THE Commonwealth Caribbean Association of Integrity Commissions and Anti-Corruption Bodies (CCAICACB) held its 4th Annual Conference from June 4th to 8th, 2018 in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), according to a statement from the Integrity Commission.

The theme of the conference was ‘Counting the real cost of corruption: Everyone Engaging in the Fight’. According to the statement, this conference and Annual General Meeting of Integrity Commissions and Anti-Corruption Bodies of eleven (11) countries of the Commonwealth Caribbean, was attended by the Chairman, Mr. Kumar Doraisami and Mrs. Rosemary Benjamin- Noble, Commissioner of the Integrity Commission of Guyana. Among the countries present along with Guyana were: TCI, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, St. Lucia, Dominica, Jamaica, Belize, Cayman Islands and Antigua.

The conference was chaired, co-hosted and co-sponsored by the Integrity Commission of the TCI with the Commonwealth Secretariat co-sponsoring also. Acting Governor of TCI, Her Excellenc Mrs. Anya Williams represented the Government of TCI and officially opened the conference.

The feature address at this ceremony was delivered by distinguished Professor Trevor Munroe, Executive Director of the National Integrity Action, Jamaica. Professor Munroe shared experiences, made recommendations and provided food for thought for the conference participants as they move forward in execution of their responsibilities.

The statement said that representatives of each member country gave a presentation to provide updates on the work achieved during the previous year or from time of appointment. It noted that there was also discussion on the content of the Integrity Commission legislation and effectiveness of its application. “Several panel discussions on variations of the conference’s theme, such as ‘Exploring the link between Corruption and Poverty’, provided significant insight into issues which are alive, existing challenges and recommended approaches by Integrity Commissions in their work, in order to be transparent and effective,” said the statement.

It noted that part of the mission of the CCAICACB is to promote good governance in accordance with best practice and the development, sharing and promotion of strategies for fighting corruption. “This early opportunity to liaise with colleagues of like responsibilities as members of Integrity Commissions and anti-corruption bodies, and their supporting functionaries, has provided added impetus to the Integrity Commission in Guyana in execution of its mandate,” said the local Integrity Commission.