SEPT 1, 2004
GROUP #2, FOR ACTIVITY # 23

Participants

Errol Hewitt		Jamaica
Charles Smith	Puerto Rico
Rey Smith		Puerto Rico
Roberto Mori		Puerto Rico
Ronald Severing	Curacao
Héralda Beaugélus	Haiti
Angelica Ospina	Colombia
Gregor Williams	St. Lucia
Etienne Wermester	France
Leconte Boisrond
Arnelle Chatelier	OECS
Gillan Marcelle	Trinidad & Tobago

STRATEGIES

Provoke commitments to provide resources to enable multi-stakeholder engagement or dialogue across the multi-lingual Caribbean (i.e. including civil societies).

(Low priority) Discuss the proposals for the creation of observatories (clearing houses) in the region in order to avoid duplication of efforts; the observatories could function at donor level, but it is also imperative that the individual States take responsibility for coordinating ICT projects within their own countries.

Develop national and regional ICT4D plans and policies which are coherent, locally-produced and based on a participatory and consultative process.

Use “consciousness-raising”, lobbying and education to help the governments to understand the importance and potential of ICT4D. (example: The Caribbean sent very young (average age of 26), junior diplomats to the UN-sponsored training prior to WSIS.  There were no representatives of the “power-structure” as there were from Africa, i.e., Ministers of Education, Planning, etc.) The governments must understand the potential of ICT before we can begin to demand the development of the required policies. 

ICT4D must be an integral part of the planning and development programs of each country; It will probably be necessary to recommend a central or umbrella agency which would link to and serve all other agencies rather than locate all ICT funding and expertise in the “Ministry of Finance”, which seems to be a practice common to most countries.   ICT is “pervasive”, i.e. it is a medium, a service, a tool which is required by all agencies in order for them to develop, and if placed in one of the “Ministries”, the latter risk hogging the benefits…

This meeting (CARDICIS) could be a first step toward the development of a regional ICT group which would develop regional policy.  ACS may be asked to create new spaces, including a space for ICT, culture, and civil societies. This might lead to a regional summit. 

ECTEL is a multi-state body that is a possible model for two elements:
1)	merging  regulatory policies (these regulations should be beneficial for all);
2)	policies aimed at reducing the digital divide in the region.