FOR two days, discussions will be held on the use of and threats associated with lethal autonomous weapons in the region and how it should be addressed.
Attorney General Reginald Armour, SC, believes "the present is the future," and so Caricom must not hesitate in its preparations in dealing with these risks
From Tuesday-Wednesday, TT will host the Caricom Regional Workshop on Achieving the Universalization of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.
It is being held at the Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain.
During his main speech, Armour said the region is not immune to the potential risks posed by the development and deployment of autonomous weapons.
"It is, therefore, our duty to come together as we are doing now and, in fact, to build off of the solid security foundation laid thus far by maximising this opportunity to exchange knowledge and to collaborate on finding solutions that protect our societies and uphold universal humanitarian principles."
He said striking the right balance between harnessing the benefits of technology and upholding commitments to human rights and international law is an "intricate challenge."
He said it requires collective wisdom and collaboration.
"Having a collective position on the adherence to the provisions of the majority of multilateral disarmament and arms control treaties is a long-standing paragon tradition. It serves as a demonstration of our well-established commitment to a rules-based regime governing the international relations among states.
"As Caricom member states, we have committed and have already demonstrated our endeavours in strengthening the efforts to address the issue of lethal autonomous weapons systems."
He said Caricom has the opportunity to lead by example and to be at the forefront of international efforts on this topic.
"As we deliberate here over the next two days, let us remember that the decisions we make here will have far-reaching consequences not only for our region but for the entire world. I call on all participants present today to use this forum which provides a significant opportunity to start the discussions with your respective governments on the issues raised."
[caption id="attachment_1025195" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Attorney General Reginald Armour S.C. speaks to the media at the opening ceremony of the Convening of Regional Attorneys General Conference, Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain on July 11 - Photo by Jeff K. Mayers[/caption]
Speaking to reporters after the ceremony, he said the region cannot simply wait to react to such threats "because in the reactive mode, we are not going to catch up. We have to take in front.
"This is very important to recognise that this is a clear and present danger that we have to begin to recognise and provide legislation and regulations for, so that if and when we have to deal with a problem that emerges, we are prepared for it.
"You have a piece of equipment out in the sky coming at you and there's (no one) managing it, but they can be weapons and lethal weapons.
"W
