Antigua and Barbuda lead call for regional action against violent crimes at UN meeting

Antigua and Barbuda are leading efforts to tackle the rise in violent crime in the Caribbean. At a meeting of CARICOM Foreign Ministers during the UN General Assembly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. EP Chet Greene called for a unified regional strategy to combat the influx of illegal weapons and curb criminal activity.

CARICOM Foreign Ministers (COFCOR) endorsed Greene’s call for cooperation and recognized that crime in the region requires collective action. They emphasized that while gangs can form locally, their weapons and tactics often originate internationally, making regional cooperation crucial.

Minister Greene’s push for a coherent strategy comes after the successful National Day of Prayer in Antigua and Barbuda in response to rising crime, which will now be an annual event.

The meeting also adopted the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for Small Island Developing States (ABAS), a ten-year plan for resilient prosperity. COFCOR pledged to complete the ABAS monitoring framework by mid-2025 and urged support for the SIDS Center of Excellence.

Antigua and Barbuda’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Walton Webson, and First Secretary Asha Challenger provided technical support during the meeting.

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