Privacy Policy

Key Terms

ACS: Association of Caribbean States

Consent is a written and express statement in which the data subject agrees to the processing of his/her personal data. Oral consent may also be given by means of an affirmative action that has been duly recorded.

Controller is an individual or public or private legal entity that processes data or designates that responsibility to others to do so on his/her/its behalf.

Data includes any information, record, document, correspondence, memorandum, book, plan, drawing, pictoral or graphic work, photograph, film, microfilm, sound recording, videotape, machine-readable record and any other documentary material, regardless of the physical form or characteristic, or any copy of those things.

Data subject means an individual whose data will be subject to processing.

Lawful basis(es) list of specific situations or circumstances in which personal data may be processed.  

Legitimate interest is the interest of the data controller or of third parties that justifies the processing of the personal data, without the consent of the data subject, provided that the necessary consideration has been given to the subject’ s rights and interests, fundamentally, the right to private life and to personal data protection.

Personal data is any information related to an individual who can be identified from that data and other information or by any means that could reasonably be used in connection with such data. Personal data includes genetic and biographical (biodata), such as name, gender, marital status, date and place of birth, country of origin, country of asylum, individual registration number, occupation, religion and ethnicity; biometric data such as a photograph, fingerprint, facial or iris image; as well as any written expression of opinion about the individual, such as assessments of his/her specific status and/or needs.

Personal information means information about an identifiable individual that is recorded in any form including:

  • Information relating to the race, nationality or ethnic origin, religion, age or marital status of the individual;
  • Information relating to the education or the medical, criminal or employment history of the individual or information relating to the financial transactions in which the individual has been involved or which refers to the individual;
  • Any identifying number, symbol or other particular designed to identify the individual;
  • The address and telephone contact number of the individual;
  • The name of the individual where it appears with other personal information about the individual;
  • Correspondence sent to an establishment by the individual that is explicitly or implicitly of a private or confidential nature, and any replies to such correspondence which would reveal the contents of the original correspondence.
  • The views and opinions of any other person about the individual; or
  • The fingerprints, deoxyribonucleic acid, blood type or the biometric characteristics of the individual;

Process/processing is any operation or series of operations, automated or not, that are performed on personal data, including but not limited to the collection, recording, organisaiton, structuring, storage, adaptation or alteration, retrieval, consultation, use, transfer (whether in computersied, oral or written form), dissemination or disclosure by any other means, correction or destruction.

1.    Introduction

Your privacy is important. This Privacy Policy explains how we, the ACS Secretariat hereinafter referred to as “ACS”, handle your personal information in connection with the website, application (including a mobile application), or service that links to this Privacy Policy and the administration of the employment relationship with our employees (we call these our “Services”). It applies generally to the following groups:

  • General End users (including official stakeholders, prospective partners and users);
  • Employees;
  • Third party Government, Non-Governmental and business partners; and
  • Other individuals who interact with us or whose personal information we maintain.

The purpose of this Privacy Policy is to inform you of the type of personal data we collect and process, as well as the legal basis and purposes of such processing. The Privacy Policy also provides information about your rights as data subject.

This Privacy Policy does not apply to any website, application, or service that links to its own privacy policy or that is offered by third parties, in which clicking on third party links or enabling those connections may allow the third party to collect, use, or share data about you. We encourage you to read their respective privacy statements.

By using our services, you consent to our privacy policy.

2.    Who is the ACS?

The Association of Caribbean States is a product of the desire of the 35 Contracting States, Countries and Territories of the Greater Caribbean to enhance cooperation within the region, an initiative aimed at building upon obvious geographic proximity and well-documented historical linkages. As stated in the Convention Establishing the ACS, its primary purpose is to be an organization for “consultation, cooperation and concerted action” for its member countries. Its framework provides a forum for political dialogue that allows Members the opportunity to identify areas of common interest and concern that may be addressed at the regional level, and the solutions for which can be found through cooperation.

