Dr. Carla Barnett, CARICOM Secretary-General, used elements of the regional theme of Girls In ICT Day 2026 – empower, educate, and elevate – to define what Member States must continue to do to build a Caribbean Community that is being rapidly reshaped by technology.
Girls in ICT Day, Thursday, 23 April, was celebrated by the Caribbean Community under the theme “Empower, Educate, Elevate: Building a Future‑Ready CARICOM with Girls in ICT”. This day highlights the importance of encouraging and empowering girls and young women to pursue studies and careers in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), a sector that continues to shape the global economy and future of work.
Delivering remarks at the CARICOM Secretariat at the opening session of activities to observe the day, Dr Barnett said that the three imperatives – Empower, Educate, Elevate – define what the Member States of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) “must continue to do, deliberately and collaboratively, if we are to build a future‑ready Community in an age already being rapidly re-shaped by digital transformation, artificial intelligence (AI), rapid technological change of various kinds, and wider shifts in how we learn, work, govern, and participate (how we relate to each other) in society nowadays, mainly through these things.”
She added that CARICOM is committed to ensuring that girls and young women participate in the implementation of regional strategies, “not as afterthoughts, but as architects of change. The pace of technological advancement requires us to act with urgency, with coherence, and sustained political will.”
You may read her complete remarks below:
Good morning
Thank you all for being online and for coming here. We will do our part by sharing, and we will want you all to carry on with sharing all that is done today when you leave.
Today we mark the tenth anniversary of observing, in CARICOM, (we’re a little bit late, as it started 15 years ago) Girls in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Day. The theme, as you have heard, is “Empower, Educate, Elevate: Building a Future‑Ready CARICOM with Girls in ICT”.
These three imperatives – Empower, Educate, Elevate – define what the Member States of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) must continue to do, deliberately and collaboratively, if we are to build a future‑ready Community in an age already being rapidly re-shaped by digital transformation, artificial intelligence (AI), rapid technological change of various kinds, and wider shifts in how we learn, work, govern, and participate (how we relate to each other) in society nowadays, mainly through these things.
To empower our girls means ensuring that access to technology is universal, safe, and meaningful. Through the CARICOM Single ICT Space work that we do, the Community continues to work toward harmonised digital ecosystems that expand connectivity, that reduce barriers, and that promote seamless participation within and across Member States. At the same time, our regional focus on cybersecurity and digital trust recognises that empowerment requires safe online environments, where girls can engage, learn, and innovate, without fear of harassment or harm.
CARICOM’s regional digital agenda places digital skills development at the centre of regional competitiveness and economic transformation. Initiatives such as the CARICOM Girls in ICT Partnership, and other national and regional digital skills programmes, are helping to expose girls to, and include girls in coding, robotics, data, artificial intelligence, and digital entrepreneurship, from an early age. Education systems must now continue to evolve so that girls are included early to ensure that they are equipped with future‑ready skills and the confidence to apply them.
Equally important is our collective responsibility to remove cultural and other barriers that stand in the way of elevating girls and young women into leadership and decision‑making roles. Through regional cooperation, public‑private partnerships, and initiatives supported by youth and education programmes, CARICOM is strengthening the digital public infrastructure and innovation systems. These create space where young women can advance beyond participation into leadership, research, and enterprise.
CARICOM is committed to ensuring that girls and young women participate in the implementation of regional strategies, not as afterthoughts, but as architects of change. The pace of technological advancement requires us to act with urgency, with coherence, and sustained political will.
Over the past ten years, the Girls in ICT observances have been held under the ambit of the CARICOM Girls in ICT Partnership, which has been recognised by the United Nations as a Sustainable Development Good Practice.
This has allowed many young women to step into technology with creativity, courage, and conviction. The next generation of Caribbean innovators, cybersecurity experts, AI practitioners, and digital entrepreneurs is already among us. Some are in this room. Our task is to ensure that girls are among them, building, leading, and shaping a stronger, more resilient, and more inclusive Caribbean Community.
I take pleasure in wishing everyone a Happy International Girls in ICT Day 2026. Let us leave this commemoration committed to ensuring that we do the things that we are talking about today. Have a good day of exchange, understanding that everybody has a right and a responsibility to participate and make the best of every situation in which you are involved, and learn as much as you can.
Thank you.
