MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, CMC – The next is the complete textual content of the Montego Bay Declaration on Transnational Organised Crime and Gangs issued on July 8, on the event of the forty ninth Common Assembly of the Convention of Heads of Authorities of the Caribbean Neighborhood (CARICOM).
We, the Heads of Authorities of the Caribbean Neighborhood (CARICOM) assembly in Montego Bay, Jamaica from 6-8 July 2025, on the event of the forty ninth Common Assembly of the Convention of Heads of Authorities of CARICOM:
Remaining deeply involved and alarmed by the surge of gun crime and violence throughout the Caribbean Area, pushed by the proliferation of unlawful firearms and actions of gangs and/or organised legal teams, which proceed to pose a critical risk to the Area, its establishments of governance, and the very cloth of our societies,
Underscoring our dedication to deal with the issues of our peoples, concerning the influence of organised crime and illicit trafficking on their communities, livelihood, and safety,
Cognisant of the present world safety threats and the potential influence on the soundness and socioeconomic progress of our societies,
Recalling the choice to collaborate on implementing measures to deal with crime, violence, and nationwide safety, and the implications for public well being, that straight consequence from gang actions and the unlawful importation of weapons into our Area,
Renewing our dedication to strengthening the Area’s response by implementing efficient measures to watch new tendencies in illicit firearms trafficking, enact strong laws to incorporate stringent penalties for firearm and gang-related offences, and to strengthen public consciousness on the problems regarding the prevention and prosecution of all types of organised legal actions.
Decided to create societies characterised by productiveness, prosperity, peace, and safety,
1. Reaffirm our dedication to proceed efforts to finish a complete overview of the legal justice system to, inter alia, deal with legal terrorists with a give attention to the proactive administration of investigations, prosecutions, and sentencing, whereas additionally increasing programmes aimed on the early identification and constructive redirection of younger individuals who could also be vulnerable to social exclusion or vulnerability to crime;
2. Comply with strengthen the regional institutional safety buildings, to incorporate the CARICOM Implementation Company for Crime and Safety (IMPACS), and implementation of programmes such because the Caribbean Basin Safety Initiative (CBSI), to successfully improve collaboration and sharing of data, to disrupt legal networks, in addition to, leverage shared sources to allow legislation enforcement and assist border safety efforts;
3. Reinforce nationwide anti-gang methods to extra successfully monitor and disrupt gang motion and their linkages to cross-border firearm-related crimes inside CARICOM;
4. Recognise the significance of enterprise the event or modification of nationwide laws to fight gun crimes successfully, the illicit commerce in arms and ammunition, trafficking offences in all types, particularly human trafficking, as one of the heinous crimes towards humanity;
5. Decide to the event and implementation of complete counter-narcotics methods via enhanced cooperation, useful resource sharing, and sustained coverage engagement.
6. Resolve to combine into the formal economic system, rule of legislation, and governance techniques, undergoverned areas that present, or can present, secure havens to legal organisations.
Issued in Montego Bay, Jamaica on Tuesday, 8 July 2025, on the event of the forty ninth Common Assembly of the Convention of Heads of Authorities of the Caribbean Neighborhood (CARICOM).