Our administrative contact details are:

ACS Secretariat

5-7 Sweet Briar Road, St. Clair, P.O. Box 660, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies

Tel: (868) 622 9575

Email: communications@acs-aec.org

www.acs-aec.org

3.    What personal information do you collect and process?

The ACS collects, stores and processes the following categories of personal data:

  • Identification and contact data (such as name, email address, telephone numbers, job title, organisation, professional postal address)
  • Information required for the organisation of meetings for which the data subject has registered (such as ID information, date of birth and nationality for security purposes, travel information for logistics purposes)
  • CV information for recruitment of staff or election of office bearers
  • Other information you voluntarily submit

In particular the ACS collects personal data in various ways including through:

  • Email, postal and telephone contacts
  • Subscription to our content
  • Registration to our events
  • Surveys
  • Contact forms or comments on our website
  • Business cards
  • Information available in the public domain such as institutional directories (e.g. state government portals, etc.)

4.    Generating and capturing information – The ACS Website, applications and subdomains or portals.

By accessing any ACS Service, ACS Internet Application, ACS web portal or related public content, certain information about the User, such as Internet protocol (IP) addresses along with other similar information, will be generated and collected by us. These data sets will not specifically identify a User, will normally be used for statistical purposes and will not be published for general access.

The use of ACS Services is possible without providing any personal data. However, some data is collected through the following functions:

4.1.   Registration forms: 

We use the personal data submitted through the registration forms for the sole purpose of event management and to facilitate any related protocol or logistics requirements.

4.2.  Cookies

We automatically collect personal information about you when you interact with us by using cookies and other similar technologies.

4.3.  Embedded content and links to other websites

Our Services, content, e-newsletters and mailings may include embedded content (e.g. videos, images, articles, etc.) or links to other sites. If you click on a third-party link you will be redirected to that site. Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if the visitor has visited the other websites. These external sites are not managed by the ACS. Therefore, we strongly advise you to review the Privacy Policy of those websites. We have no control over, and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites.

4.4.  Analytics

Some ACS Content or Services may employ the use of Google Analytics to collect any analytics data from users. This page describes the types of cookies and other technologies used by Google.

https://policies.google.com/technologies/cookies?hl=en

5.    How and why do you use personal information?

We may use and process personal information from data subjects for various purposes and different legal reasons (also called legal bases) in the process of serving and addressing the interests, needs and demands of our member states and associate members, partners and external stakeholders. This table provides the purposes and legal reasons for processing that personal information:

Purpose Legal Basis
To fulfil our contractual obligations, including to register your account and provide our Services and to fulfill our obligations as an employerCommunicate with you about our Services and process related transactionsFor any purpose with your consent or to follow your instructions Our performance of a contract or delivery of a service.   As outlined in your consents or instructions.   To pursue legitimate interests.  
To operate, improve, and/or personalize our Services, corporate networks and devices, offices, events, and related infrastructureDevelop new products, services, content, and other offeringsMonitor the usage of our Services, corporate networks and devices, offices, events, and related infrastructureAudit usage of our Services, corporate networks and devices, offices, events, and related infrastructure, including consumer interactionsEnsure the security of our Services, corporate networks and devices, offices, events, and related infrastructureManage our internal operations (such as conference and protocol, event management, administration,)Provide our Services to third parties where our Services and content includes your personal information.To enable you to partake in a competition, or complete a survey   Our performance of a contract or delivery of a service.   As outlined in your consents or instructions.   To pursue legitimate interests.
Exercise our rights and/or protect our or others’ rights or propertyAdvance our other academic and economic interests as permitted by lawFor other purposes as required by or permitted by law   To pursue legitimate interests   To comply with our legal obligations   To protect your vital interests or those of another person or entity  

6.    Who do you share personal information with?

  •  Member and partner entities.
  • Third parties and users where the Services and content includes your personal information, such as when we aggregate information from various public and private sources to create listings, reports, profiles, and directories (, in which this content may be made available to all users of those Services.
  • With government agencies and third parties involved partners for specific purposes such as event organization or project report dissemination.
  • With law enforcement, government agencies, or other third parties in order to comply with any law, court order, legal request, or other legal process, as well as to enforce our agreements or protect the rights, property, or safety of our operations, employees, member states, stakeholders, or others (including for the purposes of cybersecurity and fraud protection).
  • With others when necessary to fulfill your consents or to follow your instructions.

