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CTU NEXUS Nexus CTU Towards a Seamless Caribbean
Towards a Seamless Caribbean
From the Desk of the
Secretary General Greetings from the Caribbean Telecommunications Union. As we reflect on the discussions and outputs generated at the recently concluded 10th Ministerial Seminar, it is important that we bear in mind the session’s theme: ‘The International ICT Agenda: Partnering for Regional Action’ and acknowledge the urgent need for regional leaders to work together and take concrete steps towards developing knowledge-economies that maximise our competitive advantage in the global landscape.
The CTU continues to work on behalf of its members and has recently formalised collaboration with the COMNET Foundation for ICT Development through a memorandum of understanding. This increased collaboration will advance the region’s ability to deal with issues of Cyber Security in a more strategic and comprehensive manner. The region can no longer afford to ignore the realm of cybercrime; threats have been increasing in freqency and intensity The CTU is committed to supporting its members as they plan and implement measures to protect their citizens while reaping the benefits of full participation in the Interneteconomy.
The recently concluded Carib Nog meetings hosted by the CTU in collaboration with Packet Clearing House (PCH) at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustin, were well attended by both students and network managers of the region. The CaribNog meetings provide network professionals and the technical community with the opportunity to discuss and collaborate in solving problems arising within critical internet infrastructure implemented in the region. As technology advances and becomes integrated into our way of life, it is critical that the regions “techy cmoomunity” use their tremendous talent to not simply consume and inherit the systems developed externally, but play an active role in moulding and deploying systems which are relevant to the needs of the region.
The CTU is preparing to host the 8th Caribbean Internet Governance Forum and is currently updating its Caribbean Internet Governance Framwork 1.0. Such fora are critical in strengthening the Caribbean’s voice and participation in discussions and policy making fora at the international level such as the Internet Governance Forum.There is a dire need for us a Caribbean people to gain an intense understanding of the complex issues of Intenet Governance and to formulate positions and soloutions which are appropriate to our context and developmental goals. Preparation is key to our advancement in participating fully in the many international conferneces and fora.
The Caribbean ICT Roadshow team is planning for its next stop in Barbados. The acticvities will begin with an ICT Techno Village on the 7th of September in Heroes Sqaure and will continue from the 10th through the 14th at various venues throug out the island.The CTU continues to spread awareness of the potential benfits of ICTs and foster innovation and entrepreneurship though the Roadshow intiative.
This second edition of the CTU nexus is packed articles and news from the CTU. I trust that you will fimnd the contents stimulating and informative. Let us work togther to create the strong knowledge-based economies of which we dream. Brenadette Lewis Secreatry General
What is the CCoE? The Caribbean Centre of Excellence (CCoE) is an initiative of the CTU which seeks to provide training, techncal assistance, expert advice and information on all aspects of the development of information and communications technologies (ICTs) in the Caribbean. What kind of projects are engaged in? As part of the CCoE, the CTU has recently developed a draft ICT Policy, Strategy and Implementation Plan for the Government of Montserrat. During the last quarter of 2011, the CTU also delivered projects such as the implementation of a Government Wide Area Network in St.Kitts and Nevis; as well the provision of a PBX solution for the government ministries and associated institution in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The CCoE strives to provide technical assistance for anticipating and solving ICT problems, and was elated when they were awarded the consultancy to formulate the policy and implementation plan. Where can I get more information? For more information on our current CCoE projects or how you can access the CTU�s services, please contact the Business and Operatiosn Manager, Mr. Rodney Taylor via rodney.taylor@ctu.int Benefits of CCoE for CTU Members
Relevant executive training for policy makers, technocrats, practitioners and regulators on all aspects of technology and management of the ICT sector.
Technical assistance for anticipating and solving ICT problems.
A repository of telecommunications information for the region.
Caribbean consultants and experts who can address issues of ICT development in small island states and understand newly liberalized markets of the Caribbean. Research and analyses on topics of importance to the region.
