Good morning and Welcome!

It is a great honour for me to formally welcome you to the Cayman Islands and to this, the 5^th Annual Conference of the Commonwealth Caribbean Association of Integrity Commissions and Anti-Corruption Bodies under the Theme “Transforming Words into Action: Revitalising the Fight Against Corruption”.

We are especially pleased to have among us at this gathering the Secretary General for the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Rt. Hon. Patricia Scotland, Q.C. for the very first time since our inaugural meeting held in Grenada in 2015. Madam Secretary-General, we appreciate your having journeyed with us over the years. Although due to other commitments, you faithfully delivered virtual remarks to us which have always been graciously received, we are truly honoured to have you in our presence today and to have you participate in this Conference. You are no stranger to the Cayman Islands, so we welcome you back.

The Theme of this year’s Conference reflects our realities throughout the region. Many of us have passed and enforced laws but lack the resources to carry out mandates; few of us have no laws and no commissions; some of us have commissions but inadequate laws or laws that have not been brought into force while others have inadequately staffed commissions which impede their effectiveness – this while all our countries have committed to take a stand against corruption, to increased transparency and good governance. In other words, although some strides have been made towards our common goal of eradicating corruption in our societies, there is more to be done.

Someone I am honoured to call colleague and friend would always caution, “when you fight corruption, corruption fights back”.   The only way to succeed in this fight is to strengthen our own ethical resolve; to lobby our respective governments for the resources and laws needed to carry out our mandate and  to have a support unit – such as this Association (as well as the Commonwealth Secretariat) on which we can rely for assistance and guidance when needed.   To this end, I am especially pleased to announce that since his arrival in the Cayman Islands, discussions have started between Dr. Koranteng, Interim Adviser and Head, Public Sector Governance for the Commonwealth Secretariat, and our Deputy Governor and head of the Civil Service, to assist in providing/coordinating training on initiatives and policies aimed at corruption prevention within the Civil Service.

This week promises to be exciting, informative and extremely busy. With delegates attending from as far away as Guyana and as nearby as Jamaica; illustrious speakers and panelists who have offered their time to shine light and offer some solutions on this important subject, I assure you that each and every delegate in attendance will have an opportunity to participate in a meaningful way and will be able, upon your return home, to have at least one or two take-aways to improve your roles as Integrity Commissions and Anti-Corruption Bodies.

Notwithstanding the very busy agenda for the Conference, we have also ensured that you will have the opportunity to enjoy some of the natural beauty that we treasure so dearly in our Islands. I trust that you will enjoy Stingray City, Rum Point and more importantly, the warmth and kindness of the Caymanian people.

We are grateful to the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation, the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Commissions for Standards in Public Life and the Cayman Islands Government for their sponsorship of this Conference.

Welcome!