An upcoming meeting of Caribbean Commonwealth officials with responsibility for ICT will bring the region's eGovernanceand cybercrimeissues squarely into focus.
The Caribbean Stakeholders' Meeting on the Importance of ICTs and their Impact on Regional Development will take place in Port of Spainfrom May 26th to 28th.
Conference delegates are expected to discuss the impact of cybercrime on social and economic development, with a viewto identifying nextsteps in implementing e-Governance and infrastructure initiatives in identified countries.Cybercrime is aglobal multibilion dolalr industry withuntold impact on Caribbean economies.
The conference will also identify and address the major infrastructure components required to deliver government servicesonline. Byinvesting in electronic governance,governments across the world are saving money, delivering more effectiveservices, and competing moreeffectively in the global economy.Infrastructure is a critical component to successfullyimplement e-governance strategies.
"An efficient, effective and secure public service is essential for economic investment and development as well as fordeepening citizens'participation in policy and service delivery," a release from the Caribbean Telecommunications Union(CTU) quoted Commonwealth DeputySecretary-General Deodat Marahaj.
The meeting is being convened by the Commonwealth Secretariat,in partnership with the Ministry of Science and Technology of Trinidad andTobago, Organisation of American States (OAS),International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Microsoft and the CTU.
The ITU, OAS, CTU and Microsoft are active partners in the Commonwealth Cybercrime Initiative (CCI), an international program started in2011 to support member states in the implementation of robust cyber security programs. The 53 member countries of the Commonwealthshare similar legal systems and institutional structures, andhave a long history of active collaboration on issues andconcerns related toCybercrime and the Internet.
"The Commonwealth is uniquely positioned to bring together the major regional players in ICT for development. Thismeeting presents asignificant opportunity for collaboration by a range of stakeholders on issues that have a direct impacton citizens' lives," Maharaj said.