimensional Security, as part of the OAS Drug Treatment Court Program for the Americas. This has been possible thanks to the financial support and contributions of the Government of Canada through the Anti-Crime Capacity Building Program (ACCBP). It has been through these activities that judges, prosecutors, defence attorneys, police and probation officers, treatment providers, as well as policy makers involved in this process, were able to observe, analyse, and study the model in various countries were the DTC is already operational. This has been possible thanks to the support of different organizations, like the CARICOM Secretariat, together with experts from Canada, the United States, and Jamaica.
  
  CICAD will take this opportunity to meet with the Steering Committee to work out an action plan for 2012-2014, outlining the steps that Trinidad and Tobago would take to implement, monitor, and evaluate the DTC project. On the occasion of the launch of this first DTC, a Memorandum of Understanding between Trinidad and Tobago and the OAS will be signed between the Minister of National Security, Hon. Austin Jack Warner, and the OAS Assistant Secretary General, formalizing the commitment to the project by both sides.
  
  For more information about this initiative, contact alomba@oas.org
  
• Meeting of CEOs and Chairmen of Central America & the Caribbean: “Opportunities for Business, Trade and Investment”
  Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuesday May 15, 2012
  
  TOP BUSINESS INTERESTS FROM CENTRAL AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN MEET IN OAS/ MTI MEETING
  
  Over sixty of the top businessmen from Central America and the Caribbean met behind closed doors in Port of Spain, Trinidad this week to discuss new opportunities for expanding business between the two regions, potential for partnerships and challenges to trade.
  
  Among those gathered in the closed door meetings, were representatives of top conglomerates, public and private companies and business families, government representatives and ministers, including the CEO of the Panama Canal, Representatives of Ansa McAl, Neal and Massey, Guardian Holdings, Demerara Distillers, Grupo Unicomer, Cabcorp, Bridgestone, regional airlines, manufacturers and producers associations and banks. Also present at the meeting were the Secretaries General of SICA, CARICOM and the ACS.
  
  The gathering, which represented billions of dollars in business interests from both regions, was also addressed by the President of Panama, Ricardo Martinelli, during a closed meeting a day earlier.
  
  Convened by Organization of American States Assistant Secretary General Albert Ramdin and hosted by the government of Trinidad and Tobago through the Minister of Trade and Industry Stephen Cadiz, the meeting identified opportunties for investment and partnerships in several countries. Obstacles to business including transnational business registration laws, visa restrictions, port congestion problems, taxes, duties and tariffs were also discussed.
  
  According to Trinidad and Tobago Trade Minister, Stephen Cadiz, "This gathering proves that investment capital is available, so options and opportunities must be generated. We are, therefore making a solid commitment to working together to overcome these challenges to business. We need to do more and smarter business in this current global economic environment."
  
  High ranking OAS official Albert Ramdin said the vision behind the meeting is to use international trade and business diplomacy to "generate more opportunities for employment, increase earning potential, economic growth, alleviate poverty, and improve security." According to Ramdin, "If we hope to improve the quality of life for citizens of both regions, we need to be practical and proactive. Central America and the Caribbean face similar challenges. If businesses succeed in these regions, it means a better standard of life for people."
  
  The first meeting of CEO's of both regions was held in El Salvador last year, and resulted in the strengthening of business partnerships and new investments. The Port of Spain meeting is expected to result in more strategic investments. The government of Guatemala has invited Assistant Secretary General Ramdin to host the next meeting in that country.
  
  Office of the Asst. Secretary General
  Organization of American States
  17th Street & Constitution Ave
  Washington, DC, 20006
  
• OAS prepares T&T officials for Drug Treatment Court
  Toronto, Canada, Monday February 27, 2012
  
  In an OAS initiative, an eleven-member delegation from Trinidad and Tobago has joined delegations from The Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada and Jamaica, to be trained this week in Toronto, Canada, on the workings of drug treatment courts (DTCs). The more than forty Caribbean delegates include judges, prosecutors, defence attorneys, treatment providers and other professions in the healthcare and justice fields.
  
  “The OAS is supporting the model of drug treatment courts in the hemisphere as an effective and efficient tool to treat violators who are addicted to drugs and achieve a reduction in drug consumption, lower crime rates and help to reduce the criminal population in the region,” said Ambassador Paul Simons, Executive Secretary of the OAS Inter-American Commission for Drug Abuse Control (CICAD).
  
  The activities, under the auspices of CICAD and the Canadian Association of Drug Treatment Court Professionals (CADTCP), began on Monday, February 27 and conclude on Friday, March 2. CICAD and the CADTCP are in the process of signing a cooperation agreement that will allow this effort to continue over the next two years.
  
  In the first half of the week, participants are attending a practical training programme that includes a visit to a DTC to observe a real case. They will later visit healthcare institutions for people with drug addictions, where they will have the opportunity to observe the treatment protocol used. Afterwards, they will have first-hand experience of a real session before a hearing, where cases are followed up on and progress is evaluated.
  
  In the second half of the week, the delegates will attend the Fourth Conference of the CADTCP, where they will have the opportunity to present the problems they face, as well as attend workshops on the subject and interact with hundreds of DTC experts from Canada.
  
  The OAS, through CICAD and the OAS Office in Trinidad and Tobago, is supporting the establishment of a DTC in Trinidad and Tobago in 2012.
  
