50th Executive Council Meeting and Inaugural Caribbean ICT Ministers’ Retreat

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April 11, 2024 - April 13, 2024

Venue: Belize

The Caribbean Telecommunication Union (CTU) will hold its 50^th Executive Council (EC50) meeting, its 21^st Caribbean Ministerial Strategic ICT Seminar and the Inaugural Caribbean ICT Ministers’ Retreat from 11^th to 13^th April 2024. The meetings are being hosted by the CTU Member State of Belize, under the patronage of the Honourable Michel Chebat, Minister of Public Utilities, Energy, Logistics & E-Governance (MPUELE), Government of Belize.

EC50 is one the CTU’s statutory meetings for the members of the Executive Council, its Permanent Secretaries, Technical Officers and Advisors to ICT Minister, to guide the work of the Secretariat. It is a closed meeting.

The 21^st Caribbean Ministerial Strategic ICT Seminar, like previous seminars, will share with Ministers and their teams the current, pertinent developments in the areas of 5G, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Cybersecurity to name a few.

The Inaugural Caribbean ICT Leadership Ministerial Retreat is being held to obtain the guidance and insight of the CTU’s ICT Ministers and Senior Government Officials as the CTU develops its 2024 – 2028 Strategic Plan. The retreat will discuss the pressing ICT challenges in the Caribbean to ensure they are factored into the Strategic Plan and importantly will also seek to strengthen the bonds between CTU Ministers, fostering a spirit of regional cooperation and future-oriented thinking. The retreat will be a blend of formal sessions, cultural immersion and leisure activities so as to deliver a holistic, productive and memorable experience for all attendees.

Dr. Cosmas Zavazava, Director, Telecommunication Development Bureau, ITU and other key Stakeholders will join Member State Ministers and their advisors in Belize for this event.

Objectives:

Primary Objective:

To foster collaboration, share insights and strategise on the advancement of ICT in the Caribbean.

Secondary Objectives:
- To review, discuss and progress the Draft CTU Strategic Plan 2024 – 2028;
- To discuss challenges and opportunities unique to the CTU Member States;
- To develop a unified approach to digital infrastructure and cybersecurity;
- To explore innovations and emerging technologies; and
- To enhance the relationship of the CTU’s ICT Ministers.

The retreat is designed to foster interactive and open discussions among Ministers, as the region’s foremost policy makers in the ICT sector. This gathering will offer a unique opportunity to engage with regional counterparts and, importantly, with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), represented by Dr. Cosmas Zavazava, Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT). Dr. Zavazava will be visiting the Caribbean for the first time since his election as the Director BDT in September 2022. Through a blend of formal sessions and cultural immersion, the retreat aims to facilitate candid conversations on pivotal ICT issues facing the Caribbean, encouraging regional collaboration and cooperation; and the pursuit of forward-thinking initiatives with our international partners.

50^th Executive Council Meeting Agenda (Closed)	21^st Caribbean Strategic ICT Ministerial	Opening Ceremony	Inaugural CTU ICT Ministers’ Retreat (by Invitation)
Refer to Members’ Portal	Download	Download	Refer to Members’ Portal

21st Caribbean Ministerial Strategic ICT Seminar Theme: Bridging Technologies for A Sustainable Future Thursday 11th April 2024 The San Ignacio Resort Hotel, San Ignacio Town, Cayo District, Belize Provisional Agenda
Time	Item	Presenter
13:30	Welcome Remarks	Mr. Rodney Taylor, Secretary-General, CTU
13:40	Address	Dr. Cosmas Zavazava Director, Telecommunications Development Bureau (BDT), International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
13:50	Remarks	CEO, Belize Telemedia Limited
14:00	Keynote 1: 5G Global and Caribbean Situation	Mr. Alejandro Adamowicz Chief Technology Officer, GSMA, Latin America
14:20	Keynote 2: 5G Cases and Usage Scenarios	Mr. Christian James Aguilar Armenta 5G Expert Federal Institute of Telecommunications, Mexico
14:40	Keynote 3: Brazil 5G Spectrum Allocation and Network Construction Experience Sharing	Mr. Ronaldo Moura Chief of Staff President, ANATEL, Brazil
15:00	Keynote 4: Best practices for securing 5G	Mr. Alejandro Adamowicz Chief Technology Officer, GSMA, Latin America
15:20	Coffee Break
15:40	Keynote 5: Green Energy and the Case Introduction of Jamaican Agriculture	Mr. Nigel Davy CEO, Innovative Energy Company Limited, Jamaica
16:00	Keynote 6: Digital TRUST Model for Digital Prosperity	Dr. Jose Luis Solleiro Professor, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)
16:20	Panel 1: The Challenges and Opportunities For 5G Development in Central America and the Caribbean Q&A	Moderator: Mr. Rodney Taylor Panelists: Sen. The Hon. Hassel Bacchus (TBC) Minister of Digital Transformation, Trinidad & Tobago Mr. Alejandro Adamowicz, GSMA Mr. Jose Otero, 5G Americas
17:05	Panel 2: The Challenges and Opportunities For Green Energy Development in the Caribbean Q&A	Moderator: Dr. Devon Gardner Head of Technical Programs Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE), JamaicaPanelists:Hon. Konris Maynard, St. Kitts & Nevis (TBC)Mr. Nigel Davy CEO, Innovative Energy Company Limited, Jamaica
17:40	MOU Signing: CTU and Huawei Technologies (T&T) Ltd.
18:00	End of 21st Caribbean Ministerial Strategic ICT Seminar
19:30	Cocktails and Dinner

