The Caribbean’s security challenges are becoming increasingly complex and interconnected, spanning organised crime, cyber threats, illicit financial flows and climate-related risks. To help shape a coordinated regional response, The University of the West Indies (The UWI) and the Regional Security System (RSS) will convene a landmark Caribbean Security Futures Symposium in Barbados from October 7 to 9, 2026.
The three-day Symposium will bring together security practitioners, policymakers, academics, regional and international partners, technology experts and other key stakeholders to examine emerging threats and develop practical solutions for a safer and more resilient Caribbean. Supported by the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) and DC Office People, it will examine the evolving security landscape, particularly the high-impact, interconnected security risks and threats faced by the region, and identify practical, evidence-based solutions to strengthen security governance across the Caribbean.
Through keynote presentations, expert panel discussions, strategic sessions, roundtable dialogues and interactive workshops, participants will explore how the Caribbean can strengthen collective security while developing more coordinated and sustainable responses to emerging threats. A key area of discussion will include how illicit financing flows, exacerbated by virtual assets, fuel the complexity of criminal networks and weaken national and regional financial systems. Participants will also examine approaches to disrupting transnational organised crime and criminal networks while strengthening cross-border law enforcement cooperation. Other sessions will focus on confronting transnational organised crime, human trafficking, irregular migration, criminal networks and cross-border law enforcement cooperation.
Vice-Chancellor of The UWI, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, noted that sustainable solutions to the Caribbean’s security challenges must draw on regional expertise and be grounded in rigorous scholarship. “The Caribbean’s security challenges are deeply interconnected and require equally integrated responses. As the region’s premier university, The UWI has a responsibility to generate knowledge, foster meaningful dialogue and support the development of innovative solutions that strengthen institutions, protect communities and advance regional resilience. This symposium represents an important opportunity to bring together expertise from across sectors to help shape a more secure future for the Caribbean.”
STRENGTH THROUGH UNITY
Executive Director of the Regional Security System, Rear Admiral Errington Shurland, said the changing security landscape requires the region to deepen collaboration and move beyond traditional approaches to security. “The threats confronting the Caribbean today do not recognise national borders, and our responses cannot be confined by them. The growing interconnectedness of transnational organised crime, cyber threats, illicit financial activity and emerging technologies across borders requires us to think and act collectively. The RSS has long recognised that regional security is strongest when our institutions combine their expertise, resources and capabilities. Our regional security architecture has been strategically designed to enable the effective delivery of the right mix of services required to address the region’s evolving crime and security challenges. This Symposium therefore provides an important platform not only to bridge operational experience, academic research and technological innovation, but also to critically examine the existing regional security architecture, identify its shortcomings and determine what adjustments are needed to make it more responsive to the changing needs of our Member States. Ultimately, it is about moving beyond dialogue to practical, coordinated solutions that strengthen our institutions and make our communities safer and more resilient.”
Looking beyond current threats, the symposium will feature high-level strategic discussions on artificial intelligence and security governance, examining the opportunities and risks associated with dual-use technologies and the Caribbean’s place within evolving global technology and security frameworks. Maritime security and the Blue Economy will also feature prominently, with experts considering how regional assets and partnerships can advance both sustainable economic development and security objectives. The event will culminate in a keynote address on strategic security governance in a changing Caribbean and the formal signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between The UWI and the RSS, signalling a deepened long-term partnership between the two institutions.
Moving past dialogue, the symposium is intended to drive action. Expected outcomes include policy and legislative recommendations, strengthened frameworks for regional security cooperation and a roadmap for integrated security data systems. The event will also advance several long-term initiatives, including strategic advisory groups, a regional security research agenda, the Caribbean Security Futures Podcast and a proposed joint UWI-RSS degree programme in International and Regional Security. Together, these initiatives reflect the shared commitment of RSS and The UWI to strengthening the Caribbean’s capacity to anticipate emerging threats, respond collectively to security challenges and build a more coordinated, resilient and future-ready Caribbean security architecture, capable of safeguarding the lives of Caribbean populations.
Planning and coordination of the Symposium is a joint effort between the RSS and The UWI, with efforts led through the RSS Headquarters and The Office of Global Affairs at The UWI Regional Headquarters, and includes colleagues from the Centre for Criminal Justice and Security at Cave Hill and the Institute for International Relations at St. Augustine.
Discover how you can take part in the symposium, whether in person or virtually, by visiting https://caribbean-security.academic.ws/.