PLANNING FOR A KNOWLEDGE eCONOMY
As part of the Caribbean Centre of Excellence (CCoE) initiative, the CTU secretariat submitted a draft
Information and Communication Technology Policy, Strategy and Implementation Plan for consideration to the Ministry of Communication, Works and Labour of Montserrat on the 21st of June 2021.
The CTU team executed this project during the period 31st October 2011 to February 2012;and was comprised of regional ICT experts and engineers: Nigel Cassimire – Team Lead; Rodney Taylor – Senior Consultant; Wayne Butcher – Senior Consultant; John Mollenthiel – Senior Consultant. The process commenced with preliminary stakeholder consultations and the collection of ICT status data. The team worked very closely with Claudia Skerrit, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Communications, Works and Labour, to ensure that the content of the document is consistent with the Ministry’s vision.It is intended that the draft Information and Communication Technology Policy, Strategy and Implementation Plan will complement and build on the anticipated outcomes identified in the e-Government strategy. The National ICT Policy focusses on the areas of education, society, business, infrastructure, government and creating an enabling environment in order for the nation to reap the full benefits of ICTs.
The draft National ICT Policy, Strategy and Implementation Plan for Montserrat articulates a coherent, national approach to the adoption and use of ICT over the period 2012 – 2016. It has been developed with a view to supporting the achievement of Monteserrat’s Sustainable Development Plan’s (SDP) goals. As a major companion plan to the SDP, the National ICT Plan addresses the various roles and requirements of ICT in supporting and accelerating the realisation of the SDP’s vision. Consultations were held with numerous stakeholders in order to ensure that the objectives in each focus area represent the wishes of the population. This involved a series of meetings with persons from within Government, the business community, the ICT sector, the student body, the general public and the Diaspora. Their respective views and opinions were recorded and analysed in order to determine the policy objectives. Each objective was then described through a series of related policy statements. The submitted document is currently being assesed by the Ministry of Communication, Works and Labour for the development of a National Montserratian ICT Policy and Implementation Plan.
T
CTU MEDIA DAY
he “Media Day” event hosted on the 27th of April, 2012, in commemoration of the CTU’s 23rd Anniversary, was planned with a special emphasis on fostering an on-going relationship between the organisation, its stakeholders and the media. The acting Secretary General of the CTU, Rodney Taylor, kicked-off the evening’s activities by welcoming invited guests and outlined the CTU’s plans and current projects. Mr. Taylor encouraged members of the Media to pay close attention to the Ministerial Seminar held on the 29th -30th in Miami.
In attendance were CTU President, the Honourable Minister Carolyn Seepersad -Bachan, President of the Trinidad and Tobago Publishers and Broadcasters Association (TTPBA), Kiran Maharaj, Chairman of Board of the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT), Mr. Selby Wilson and, Head of Telecommunications Public Policy for the Digicel Group, Mr. Julien Wilkins.
Invited guests enjoyed a cocktail reception after several informative presentations delivered by CTU staff, as well as some notable CTU partners. One such presenter, Dr. Kim Mallalieu expressed her admiration for the CTU’s work through the Caribbean ICT Roadshow, which is designed to educate and demonstrate the transformative power of ICT innovation. Dr. Mallalieu is a presenter at the Roadshow and facilitates the Fisher Folk outreach sessions. Akhenaton “Topper” Laborde, CEO of ‘Yellar Direct’, testified to the positive applications of ICTs in our local context and advocated strongly for the CTU to continue its work in fostering local innovation and entrepreneurship.
CTU president, the Honourable Minister Seepersad –Bachan, noted that CTU member states have been making progress in various areas of ICT-enables development and she urged leaders to collaborate and embrace the new age of ‘knowledge societies’.
The CTU is determined to take a proactive approach in providing support for our members as they leverage ICT for global competitive advantage.
