(CARICOM Secretariat, Georgetown, Guyana) As the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) continues to focus on the full utilisation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for the shaping of regional economies, ICT experts in the Region are taking steps to ensure that CARICOM’s concerns at advanced at international Internet Governance (IG) fora.
In view of the growing awareness of the social, economic, and political impact of the Internet on society, the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), in collaboration with the CARICOM Secretariat will convene an Internet Governance (IG) Forum from 5 to 6 September in Georgetown.
The meeting is aimed at enabling participants’ common understanding of the policies and organisations that now govern the Internet. It is also envisaged as a platform for key ICT stakeholders to determine suitable principles for adoption in the Region, to ensure that Caribbean countries benefit and contribute evenly to the further development of the Internet.
In the case of the Internet, governance is needed, among other things, to prevent and minimise the risk of the fragmentation of the Internet, maintain compatibility and interoperability and to safeguard the rights and defining the responsibilities of the various players. Governance of the internet is also considered vital to ensure the protection of end users/consumers from misuses and abuse and the fostering of further development of the internet.
During the two-day forum, ICT officials are expected to receive an overview of key issues related to IG, and also agree on appropriate policies for internet governance in the Caribbean. In addition, stakeholders are set to formulate Caribbean positions on internet governance and identify the means for developing IG expertise in the Region.
A report on the status of world developments and the Region’s perspective and concerns on IG are key features to be put before participants, who will also discuss the economic and social development of the Region as these relate to internet governance.
At the end of the forum, a regional position is expected to be formulated on internet governance, while recommendations arising from discussions will be presented before CARICOM Ministers responsible for ICT at their Fourth Meeting scheduled for 7 to 9 September in Georgetown.
The issues surrounding Internet Governance and financing of the Information society were the two critical outstanding matters left open for further discussion (and consensus) after Phase 1 of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). The second phase of the WSIS will take place November 16-18, 2005 in Tunis.
