September 16, 1997 - A conference on Governance and Democracy got off the ground in Barbados last week Tuesday with experts stressing poverty and corruption as major threats to democracy thriving in the Caribbean region.

In his address at the opening session the Organization of American States Assistant Secretary General ambassador Christopher R. Thomas told regional leaders that rapidly expanding international trade and financial services have brought an unwelcome consequence - increased drug trafficking, money laundering and other social ills that threaten to corrupt political and civic leaders.

Where the level of poverty seems to be on the increase and where the financial rewards from illegal activities seem to be more forthcoming than that from internal trade the temptations to succumb are tremendous, Ambassador Thomas told the participants.

The two day Barbados conference, an Inter American Development Bank initiative is being co-sponsored by the OAS United Nations Development Programme, Caricom Secretariat and the University of the West Indies. State and civil society leaders and actors are meeting to talk about their roles and will emerge with ways of increasing public awareness on the extent to which civic organizations can influence development in the countries.
Prominent on the agenda are topics such as democracy and institutional development, governance and community participation, governance, ethics and transparency and the role of international cooperation.

Saint Lucia was represented at the conference by Minister of Community Development, Culture, Local Government and Cooperatives, Hon. Damian Greaves, Local Government Officer Auguste Gaspard, Resident Tutor UWI School of Continuing Studies, Matthew Roberts and Second Vice President of the St. Lucia Chamber of Commerce, Thomas Roserie.