The progress and continued advancement of the Region's Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Agenda will be the central focus of CARICOM Ministers Responsible for ICT, at their Third Meeting scheduled for 15 October 2004 in Barbados.
An Action Plan aimed at accelerating the implementation and effectiveness of the Region's ICT Development will be put to the CARICOM Ministers, who are being called upon to review the activities in the Plan, as well as determine the way forward with regard to the Regional Plan for the World Summit for the Information Society (WSIS).
Within this framework, major emphasis will be placed on the importance of developing adequate statistical frameworks to guide decision-making in ICT development in all its aspects. The importance of the Telecommunications industry and its implications for the development of the Region will also be highlighted at the meeting, since Regional ICT officials consider the industry crucial to its overall ICT advancement programme.
The Meeting will receive updates on the progress of the Working Group on Services, and the work of the CARICOM Regional Negotiating Machinery (RNM) with relation to its fostering of CARICOM's External Trade Agenda. Member States are slated to update the meeting on the progress of their respective ICT programmes.
The Meeting of Ministers responsible for ICT will be preceded by a meeting of ICT officials on 13 October, and an ICT policy seminar on 14 October. The decisions of the Ministerial Meeting are to be forwarded to the CARICOM Council For Trade and Economic Development (COTED).
Contact:
Rose Blenman
e-mail: rblenman@caricom.org