CTU Business Dev. ManagerRodney Taylor and CTU President, Minister Carolyn Seepersad Bachan
Nigel Cassimire, Julien Wilkins, Akenaton LaBorde,
Kiran Maharaj, Rodney Taylor, CTU President Carolyn Seepersad- Bachan, Se;by Wilson, PS Gillian Macintyre.
Francola John,EMI Caribbean Ltd; Wendy McDonald iGOVtt
Rodney Taylor, Selby Wilson,Heritage Radio Representative
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“W
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e need to make plans and act to achieve our Internet Governance goals”, these were the words of CTU Secretary General, Bernadette Lewis as she addressed participants at the 4th annual South School on Internet Governance (SSIG) hosted in Bogota, Colombia. The Caribbean Telecommunications Union has continuously supported the SSIG initiative as a forum which addresses Internet Governance issues, with a particular emphasis on elements pertinent to the region, such as content development and language. Multi-stakeholderism, local content asymmetry of access, new gTLDs, cyber security and accessibility on the Internet are themes which are increasingly moulding the discourse on Internet Governance. The ‘South School on Internet Governance’ (SSIG) is an annual program designed to train new leaders in all aspects of Internet Governance with a strong focus on Latin America and the Caribbean. This initiative, spearheaded by Professor Olga Cavalli and Adrian Carballo, attracts a wide crosssection of participants from both the public and private sectors. This year’s week-long program was hosted in Bogota, Colombia and was the largest since its inception in 2009. Secretary General of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union, Bernadette Lewis was among this year’s distinguished faculty and she presented on the theme: Caribbean Internet Governance. The SG made reference to the Caribbean Internet Governance Framework, and highlighted several points including the need to enlist diverse stakeholders in the Internet Governance process. This sentiment was echoed by many of the school’s presenters. Additionally, Ms. Lewis emphasised that greater investment should be made in research and evidenced based policy development. She stated that too often are policies generated based on foreign notions of development and growth. Furthermore, all stakeholders need to be educated so that we ensure that our citizenry is aware and can make informed choices and demand that their respective governments make decisions that will benefit them.
“We need to make plans and take
action
to achieve”
This year, the english speaking Caribbean was represented by two fellows from Belize and Trinidad and Tobago. Particpants were addressed by several distinguished speakers including Colombian ICT Minister Diego Molano Vega, Dr. Robert Pepper, Vice President, Global Technology Policy, CISCIO;Wolfgang Kleinwatcher, Rodrigo de la Para, ICANN; Ricardo Pedraza Barrios, Verisign, and Christian O’Flaherty of ISOC.
The school’s curriculum is delivered over a one week period, with sessions commencing at 8:30 am each day. Participants are invited to apply for fellowships offered by the SSIG and this year’s program was the attracted the most participants and speakers in the school’s history. Topics addressed rannged from network neutrality to developing content in indigenous languages. This year’s school was the largest thus far with over a hundred fellows and a diverse group of speakers. Participants were addressed by Colombian ICT Minister, the Honourable Diego Molani Vega, who highlighted the country’s “Vive Digital” initiative which contributed to the Government’s recipt of the GSMA Governmnet Leadership Award in early 2012.
As Caribbean states seek to design and implement appropriate ICT policies and internetgovernance frameworks, they can draw from the successes and challenges experienced by neighbours in the region. Fora such as the SSIG are ideal for facilitating dialogue and exchange between stakeholders from developing states and can act as important catlyst for the growth of the region in the spehere of ICT. The CTU continues to support the SSIG and its efforts in developing the region’s Internet Governance capacity.
