Regional Authority Recognizes Cuban Experience in Digital Sector

VARADERO, Cuba, Aug 21 (ACN) Rodney Taylor, Secretary General of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), today highlighted the weight of the largest of the Antilles within that organization and the island's support for efforts towards sustainable development in the area.

In statements to the press, in the context of the XXI Caribbean Internet Governance Forum (CIGF) being held at the Meliá Internacional Varadero hotel, Taylor highlighted that this is the ideal opportunity to contact experts and interested entities on the island who can share their views and at the same time listen to how much they have to contribute.

He explained that the Caribbean nation, like other CTU member states, also faces the high costs of internet-related infrastructure, but has potential in terms of capacity building, staff training, and the opportunity to continue learning about new advances in the area.

From the debates taking place this week, there will be a better understanding of the challenges faced, so as to work together to address those challenges with comprehensive responses based on collaboration, he added.

Regarding the event, convened by the CTU with the support of the Government of Cuba, he said that it represents a pause to talk about Internet resilience for the region, which has to do especially with cybersecurity and the constant threat of cyber attacks against the infrastructure installed in these countries.

Critical issues are also being addressed, such as the way Internet domains are managed within the Caribbean region, and those related to artificial intelligence, data management, and how this impacts the need to continue advancing in this area, in the face of common challenges like climate change, which carry risks associated with the impact of increasingly frequent and intense extreme natural phenomena in the geographic area, he pointed out.

In Thursday's sessions, regional leaders highlighted the importance of the meeting, the oldest of its kind in the Caribbean and the world (dating back to 2005), and emphasized the need to strengthen the digital ecosystem in the region to create a collaborative common path to advance on these issues.
Similarly, reports from the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) at the national and regional levels, as well as global perspectives, were presented.

The meeting, which brings together experts, academics, technologists, and youth leaders in person and virtually, will conclude this Friday with an update on the Cuban perspective on managing issues related to digital transformation and the assimilation of information technologies in the national context.