(MENAFN- Caribbean News Global)
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Senior representatives from the federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Transparency International and the World bank will join other leading figures from academia, the private sector, law enforcement and civil society next week at the Caribbean Development Bank's (CDB) 2021 Caribbean conference on Corruption, Compliance and Cybercrime (3Cs 2021).
The free, virtual conference, now in its second year, will be focused this year on the theme 'Ending Poverty and Driving Growth: Promoting Good Governance by Curbing Corruption, Money Laundering and Cybercrime in the Caribbean'. It will be held on December 7 and 8 via the HopIn virtual conferencing platform.
The event will include discussion fora and keynote presentations bringing thought-leaders from across the world to share and discuss new challenges and solutions for corruption, compliance, and cybercrime in the Caribbean.
Dr Toussant Boyce, head of CDB's office of integrity, accountability and compliance which is coordinating the conference, said:
“Corruption, money laundering and cybercrime are challenges that if left unchecked can have a devastating effect on a country's development and the region's potential to end poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth. The COVID-19 pandemic in particular has shown us that the perpetrators of these crimes are relentlessly inventive in finding ways to take advantage of crises.
It's important for CDB to provide thought-leadership to the Caribbean about how to promote good governance through crises. We must share new bold ideas on how to combat these ills and learn about the ways in which we can sharpen and improve our compliance and oversight functions to keep them at bay.”
Among the highlights will be a high-level panel on day one of the conference featuring Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, Timothy Antoine, the World Bank's director of governance global practice, Edward Olowo-Okere and CDB's general counsel Diana Wilson Patrick on 'The Role of Governance in the drive to End Poverty and Drive Growth in the Caribbean'.
Leaders of two major regional organisations will look at how the private sector can curb corruption, money laundering and cybercrime in the closing chief executive officer roundtable on day one which will see president and chief executive officer of Republic Financial Holdings Limited, Nigel Baptiste, managing director of Goddard Enterprises Anthony Ali and in discussion with CDB vice-president (Operations), Isaac Solomon.
The persistent and growing threat of cybercrime will be in focus with a session focusing specifically on new developments in the area. A panel of regional and international experts including cybercrime expert and former FBI Special Agent Jason Manar and Professor Lloyd Waller will examine topics such as the new cybercrime methods and tools being used by perpetrators and ways of combatting them.
A keynote discussion featuring development bank integrity leads will start day two of the conference. Mouhamadou Diagne, vice president of integrity at The World Bank Group, Laura Profeta, chief of the office of institutional integrity at the Inter-American Development Bank, will join CDB's Dr Toussant Boyce for a session on 'Promoting Good Governance in Uncertain Times by Curbing Corruption'.
The panel on Corruption Investigations will feature the FBI's Special Supervisory Agent for its LA International Anti-Corruption Squad Adam Storer, Special Agent in Charge, USAID, Mark Day, Lloydette Mai-Barrow and Dr Kristin Gilkes on a panel moderated by the IDB's Lead Integrity Investigator, Samir Fahoum.
There will be a special session on Re-Thinking AML/CFT Compliance with Dawne Spicer, executive director at Caribbean Financial Action Task Force, Shelley-Nichols Hunte, Dr Rohan Clarke, moderated by Calvin Wilson, former executive director of CFATF.
Other panels will feature Drivers of Corruption, Drivers of Corruption, Women and Corruption, Youth and Corruption and Role of the Media and Civil Society in Combatting Corruption.
New sessions for 2021 include Corruption and Climate Finance, Corruption and Covid 19 financing. The latter will examine ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted the fight against corruption will also be in the spotlight, with a session which delves into the new and previously unforeseen challenges which have come with it, including bribery, unscrupulous pricing, fake vaccines and fake personal protective equipment. The panel discussion, 'Corruption and COVID-19 Financing: Lessons for the Caribbean' will feature Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Nikos Passas of Northeastern University, Josh Drayton, Financial Crimes and Asset Recovery Specialist of CARICOM IMPACS, and Corina Rebegea, Anti-Corruption Advisor of the National Democratic Institute.
Last year over 800 participants attended the inaugural 3Cs 2021 and this year over a similar number of attendees is expected to participate in the various sessions and discussion during the two-day conference.
Registration is still open .
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