CTU formalises collaboration with COMNET
T
he Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) and The COMNET Foundation for ICT Development (COMNET) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to formalise collaboration between the two agencies, with particular emphasis on cyber-security and cybercrime prevention activities. The MOU was signed at the 10 Ministerial Seminar in Doral, Florida organized by the CTU. The MOU, which is effective for 3 years includes agreement to explore opportunities in areas of mutual interest. This includes capacity building programmes for practitioners, identifying funding possibilities for mutually beneficial joint projects and raising awareness on the imperative of harmonization of law through the adoption of global model law standards amongst the various jurisdictions. The agreement also provides for the promotion of each organisation’s programmes of work at various events, conferences, and other venues and public speaking engagements around the world.
The CTU promotes functional regional integration and social and economic development, through the effective use of ICT and the organization is at the forefront of harmonisation of policies, procedures, processes for the ICT sector in the Caribbean. Cyber security is one of 5 strategic areas the CTU is addressing under its Caribbean Internet Governance Policy Framework v 1.0.
COMNET, through an initiative known as Commonwealth Connects, assists its developing member states in building their institutional, legislative and regulatory capacity through technology and knowledge transfer. This assistance is offered in areas such as e-Government, telecommunication regulation, cyber-security and cybercrime activities having a bearing on national, social and economic development. Bernadette Lewis, Secretary General of the CTU believes that this MOU will go a long way in advancing the region’s ability to deal with the issue of cyber security in a more strategic and comprehensive manner. “We are pleased to partner with COMNET in this critical area and our intention is to move forward as quickly as possible on some very concrete initiatives that will provide real benefits to our 20 member countries”, said the SG after the signing. Joseph Tabone, Chairman of COMNET also suggested that “CTU can contribute in a major way to the broad partnership of the Commonwealth Cybercrime Initiative in building the necessary capacity to better equip the region to combat cybercrime.
CTU Secretary General, Bernadette Lewis and COMNET Foundation Chairman, Joseph V. Tabone
Networking for Caribbean Development
The Caribbean region must make a concerted effort to develop and retain the skill and expertise of its newtork engineers if real progress is to be made in capitalising on the knowledge economy; these were the sentiments of the CTU Secretary General, Bernadette Lewis as she addressed the participants at the 3rd CaribNog meeting held in Trinidad at the UWI St. Augustine from the 11th through the 15th June 2012.
The event is being jointly hosted by the CTU and Packet Clearing House, with the kind support of ARIN, ISOC, LACNIC, The University of the West Indies, St Augustine and the BrightPath Foundation.
A key objective of CaribNOG is to better position the Caribbean to address critical technology challenges and issues and to collaboratively derive relevant solutions. Speakers ranged from engineering students to government representatives, on sessions touched on topics cyber threat detection, network design and IpV6 deployment. The sessions were formatted to accommodate active participation and interaction between speakers and the networnk operator community.
CaribNog facilitaotor, Bevil Wooding emphasised to to participants “ you are CaribNog” and that a significant change of paradigm is required. Wooding reiterated that the region is at a critical stage in its development and those involved in building the knowledge economy, from policy makers to engineers must work to develop networks and systems which address the needs and provide solutions to the region’s unique challenges.
Programme airing in June 2012
19th 7:30 PM EST 20th
12:30 PM
21st
8:30 PM
22nd
6:00 PM
23rd 12:00 PM 24th 1:30 PM
Be viewing the Caribbean ICT Roadshow Dominica 2012 on TEMPO!!! Click to watch trailer!
25th 12:30 PM 26th 6:30 PM
Caribbean ICT Roadshow Barbados 7&10-14th September 2012 The ICT Roadshow’s next stop is Barbados!
In keeping with its commitment to ICT-enabled development, the Government of Barbados is partnering with the CTU to host a week of activities and events under the Caribbean ICT Roadshow.
Please see the “activities at a glance section” on this page or go to www.ctu.int for further information.
Activities at a Glance
Upcoming CTU Programmes
29th-30th August 2012
31st August 2012
Caribbean Telecommunications Union Level 3 Victoria Park Suites 14-17 Victoria Square Port of Spain Trinidad and Tobago Tel: (868) 627-0347 Email: ctunion@ctu.int Website: www.ctu.int