7.    Where do you store personal information?

While Personal information is stored in premises, facilities, equipment, or machinery under the control of the Secretariat. The ACS is a regional diplomatic organization so your personal information may be transferred outside of your home country and may be stored in and accessed from multiple countries. When you interact with us, you authorize us to transfer your personal information outside of your home country and you acknowledge the risk that we may transfer your personal information to countries that may provide less protection than your home country’s privacy laws and we may not be able to prevent government authorities in some countries from accessing your personal information.

8.    What rights do I have over my personal information?

Your local privacy laws may grant you rights with respect to your personal information, and we will not knowingly discriminate against you because you have exercised any of your privacy rights. These rights differ based on the local laws that apply to you, but could include one or more of the following:

  • Right to confirm we process your personal information and, if so, to access, correct, complete, object to or restrict the processing of, and delete certain personal information we hold about you, including the rights to receive your personal information in a portable copy. To submit a request, please contact us
  • To opt-out of marketing emails from us, in which you may click the unsubscribe link at the bottom of each email that you receive from us.

Furthermore, during our events pictures may be taken, and videos may be recorded. These materials could be used for communication purposes and may also be uploaded to our Services and third-party supplier platforms or social media channels such as Flickr, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Should you wish not to feature in those materials, please contact us

IMPORTANT: These rights are not absolutely guaranteed and there are several exceptions where we may not have an obligation to fulfill your request. We are only required to honor these rights to the extent we act as a controller of that data and the requested rights have been granted and apply to you under applicable data protection laws. Please consult your local data protection laws to determine what rights may be available to you and when access to these rights is limited. You may appeal an adverse decision on your requests by emailing or writing to us; and you have the right to lodge a complaint to your local regulator if you are not satisfied with our responses to your requests or how we manage your personal information. However, we encourage you to first contact us so we can address your concerns directly.

9.    What steps do you take to secure personal information?

We work to implement technical and organizational measures designed to protect the security of personal information. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee its absolute security. In order to prevent unauthorized access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, IT and internal staff procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect, store and process.

We are not responsible for the circumvention of any privacy settings or cybersecurity measures contained on our Services, and any transmission of personal information is at your own risk. Therefore, you agree to hold the ACS harmless from liability.

10. How long do you retain personal information?

We retain personal information as required by our enterprise records retention schedule, which varies by Service, business function, country, record classes, and record types. We calculate the retention period based upon the time the personal information is needed to: (a) fulfil the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, (b) meet the timelines required or recommended by regulators, professional bodies, or associations, (c) comply with applicable laws, legal holds, and other legal obligations (including contractual obligations), and (d) comply with your requests.

11. Immunity

Nothing contained in this Privacy Policy shall operate or be regarded as a waiver, renunciation or modification of any right, privilege or immunity of the ACS under the Convention establishing the Association of Caribbean States, international instruments or any other applicable laws.

12. Contact information

If you have any doubt or question regarding our privacy policy, please email us at: communications@acs-aec.org.

Terms of Use

The use of this web site constitutes agreement with the following terms and conditions:

Introduction

  1. This page describes the terms and conditions (the “Terms”) that govern your use of this web site and (i) the content and related services and products available on or through web sites provided under the acs-aec.org domain (including mobile applications and newsletters) and (ii) any updates, new versions or new releases of those services and products. Individually and collectively, these services and products will be referred to hereinafter as the “Service”.
  • This courtesy and information Service is provided by ACS Secretariat hereinafter referred to individually and collectively as “the ACS,” “we”, “us”, or “our”.
  • Certain features or components of the Service may be subject to additional terms and conditions, including user guidelines or other rules, which will be posted on the applicable Service. Those additional terms and conditions are part of these Terms.
  • Please read this page carefully. You agree that by accessing, using and/or downloading the Service, you agree to be legally bound and consent to these Terms. If any of these Terms are unacceptable to you, you must stop using the Service.
  • If you access (or download) the Service through any third party platform or service, the applicable terms and conditions for such third party platform or service may apply in addition to these Terms and you agree that you are subject to such application or platforms terms in addition to these Terms.

