TRINIDAD: April 14, 2016: The Ministry of National Security hosted the ‘Twelfth Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas’ (XII CDMA) Two-Day Preparatory Meeting from Tuesday April 12 – Wednesday April 13, 2016 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Port of Spain.
The first CDMA was convened in 1995 in Williamsburg, United States of America and has since been rotated among the member states every two years. Subsequent Conferences were held in Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Canada, Bolivia, Uruguay and Peru.
The Conference of Defence Ministers of the Americas (CDMA) provides a valuable forum of dialogue for the countries of the Hemisphere and seeks to increase cooperation in the areas of Defence and Security among the member states. It is designed to provide the Ministers of Defence with the opportunity to discuss topics such as confidence and security building measures, peace support operations, civil-military relations, and emerging threats such as transnational organized crime and terrorism.
Trinidad and Tobago was elected chair of the XII CDMA at the XI Conference which was held in Arequipa, Peru in October 2014. Major General the Honourable Edmund Dillon will serve as President of the XII Conference. The Preparatory Session was chaired by the Secretary General of the XII CDMA, Mr. Carl Francis.
The Preparatory Meeting allowed for Member States of the CDMA to discuss and agree on the proposed CDMA Thematic Agenda and related sub themes for the XII Conference that have been proposed by Trinidad and Tobago. Accordingly, the meeting agreed on the theme and sub themes as follows:
Theme:
“Strengthening Defence and Security Co-operation in the Hemisphere in an Increasingly Volatile Global Environment.”
Sub Themes or Thematic Axes:
1. Security and Defence of the Americas in a Changing International Environment: The Evolving Role of the Armed Forces
2. Environmental Protection and Resilience (This sub theme will examine the impact of the military on the environment and the impact of climate change on the military.)
3. Hemispheric Security and Defence Cooperation Policy: A Case for Strengthened Humanitarian Emergency Assistance.
Other issues discussed at the Preparatory Session were:
1. The outcomes of the Ad Hoc Working Groups that were created at the XI CDMA and which met in Port of Spain in August 2015
2. The draft Declaration of Port-of-Spain that the Defence Ministers will consider in October at the XII CDMA
3. The List of Observer countries and institutions to be invited to participate in the XII CDMA
4. Consideration of the candidatures to host the XIII CDMA
5. Proposed amendments to the Regulations of the CDMA
Trinidad and Tobago is the Pro-Tempore Secretariat for the XII CDMA and is responsible for the execution of the Conference to be held at the Hyatt Regency later this year. The Preparatory Meeting, which was held at the level of technical officials, paved the way for the Meeting of Defence Ministers at the XII CDMA Conference, which will be hosted by Trinidad and Tobago in October 2016.
The Conference is being held at a time when the CARICOM region and the rest of the hemisphere are grappling with the many new threats to the security and defence of our populations. The opportunity to propose areas of cooperation and collaboration among the states is therefore most welcome and necessary at this time.
Participating Member States of the 34 member CDMA at the Preparatory Session were Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and the United States of America.
