Attachment III responding to threats and incidents; and cultivating the global collaborative relationships, all of which are essential for improving Cyber Security and dealing with Cybercrime in the region. 2. Background There has been significant growth in Cybercrime in the Caribbean ‐ Government websites have been hacked, child online exploitation has infiltrated schools and the increasing use of crypto currencies to fund criminal activities are but a few of the manifestations of criminal activity in cyberspace impacting the region. According to the Commonwealth “Major cybercrimes reported in the region to date include the theft of $150 million from an international bank in 2014; individuals claiming to be local ISIS supporters hacking government websites in 2015; and, in the same year, hackers infecting tax authorities with ransomware, which blocks users from accessing their systems and demands money”. These activities point to the existence of significant cyber security vulnerabilities in the protection frameworks for persons, possessions and privacy and which extend more generally to the information and critical national infrastructures. Cybercrime could have a devastating impact on national security and, if not addressed urgently, could severely hamper social and economic development of our Caribbean States. Reference is made to the CARICOM Crime and Security Strategy, adopted at the Twenty‐Fourth Inter‐ sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM, in February 2013, where Cybercrime is listed under “Tier 1 – Immediate Significant Threats” with strategic goal 8 being “Strengthening CARICOM’s Resilience to Cyber Crime”. In the Strategic Plan for the Caribbean Community 2015‐2019, Cybercrime is listed as an obstacle and threat to social and sustained economic development in CARICOM. Strengthening Cyber Security is seen as a strategy to achieve technological resilience but is also linked to strategies needed to achieve social resilience and citizen security. Caribbean governments are being approached by numerous agencies with their solutions for Cyber Security and combatting Cybercrime. However, the Caribbean in its nascent stage of development in cyber security and cybercrime has been grappling with the wherewithal to navigate its way through the various capacity building efforts globally and more specifically the diversity of assistance from various international Cyber Security programs, which appear to be operating in silos. In response, the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Organisation of American States (OAS/CICTE) and CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS) have been collaborating to develop a comprehensive programme for Caribbean Cyber Security and Cybercrime. Recognizing that each agency has its own mandate and different areas of focus (e.g. Commonwealth Secretariat focuses on cybercrime; OAS/CICTE on Cybersecurity; CTU on ICT, including Cyber Security; and CARICOM IMPACS’ mandate is Regional Crime and Security), the initiatives have been aimed at strategically coordinating efforts at the regional level. Page 4 of 24