Age Requirement

By using the Service, you agree that you are at least 18 years old. If you are under 18 years old, you confirm that you have the permission of your parent or guardian to access this site and/or submit content.

Changes to Terms

From time to time, we may revise these Terms without giving prior notice. If we do make such revisions, we will post an updated version on this site (and update the “Last updated on _____” reference above). By continuing to use the Service after the updated version has been posted, you agree that you accept any changes to these Terms. If you do not accept these changes, please stop using the Service.

Changes to Digital Products

From time to time, we may make changes to the Service without prior notice, which could include modifying, discontinuing, or disabling the Service, or modifying the registration options available to users. For example, we may automatically update or upgrade the version of the Service you may be using on your mobile device. You agree to any such changes and agree that these Terms will apply to all such changes.

Privacy

Please review the ACS Privacy Policy (found at: https://www.acs-aec.org/en/privacy.html) for a description of our privacy practices. By registering for an account, or otherwise using our Services (including viewing our content), you acknowledge and agree that we may and will collect, use, transfer, disclose, and otherwise process your personal information as described in our Privacy Statement. Without limiting the foregoing and for clarity, you agree that we may transfer your personal information (a) outside of your home country to another country where the laws may not provide an equivalent level of protection and (b) to third parties in accordance with our Privacy Statement.

Registration

  1. As part of the registration process, you will be required to create a user account (including creating a login name and password). If you do not complete the registration process, you will not be able to access those parts of the Service available to registered users.
  • You agree and promise that the information provided by you to us, including during the registration process, is complete and accurate to the best of your knowledge. You will promptly inform us of any changes to your information.
  • You are not allowed to share your login details or give your login details to anyone else. Your registration is for your single use only. You are responsible for the use or misuse of any login details you create as part of the registration process and for maintaining its confidentiality. You must promptly notify us of any actual or suspected confidentiality breach or unauthorized use of your login details or account by notifying us at the following link: https://www.acs-aec.org/contact-us.
  • If you fail to comply with the requirements describe in this section, we may immediately suspend or terminate your access and/or registration to the Service.

Intellectual Property; Copyright

  1. All the materials on the Service — the text, photographs, video, audio, graphics, metadata, quotes, data, information, the overall “look and feel,” and all protectable intellectual property (collectively, the “Content”) – is the property of the ACS or, in some cases, its licensors.
  • The Service and Content are protected by copyrights, trademarks, design rights, patents, trade secrets, database rights, sui generis rights, and other intellectual or proprietary rights under Trinidad and Tobago and all applicable international laws. You agree that all intellectual property rights in the Service and the Content (in whole and in part) are and shall remain the property of the ACS and/or our licensors. No intellectual property rights in the Content or in the Service are transferred to you.
  • Except for the limited license described herein, you are not conferred any right in the Content or in the Service, by implication, estoppel or otherwise, under copyright or other intellectual property laws, either now or in the future.
  • For further information, including about purchasing re-prints of certain Content through our third-party providers, please refer to the ACS Copyright page, which is part of these Terms.

