Press Release on the Capacity Development in ICT Policy and Internet Governance Workshop for Africa Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Programme June 30-July 1, 2010

ICT4D Jamaica in partnership with the European Union funded Diplo Foundation, recently held a two-day workshop from June 30-July 1, 2010 in Kingston, Jamaica. The training hosted twenty (20) participants from regional and sub-regional Caribbean institutions and organizations and included discussions, debates, and simulations on several Internet Governance (IG) issues, actors¸ processes, and policies, as well as advocacy. ICT4D Jamaica played a major role in coordinating the two-day event which was held at the Altamont Court Hotel, and which included participants from neighbouring islands such as Haiti and Guyana.

The trainees were engaged in discussion around internet security, critical internet resources, infrastructure, intellectual property rights, as well as ICT strategy and policy. The workshop also addressed multi-stakeholder diplomacy, and participants were employed in a simulation of multi-stakeholder negotiations within the context of the World Summit of Information Society’s (WSIS) Internet Governance Forum (IGF).

The simulations, which were conducted on day two of the workshop, included the preparation of an intense agenda-planning exercise involving government, business and civil society teams. The preparation made by both teams contributed to dynamic negotiations, smart diplomacy and dramatic episodes amongst the teams as they interacted for consensus on IG topics such as universal internet access, and argued on topics such as taxation for businesses that benefit from e-commerce.

Other highlights of the workshop included short one-minute debates on t   Read More...

Jamaica Workshop Report: ACP Internet Governance
By Virgina Paque

An ACP Internet Governance Diplomats training workshop was held in Kingston, Jamaica, with partner ICT4D Jamaica on June 30 – July 1 2010. It offered a workshop training for 20 participants from regional and sub-regional Caribbean institutions and organizations and included an overview of Internet governance issues, actors and processes, advocacy techniques and touched upon ICT strategic planning. It also addressed 'Understanding Multistakeholder Diplomacy" with a dynamic simulation of a multistakeholder negotiation. Another particularly successful element was a series of short debates which reinforced basic information on current controversies, as well as giving the participants actual practice in presenting their views in a short, concise, substantial position statement.

The multistakeholder stimulation of an agenda planning meeting involving business, government and civil society teams was a very dynamic exercise in negotiation, diplomacy and high drama as stakeholder teams and their representatives tried to reach agreement on a proposed agenda, and explored many levels of interaction necessary for consensus. Facilitator and IGF veterans alike were amazed to see how closely the simulation followed actual IGF discussions.

Debate topics that generated follow-up discussion with particular implications for the Caribbean included:
--Personal pirating is OK, especially in developing countries.
--The Internet is a global innovative space and should be tax free.
--.god is a possible .tld which as a simple string should not be prohibited by any ICANN restriction.
--Access needs certain limits and the government must have the right to filter content and access for the security and protection of the St   Read More...

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 Internet Governance Diplo Foundation partnership ICTPolicy partnership applications courses

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) sponsored 20 professionals from the education sector across the region and locally for both the EduVision Conference 2009 and the Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Workshop which were held at the same venue, Rose Hall Resort and Spa, Montego Bay.

Poverty and its associated problems – hunger, poor health, lack of education and disenfranchisement – are fundamentally information problems. Poverty is exacerbated by the high cost of discovering how your peers have solved their agricultural problems, of accessing government services, of communicating with distant relations who have gone to the city to earn on behalf of the family.

A three-day National Workshop on Media and Information Literacy (MIL) for Teacher Education, which is being jointly organized by UNESCO Office for the Caribbean and ICT4D Jamaica, with the collaboration of the Ministry of Education and other EduVision partners  will be held on November 25-27 at the Rose Hall Resort and Spa, Montego Bay. It is being conducted in consideration of the UNESCO draft teacher training curricula enrichment for media and information literacy project which is to be piloted in teacher training institutions in eight countries. (Read more...)

The ICT4D Jamaica Stakeholders Conference 2009 was an important milestone for those stakeholders concerned with the way forward for the Network and who are concerned with advancing national development through the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). 51 participants gathered during the one-day Conference at the Hotel Four Seasons in Kingston, Jamaica as this year’s Conference brought together a diverse and energetic group of practitioners, experts, and others interested seeing  ICT4D Jamaica increase its impact as a not-for-profit, knowledge-sharing Network.

This certificate course, to be offered weekends and evenings from May 16-27, 2009, will equip you with the right tools to offer your digital products and cultural services.