This Commonwealth Side Event at the 2022 Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group will aim to understand how organised crime is affecting the economies of Caribbean Commonwealth countries and how they can build capacity resilience going forward.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated many of the vulnerabilities already present in Commonwealth Small States in the Caribbean, reducing the resources they receive from one of their most vital sectors, the tourism industry. This, coupled with recurring reconstruction costs from past disasters has reduced the fiscal space available to countries with already scarce resources. Addressing some of the consequences of organised crime and tackling its root causes will free up crucial fiscal space in the region and help countries to work towards building resilience.
Understanding the cost associated with organised crime is crucial and re-assessing government expenditures so that they are as efficient as possible will help to reduce the levels of crime and violence. This event will aim to understand how organised crime is affecting the economies of Caribbean Commonwealth countries and how they can build capacity resilience going forward.
Speakers
- Flavia Romiti, UNODC
- Karen Lancaster Ellis, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Trinidad and Tobago Police Service
- Dr Wendell C., Wallace University of the West Indies
