Dr. Brent Hardt, Chargé d’ Affaires of the Embassy of the United States to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, is meeting with the local media today to discuss the President’s Caribbean Basin Security Initiative.{{more}}

The meeting will be at 3:30 p.m. at the Rooftop Bar & Restaurant of the Cobblestone Inn in Kingstown.

Hardt will also discuss and take questions on other issues, including the Partnership Framework for HIV/AIDS, and broader U.S. engagement in the region.

The Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) was launched during Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s June 2010 visit to the Caribbean. The CBSI is the latest pillar of a U.S. security strategy focused on citizen safety throughout the hemisphere. The CBSI will seek to bring all members of CARICOM and the Dominican Republic together to jointly collaborate on regional security with the United States as a partner.

The U.S. and Caribbean countries have identified three core objectives to deal with the threats facing the Caribbean, namely: ‘Reduce Illicit Trafficking’ through programmes ranging from counternarcotics to reducing the flow of illegal arms/light weapons.

They also hope to advance ‘Public Safety and Security’ through programmes which aim to reduce crime and violence, as well as improve border security.

And thirdly, there is a goal to ‘Promote Social Justice’ through programmes designed to promote justice sector reform, combat government corruption, and assist vulnerable populations at risk of recruitment into criminal organizations.