Restrictions on Use

  1. THE SERVICE AND THE CONTENT IS PROVIDED BY ACS AND/OR ITS LICENSORS TO YOU FOR YOUR PERSONAL USE AND INFORMATION ONLY. YOU MAY NOT USE THE SERVICE OR THE CONTENT FOR ANY COMMERCIAL PURPOSE.
  • You promise that you are accessing, using, and/or registering to the Service in your personal, individual capacity (except, if applicable, where your access falls under a group subscription agreement in accordance with Section 1(f)). You agree not to use, transfer, distribute, and/or dispose of the Service or Content in any manner that could negatively impact the ACS or any of its partners. You may not use the Content or Service, including without limitation, any Content made available through an RSS feed, in any commercial product or service, without our prior written consent.
  • Without our prior written consent:
  • You may not remove, alter, forward, scrape, frame, in-line link, copy, sell, distribute, retransmit, create derivative works or otherwise make available (to third parties and/or on another website, app, blog, product, or service) the Content, except as occasionally permitted by certain sharing features in the Service that explicitly allow you to share Content or links to Content with a few other individuals.
  • You may not use any robots, spiders, scripts, service, software or manual or automatic device, tool, or process designed to data mine or scrape the Content, data or information from the Service, or otherwise access or collect the Content, data or information from the Service using automated means.
  • You may not reverse engineer, circumvent, decrypt, decompile, disassemble, modify, or otherwise attempt (using services, software, or any manual or automatic device, tool, or process) to alter or interfere with the Service, any feature or component of the Service, any restriction, condition, or technological measure that controls access to the Service in any way, or any content in the Service; or make any unauthorized use thereof.
  • You may not cache or archive the Content (except for a public search engine’s use of spiders for creating search indices).
  • You may not access any part of the Service or Content that you do not have permission or authorization to access or for which we have suspended or terminated your access.
  • You may not do anything that imposes an unreasonable or disproportionately large load on our network or infrastructure.
  • You may not do anything that could disable, damage, or otherwise alter or change the functioning, transmission, or appearance of the Service or Content, including content created by third parties such as member states, institutional partners, advertisers, sponsors, or other users.
  • You promise to abide by exclusionary protocols (such as Robots.txt, Automated Content Access Protocol (ACAP), etc.) that may be used in connection with the Service.
  • Engaging in a prohibited use of the Service or Content, or assisting in such use, may result in civil liability, criminal prosecution, sanctions, or some combination therein, under applicable federal, state, or local laws and regulations, or applicable foreign laws, rules, regulations, and treaties. Without prejudice to the other provisions under these Terms, we also reserve the right to suspend or terminate your access and/or use if you breach any of the provisions under this Section.

User-Generated Material

  1. The Service may have certain features that allow you or other users to comment on, discuss, upload, submit, link to, or otherwise provide content (e.g., information, graphics, videos, images). We shall refer to that material collectively as “User Material”. User Material is subject to these Terms as well as any additional guidelines or rules that are posted on the parts of the Service where you can provide User Material.
  2. You agree that you will not provide any User Material that:
  • violates anyone’s copyright, trademark or other proprietary right;
  • contains any form of advertising or promotion for goods and services, or any spam or other form of unsolicited communication;
  • is abusive, illegal, defamatory, indecent, obscene, pornographic, offensive, discriminatory (e.g., on the basis of race, nationality, religion, nationality, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, region, or disability), or threatening in any way;
  • encourages anyone to break the law;
  • interferes with the privacy of another user;
  • contains malware, viruses, spyware, or other software, files, or code designed that could interrupt, destroy, limit, or otherwise harm the Service;
  • misrepresents your identity, affiliation, or status, or otherwise contains false or misleading statements with an intent to defraud;
  • collects or stores other users’ personal data;
  • uses automated means to upload, submit, or post content;
  • gives rise to any liability or violates any applicable local, state, federal, national or international law or regulation.
  • By posting User Material, you agree that you are legally permitted to upload, submit, or post that User Material. You also agree that you are legally and financially responsible for any claims against us by any third party relating to your User Material or your posting of it.
  • You understand that the technical processing and transmission of the Service and Content may involve (i) transmissions over various networks; and (ii) changes to content to conform and adapt to technical requirements of connecting networks or devices. ACS assumes no responsibility for the deletion or failure to store postings of content or other information submitted by you or other users to the Service.
  • You agree that by uploading, submitting, or posting User Material, we have a right unlimited in time to publish, re-use, archive, edit, display, modify, delete, or commercially exploit that User Material in whole or in part as we see fit, whether on the Service or otherwise, without any requirement to pay you or to credit you. In other words, by posting User Material you are granting us a non-exclusive, transferable, worldwide, fully paid-up, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use your User Material in any manner and for any purpose whatsoever. You also irrevocably waive any “moral rights” or other attribution or authorship rights you may have in the User Material. We do not have an obligation to store User Material for any period of time, and we may remove or delete any User Material for any reason, at any time and without giving you notice.

