CARICOM–UNDP Regional Approach to Addressing Crime, Violence, Resilience, and Human Security in the Caribbean: Diagnostic Document

This CARICOM–UNDP Regional Approach to Addressing Crime, Violence, Resilience, and Human Security in the Caribbean: Diagnostic Document provides a regional analysis of the interconnected drivers, trends, and impacts shaping crime, violence, institutional trust, and human security across the Caribbean. Grounded in a public health and prevention-oriented framework, the document examines how violence intersects with governance, social inequality, mental health, organised crime, gender dynamics, youth vulnerability, and broader development pressures across the region. The document draws upon extensive regional and national consultations, analytical inputs, and accumulated evidence from across the United Nations system, including Common Country Analyses (CCAs), the Multi-Country Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (MSDCF) process, agency programming, regional policy dialogue, and ongoing work on prevention, resilience, and citizen security. The analysis is also aligned with wider UNDP approaches to horizon scanning, foresight, and anticipatory risk assessment in support of long-term regional resilience and sustainable development. The development of the document was strengthened through the engagement of a Peer Review Committee composed of regional experts and practitioners from academia, public health, justice, security, governance, and civil society, including representatives from CARICOM, CARPHA, the Caribbean Court of Justice, the Regional Security System, the Judiciary of Trinidad and Tobago, the University of the West Indies, and regional policy and probation networks. The document also reflects a collaborative and consultative process involving technical inputs, review, and engagement from regional institutions and United Nations entities, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), International Organization for Migration (IOM), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and the Saint Kitts and Nevis Citizen Security Secretariat. Authors: Cooke, Juana (Regional HIV, Health and Human Rights Specialist); Kerrigan, Dylan (Regional Peace and Development Advisor); Solomon, Juliet (Regional Rule of Law, Security, and Human Rights Adviser); LaCorbiniere, Jason (Cluster Lead, Poverty, Governance, Monitoring and Evaluation)