While here, Deputy Assistant Secretary Reynoso announced that the United States Congress recently approved approximately $1.6 million in funding to The Bahamas government as part of U.S President Barack Obama’s Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI).  The Initiative was formulated in 2009, from a commitment made by President Obama at the Summit of The Americas to work more closely with the hemisphere on issues of security and justice reform.  The funding will be used to bolster U.S. Embassy Nassau’s existing law enforcement partnerships and offer a tangible commitment not meant to replace our other strong partnerships, but to augment them through meeting shared security goals.  In 2010, the United States will provide more than $45 million to support CBSI initiatives throughout the Caribbean and the Obama Administration has requested $79 million to continue support for CBSI in 2011.   

In her press conference, DAS Reynoso stated, “We have found through our other security partnerships in the region, the need for a holistic approach to crime and violence.  So, in The Bahamas, we will use the new $1.6 million in CBSI funding to not only support training and equipment for our law enforcement counterparts but also expand our partnerships.”

The $1.6 million in new CBSI funding for The Bahamas will support training to enhance the criminal investigative capacity of Bahamian law enforcement agencies; allow for the purchase of equipment to support the efforts of Bahamian law enforcement agencies to interdict, disrupt, and deter narcotics trafficking throughout The Bahamas and help bolster local efforts to reduce the demand for illicit drugs.

The U.S. Government’s commitment to The Bahamas extends beyond the new CBSI funding.  Over the past two years, the U.S. has committed over $800,000 in direct bilateral assistance to The Bahamas government in areas of drug interdiction, training, disaster preparedness and management as well as HIV/AIDS prevention.