Third Party Sites and Services

  1. The Service may include content created by third parties, including ACS member states, stakeholders, advertisers, sponsors, or other users. We may also link to, reference, or promote websites, applications and/or services from third parties.
  • We do not guarantee the accuracy of or endorse the views or opinions given by such third parties. We are not responsible for, and do not control such non-ACS websites, applications, products, or services. Any dealings you have with any third party—including advertisers or sponsors—are solely between you and that third party.

Other ACS Services

Other ACS related entities may discuss, offer, or promote additional services on the Service. Those services may be outside of the scope of these Terms and may require a separate agreement with the appropriate entity.

Limitations of Our Service and Content

  1. The Service and Content are provided for informational purposes only. You understand and agree that unless otherwise indicated , the Content on the Service including opinions expressed therein, are the responsibility of the individual authors/compilers and not those of the ACS, ACS Member States or any related entity.
  • We and our licensors are not liable for any errors, inaccuracies, or delays in the Service or any Content, or for any actions taken by you in reliance on the Service or Content. You agree that your use of the Service or the Content is at your sole risk.
  • We do not provide any promises or warranties about the Service or the Content, which are provided to you on an “as is” and “as available” basis. We do not make any promises about the Service or the Content, or of the quality, completeness, or accuracy of the Content available on or linked to from the Service. In other words, we disclaim all responsibility for any loss, injury claim, liability, or damage of any kind resulting or related to your access, use, or the unavailability of the Service (or any part thereof).
  • We will do our best to provide constant, uninterrupted access to the Content and Service; however we do not guarantee this. We accept no responsibility or liability for any unavailability, interruption or delay

Our Financial Responsibility to You

The ACS is not liable for any financial loss suffered due to improper use of our services or through its improper use by third parties.

Choice of Law and Jurisdiction

  1. These Terms shall (to the fullest extent permitted under applicable law) be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Trinidad and Tobago, without giving effect to any principles of conflicts of law. To the fullest extent permitted under applicable law, you hereby agree that any disputes arising under or in connection with these Terms or the Service shall be submitted for resolution to the courts in Trinidad and Tobago.

General

  1. These Terms contain the entire agreement between us regarding your use of the Service and supersedes all previous agreements (if any).
  • If a court or other valid authority determines that any provision of the Terms is void, invalid, unenforceable, or illegal, such provision(s) will be ineffective only to the extent of such invalidity or unenforceability and the validity and enforceability of the other provisions will remain and not otherwise be affected.
  • If we do not enforce any provision of the Terms, that will not constitute or be construed as a waiver of such a provision or our right to enforce it.
  • The United National Convention on the International Sale of Goods shall not apply to the Terms, the Service, or any Content.
  • Nothing in these Terms of Use grants you a right or licence to use the Content except as expressly provided in these Terms of Use.
  • Subject to strict compliance with these Terms of Use, we may grant you a limited, personal, non-exclusive, non-commercial, revocable, non-assignable and non-transferrable licence to use our Service and Content to view, download for caching purposes only, and print pages from our site for your own personal, domestic use. You must not modify the paper or digital copies of any Content you have printed off or downloaded in any way, and you must not use any illustrations, photographs, video or audio sequences or any graphics separately from any accompanying text.
  • Our status (and that of any identified contributors) as the authors of content on our site must always be acknowledged.
  • Nothing herein shall constitute or be considered to be a limitation upon or a waiver of the privileges and immunities of the Association of Caribbean States or its officials.
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