Caribbean Region Needs to Focus on the Well-being of its Citizens, Says Minister of National Security

Basseterre, St. Kitts, November 09, 2015 (SKNIS): The safety and security of citizens is of grave importance and there is a call for countries in the region to shift from traditional concepts of state security to a broader multi-dimensional concept that focuses on citizen security and safety and well-being of Caribbean citizens, said Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, Prime Minister and Minister of National Security.

The Prime Minister outlined this while delivering remarks at the National Dialogue on Sustainable Human Development and the Citizen Security Agenda Workshop on Monday, November 09, at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort.

Dr. Harris stated that the safety and security of any citizen are not a one person task.

“This broader view should help all of us to understand that everyone can contribute to the safety and security of our society,” he said, adding that it is not them, but us, as we are all responsible.

Prime Minister Harris said that emphasis is placed on securing citizens.

“At this time in the Federation, even though the statistics point to the reduction of certain categories of major crimes, such as sexual offences including rape, larceny, and arson, much attention is placed on the efforts of the security forces to address this scourge of homicide on our society at this time, said the minister of national security. “Therefore, initiatives to look at the security of our citizens in a broader sense tend to be overlooked at this time.”

The national security minister stated that citizen security means “effectively safeguarding inherent human rights, especially the right to life, personal integrity, and inviolability of the home and freedom of movement.” He said it is an all-inclusive multi-faceted strategy for improving the quality of life of the population.

“Citizen security is one of the dimensions of human security and therefore of human development and is linked to the interrelated presence of multiple actors, conditions and factors,” said Dr. Harris, while noting that these factors include the history and structure of the state and society, the policies and programmes of the governments, the relevance of economic, social and cultural rights and improved collaboration at the regional and international level.

The main objective of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) coordinated workshop is to define priority actions for St. Kitts and Nevis.

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