GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – The Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the United States Department of Justice, Richard W. Downing, has visited Guyana to discuss cyber security solutions with representatives from the Guyana government.
Downing is accompanied by the cybersecurity program manager from the Secretariat of the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism of the Organization of America States (OAS), Kerry-Ann Barrett, and a team of Department of Justice (DOJ) cyber experts.
A statement from the US Embassy here on Monday said that Downing and Ms. Barrett met with Ambassador Elisabeth Harper, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, representatives from the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions, representatives from the Ministry of Legal Affairs and the Attorney General’s chambers, representatives from the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Guyana Police Force.
The statement said the two officials encouraged Guyana’s accession to the Budapest Convention, or the Convention on Cybercrime, which would offer additional resources to strengthen domestic capacity for law enforcement responses when combatting cybercrime.
“This crucial step will help Guyana combat cyber threats as it undergoes a major economic transformation. Additionally, the DOJ cyber team and the OAS offered technical support toward developing national cyber security frameworks to combat cybercrimes, especially in the security and energy sectors. The team proposed similar support to (Caribbean Community) CARICOM countries,” the statement said.
The Embassy said that in addition to the visit by DOJ, the U.S. Southern Command and Florida National Guard will send a cyber defense assessment team to Guyana this week, to share best practices with the Guyana Defence Force to protect military networks from cyber-attacks.
The statement added that these visits by DOJ and USSOUTHCOM highlight the United States’ concerted efforts to assist Guyana in establishing and developing a robust cyber security defense to support future development.
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