Good morning and Welcome!

It is a great honour for
me to formally welcome you to the Cayman Islands and to this, the 5th
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!