Antigua and Barbuda leaders are calling for a regional strategy to reduce violent crime

NEW YORK, 27e September 2025…Antigua and Barbuda are leading the way in tackling the crisis flog of the violent crime that has hit the shores of many islands in the Caribbean.

The twin island nation is one of several countries in the region that have not been spared by the alarming escalation of incidents of violence and Foreign Minister the Hon. EP Chet Greene took advantage of a meeting of his Caricom colleagues on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly advocate regional strategy in the field of serious and urgent matter.

Minister Greene, leading a timely and robust discussion on the proliferation of gun violence in the Caribbean, urged a coherent regional approach to cut off or disrupt the flow of illicit weapons into the region and mitigate criminal activity.

The meeting of the Caricom Foreign Ministers, also known as COFCOR, was enthusiastic in his endorsement of Secretary Greene’s sentiments and pledged to move the talks forward.

Minister Greene’s intervention comes just a few weeks after Antigua and Barbuda organized a National Day of Prayer in response to the increase in violent crime. The success of the event and the positive results that followed prompted the government to make it an annual national event.

COFCOR proposes a multi-layered approach that takes into account that crime in the region “is not a problem that any Member State can solve alone.”

“Regional cooperation is crucial to effectively tackle gun crime. Although gangs can form locally, the weapons, tactics and strategies they use are often developed through international networks. Collective action is essential to respond comprehensively to the growing crisis,” COFCOR said.

An important part of the meeting’s agenda was the adoption of the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for Small Island Developing States, the ABAS, the outcome document of the historic 4e International Conference on Small Island Developing States, SIDS4, hosted by Antigua and Barbuda in May.

Minister Greene expressed both his pride and joy that COFCOR threw its full support behind the ABAS, calling on CARICOM Member States to rally behind the SIDS Center of Excellence and to ensure that the UN Secretary General creates an Inter-Agency Task Force to hold the process accountable.

COFCOR aims to ensure that the monitoring and evaluation framework for the ABAS is ready by the second quarter of 2025.

The ABAS represents a bold and ambitious initiative that creates a ten-year framework for SIDS to achieve resilient prosperity by addressing some of the unique challenges they face as vulnerable island states.

Minister Greene joined the meeting to provide technical support by the Permanent Representative of Antigua and Barbuda to the UN Ambassador Walton Webson and First Secretary at the Mission of Antigua and Barbuda Asha Challenger.