Conclusions of the regional security conference in the Caribbean

The Regional Security Conference in the Caribbean, organized in the framework of the French G7 presidency, was held in Fort-de-France on 2 and 3 July. Chaired by the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the Minister for Overseas France and the Minister Delegate attached to the Minister of the Interior, it brought together 27 States and international organizations from the region to step up political and operational cooperation in order to combat organized crime more effectively, particularly drug and firearms trafficking.

In the face of the worsening security situation in the region, which is directly affecting French collectivities in the Americas suffering a rise in trafficking and associated violence, the conference was a highlight in the mobilization of all state actors and all the regional organizations responsible for combating illicit trafficking.

This momentum is embodied in the endorsement by 26 delegations of a joint declaration, the Call of Martinique, whose three major objectives are regional capacity-building, security cooperation and the protection of strategic infrastructure.

The conference tangibly reflects France’s commitment to and determination in fighting the growing threat of organized crime and illicit trafficking in the region, as it pledged to do through the Leaders’ Declaration on the Fight against Drug Trafficking of 17 June.