• IPO Americas Workshop in Preparation for Carnivals and Festivals
  Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuesday November 29, 2011
  
  The main aim of this workshop is to establish common regional guidelines for the security planning of Carnivals and Festivals, focusing in evaluation, coordination, prevention, and risk analysis. Its format will combine three days and a half of technical presentations by international experts and national delegations with breakout sessions intended to promote an exchange of information as well as regional and national experiences related to the security planning of Carnivals and Festivals. It will include study visits to Carnival sites to witness first hand efforts of security for a major event as well as the security infrastructure implemented during these events. It is being organized in collaboration with CARICIOM IMPACS.
  
  This workshop is a component of the larger project Security for Major Events which seeks to establish and promote a permanent mechanism of cooperation involving all OAS Member States with particular regard to security planning and the protection of Major Events. It draws on the extensive experience and well-established regional networks of OAS/SMS/CICTE and UNICRI materialized in the National Focal Points network (NFPs). The main aim of this Project is to boost new mechanisms and tools and to facilitate, through the CICTE/UNICRI’s “IPO Americas” joint initiative, a broad cooperative international framework for the protection of Major Events, enhance community safety and the prevention of crime and terrorism.
  
• III Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Public Security (MISPA)
  Hyatt Regency Hotel, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Thursday November 17, 2011
  
  The highest authorities responsible for public security in the region will gather in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on November 17 and 18 for the Third Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Public Security in the Americas (MISPA III), a forum created by the OAS in 2008 to foster dialogue and advance effective cooperation at the hemispheric, subregional and national levels to reduce crime, violence and insecurity in the region.
  
  In follow-up to the decisions adopted by the member states in the Commitment to Public Security in the Americas (MISPA I, 2008) and the Consensus of Santo Domingo on Public Security (MISPA II, 2009), this third meeting will focus on knowledge-sharing, technical assistance and exchange of practices and lessons learned in the area of police management.
  
  By building on their respective countries’ experiences and expertise in the area of police management, national authorities will engage in a dynamic and results-oriented dialogue to strengthen institutional capacity and foster greater south-south collaboration in three key areas: 1) modernization of police institutions within a democratic framework; 2) police professionalization and training; and 3) cooperation on police information systems and enhanced use of technology.
  
  
  
  Approved draft agenda » http://scm.oas.org/doc_public/ENGLISH/HIST_11/CP27455E04.doc
  Informational bulletin » http://www.oas.org/dsp/documentos/Mispa3/Boletin_eng.pdf
  Documents » http://www.oas.org/dsp/english/cpo_mispa3_preparatoria.asp
  
  For more information, please contact the Department of Public Security (aszepesi@oas.org) or visit the DPS website: www.oas.org/dps
  
• Implementing Drug Treatment Courts as an Alternative to Incarceration for Drug Dependent Offenders Workshop
  Hilton Trinidad, Port of Spain, Tuesday October 18, 2011
  
  With OAS Support, Trinidad and Tobago to Launch the Country’s First Drug Treatment Court in 2012
  October 21, 2011
  
  Trinidad and Tobago will launch the country’s first Drug Treatment Court in 2012, to include technical assistance, training and cooperation from the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) of the Organization of American States (OAS).
  
  The Minister of National Security of Trinidad and Tobago, John Sandy, said his country “needs to find different and innovative alternatives to improve citizen security.” In response to that need, the Drug Treatment Courts have emerged as a multi-disciplinary practice policy marrying prevention policies, treatment and justice, and have shown results in other countries of the hemisphere to reduce crime and with it, the recidivism rate, the prison population and drug dependency.
  
  This strategy includes the establishment of drug treatment courts where an individual’s recovery is closely supervised by a judge with the power to reward progress and rebuke relapses. To this end, the judge uses a team of prosecutors, defense lawyers, health professionals, social workers and police to rehabilitate and reintegrate individuals back into the community.
  
  The OAS is working with a number of organizations to identify innovations and good practices in addressing the needs of drug-dependent offenders, both through drug treatment courts and other holistic approaches that treat the individual, his or her family, work, health and social wellbeing as a whole, while still ensuring that the community’s security concerns are met.
  
  Other countries of the region to initiate pilot projects or similar developments with support from the OAS include: Bahamas, Jamaica, Argentina, Dominican Republic and Costa Rica.
  
  The announcement was made by the Chief Justice of Trinidad and Tobago, Ivor Archie, during the opening ceremony of the training workshop "Implementation of Drug Treatment Courts as an Alternative to Incarceration for Drug Dependent Offenders," held October 18 to 21 in Port of Spain. The workshop was attended by more than 70 judges, prosecutors, treatment providers, defense attorneys, probation and police officers from Trinidad and Tobago and The Bahamas, who learned about the experiences of countries that have already implemented treatment drug courts as an initiative to promote a comprehensive approach to treatment and the drug problem in the region.
  
  For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.
  
  Reference: E-913/11
  
  
  
  
• 4th Biennial Meeting of Caribbean National Observatories on Drugs
  Kapok Hotel, Trinidad, Tuesday September 13, 2011
  
  This Office also facilitated the organization of the 4th Biennial Meeting of Caribbean National Observatories on Drugs.
  
  The meeting was held on September 13-16, 2011.
• Regional Certification Mechanism Meeting of the Training and Certification Program PROCCER—Caribbean
  Kapok Hotel, Trinidad & Tobago, Monday July 25, 2011