The Bahamas Advances Maritime Security Priorities at Northern Caribbean Security Summit

PRESS RELEASE

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos— The Commonwealth of The Bahamas participated in the Fourth Annual Northern Caribbean Security Summit 11-13 February 2026, convened by the members of Operation Bahamas, Turks and Caicos (OPBAT) and hosted by the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands. In addition to OPBAT members, Jamaica, Canada and Cayman were also invited guests.

The Bahamian delegation was led by the Hon. Wayne Munroe K.C., Minister of National Security, and included the Heads of National Law Enforcement Agencies (HONLEA) and Jerusa Ali, Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Canadian High Commissioner HE Mark Berman; Cayman Governor HE Jane Owen; Turks and Caicos Governor HE Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam; Turks and Caicos Premier Hon. Charles Washington Misick; Bahamian Minister of National Security Hon. Wayne Munroe; U.S. Embassy Nassau Deputy Chief of Mission Kimberly Furnish Director General Ali (back row, fourth from right)

The summit addressed coordinated security operations across the Northern Caribbean in response to increasingly complex transnational threats. Discussions addressed maritime crime, irregular migration, illegal fishing, financial crime, firearms trafficking, and organised criminal networks operating across maritime borders.

Delegates expressed an interest in implementing measures to enhance operational effectiveness through expanded intelligence sharing; improved communication and coordination; strengthened port security; increased interoperability through operational agreements; and expanded use of surveillance technologies, including unmanned aircraft systems. The meeting also examined strategic investment in maritime and security assets and the security posture of The Bahamas as part of the Lucayan Archipelago.

Minister Munroe emphasized that regional threats now extend beyond narcotics interdiction and demand a coordinated operational response. He noted: “Our shared waters are under assault from a convergence of threats that respect no border. The political will is here; now we must match it with operational will.”

Quinten Burlot, UNODC (left), and Director General Ali (right).

A central focus of the summit was supporting structured solutions to the situation in Haiti. The Bahamas underscored the direct link between Haiti’s security conditions and irregular migration, maritime insecurity, and human trafficking affecting the Northern Caribbean, and called for sustained international support to strengthen Haitian security institutions.

The Government of The Bahamas welcomes the joint declaration, which reaffirms coordinated operations across the Florida Straits, the Lucayan Archipelago, and the wider northern Caribbean Sea, and commits to strengthened maritime domain awareness, joint training, and enhanced information sharing.