Chairman of the Regional Security System (RSS), Prime Minister Phillip J Pierre says that the threats that led to the formation of the Barbados-based entity have evolved rather than disappeared.
Addressing a high level meeting convened to commemorate the 43rd anniversary of the RSS, the St. Lucia Prime Minister cited cybersecurity, organised crime, climate-related instability, and gang violence as among the most pressing challenges confronting the region today.
St. Lucia’s Prime Minister Phillip J Pierre, who is also chairman of the Regional Security System (RSS), addressing the 43rd anniversary of the Barbados-based organisation (CMC Photo).
‘We cannot take for granted that our region remains a zone of peace. The work of the RSS continues to be indispensable to the safety, stability, and prosperity of our citizens,’ Pierre said.
The meeting, which ends later on Tuesday, has brought together heads of security, defence, and law enforcement from across the region to review emerging threats and strengthen cooperation in safeguarding the Caribbean’s peace and stability.
Pierre said that security is the foundation of economic development and social progress, noting that both public and private investment depend on an environment of peace and rule of law.
He called on member governments to deepen collaboration, increase investment in training, particularly in cybersecurity and harmonise legislation to ensure consistency in addressing transnational crimes.
The RSS was created out of a need for a collective response to security threats, which were impacting on the stability of the region in the early 1970’s and 1980’s. In October 1982, four members of the Organisation of the Eastern Caribbean States, namely, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Barbados to provide for ‘mutual assistance on request’.
St. Kitts and Nevis joined in 1983 and Grenada two years later. Guyana became a member in 2022.
The MoU was updated in 1992 and the RSS acquired juridical status in March 1996 by way of the Treaty which was signed in St. Georges, Grenada.
In his address to the conference, Prime Minister Pierre reaffirmed St. Lucia’s commitment to the RSS, and encouraged continued engagement with international partners such as the United Kingdom, Canada, the European Union, and the United States.
He also expressed support for the eventual expansion of the RSS within CARICOM to strengthen regional resilience.
Pierre emphasised the importance of succession planning and institutional independence, urging the organisation to safeguard its credibility and operational focus while remaining responsive to the region’s evolving security landscape.