The future of the Caribbean economy is shaped in global fora where the region is virtually voiceless. Building regional capacity is therefore an urgent priority, in order to strengthen Caribbean representation at global meetings where the trajectory of Internet economy is shaped and determined.
The 10th Caribbean Internet Governance Forum (CIGF), hosted by the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), will undertake to address that gap by encouraging representatives from government, academia, private sector, civil society and the technology community to engage in dialogue intended to produce policies that will strengthen the region's Internet economy.
CIGF 10 will review and update the version 2.0 of the region's IG framework, with a focus on exploring opportunities for Caribbean growth through the Internet Economy. Among the presenters are: Bernadette Lewis, Secretary General, CTU; Bevil Wooding, Internet Strategist, Packet Clearing House; Nate Davis, American Registry for Internet Numbers; Albert Daniels, Global Stakeholder Engagement Manager, The Caribbean, the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers; Shernon Osepa, the Internet Society; and Maria-Cristina Capelo, Public Policy & Government Relations, Google.
CIGF 10 will also facilitate open discussion on the Net Mundial outcomes, and the proposed transition of the NTIA stewardship function. The country's president, Dilma Rousseff, organised the two-day NetMundial event in April following allegations the US National Security Agency (NSA) had monitored her phone and emails. The US currently determines who runs the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), the body responsible for regulating the internet's codes and numbering systems. That function is currently handled by the US National Telecommunications and Information Administration. But Washington now aims to pass the duty over to the "global multi-stakeholder community" by September 2015.
CIGF 10 will be held at the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort, The Bahamas from August 6 to 8.
CIGF was the first regional IG forum to be established as a result of the work of the World Summit of the Information Society (Geneva 2003 to Tunis 2005). It is an annual multi-stakeholder forum, initiated by the CTU and the Caricom Secretariat in 2005, to coordinate a regional approach to Internet Governance.