Inaugural CTU Ministers’ Retreat Theme: Bridging Technologies for A Sustainable Future Opening Ceremony Friday 12th April 2024
	Mistress of Ceremony	Ms. Jeanelle Mencias
08:30	National Anthem	Belize – Benque Marimba Los Hijos Del West
08:35	Invocation
08:40	Opening Remarks	Senator, The Hon. Hassel Bacchus Minister of Digital Transformation, Trinidad & Tobago and President, Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU)
08:45	Welcome Remarks	Hon. Michel Chebat Minister of Public Utilities, Energy, Logistics & E-governance, Belize
09:00	Greetings	Dr. Cosmas Zavazava Director, Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
09:15	Cultural Interlude
09:25	Feature Address	Hon. John Briceño Prime Minister of Belize
09:40	Official Group Photo
10:00	Media Interviews and Coffee Break

Inaugural Caribbean ICT Ministers’ Retreat Theme: Bridging Technologies for A Sustainable Future Friday 12th April 2024 – Day 1 The San Ignacio Resort Hotel, San Ignacio Town, Cayo District, Belize Provisional Agenda
Time	Item	Presenter
10:30	Special Presentation	CEO, Belize Telemedia Ltd.
11:00	Special Presentation: CANTO C9	Ms. Lisa Agard Chairperson CANTO C9
11:30	Presentation: Current state of ICT policy development: Review of recent achievements, challenges, and opportunities. Interactive discussion on strengths and weaknesses.	Mr. Roger Hennis Consultant
12:00	Environmental Scan: CTU and ITU Opportunities for Collaboration An interactive discussion between the Director, BDT, ITU and the members of the Executive Council on: The environmental factors impacting ICT policy development. Technological trends, regulatory changes and global influences. And to: Brainstorm to identify emerging issues and potential threats.	Moderator: Mr. Roger Hennis Consultant
12:30	Luncheon
13:30	Gap Analysis: Presentation of findings from the environmental scan: Identification of gaps between the current state and desired future state. Group activity to prioritise key areas for improvement.	Dr. Annalee Babb Consultant
15:00	Coffee Break
15:15	Strategic Action Planning Breakout sessions to develop action plans for addressing identified gaps. Each group defines objectives, strategies and key performance indicators (KPIs). Presentation of action plans and feedback from each group.	Mr. Roger Hennis Consultant
16:45	Wrap up and Summary Recap of key takeaways from the day’s sessions. Closing remarks and instructions for Day 2. Reminder to complete pre-work for the next day’s design thinking session	Mr. Nigel Cassimire Deputy Secretary General
17:00	End of Day 1

Inaugural Caribbean ICT Ministers’ Retreat Theme: Bridging Technologies for A Sustainable Future Saturday 13th April 2024 – Day 2 The San Ignacio Resort Hotel, San Ignacio Town, Cayo District, Belize Provisional Agenda
Time	Item	Presenter
08:30	Welcome and Overview of Day 1 of Retreat	Mr. Rodney Taylor Secretary-General, CTU
08:35	Address	Chief Executive Officer Belize Telemedia Limited
08:50	ICANN 80: Why should you attend?	Mr. Albert Daniels Senior Manager, Stakeholder Engagement, ICANN
09:00	Design Thinking Workshop Introduction to design thinking principles and methodology. Group exercises to generate innovative solutions to specific CTU strategic challenges. Rapid prototyping session to visualise and refine ideas.	Dr. Annalee Babb Consultant
10:30	Coffee Break
11:00	Ministerial Team Building: Regional Policymaker Engagement Panel discussion featuring regional policymakers sharing insights on critical relationship between national and regional digital policy/strategy Q&A session allowing participants to engage directly with policymakers What would a cohesive, effective, innovative regional team of digital policymakers look and feel like? (One Digital Caribbean)	Moderator: Dr. Annalee Babb Panelists: Ministers from: Hon. Marsha Caddle, Barbados Hon. Michel Chebat, Belize Sen., the Hon. Hassel Bacchus, Trinidad & Tobago Mr. Rodney Taylor, CTU
12:10	Wrap Up Summary of key insights and outcomes from the Retreat. Thank you to participants, facilitators and organisers. Next steps and follow-up actions.	Mr. Nigel Cassimire Deputy Secretary-General
12:20	Closing Remarks	Sen., the Hon. Hassel Bacchus, President, CTU Hon. Michel Chebat, Belize
12:30	Luncheon
13:30	Cultural Tour to XUNANTUNICH, Mayan
19:00	Dinner – San Ignacio Hotel

21st Caribbean Ministerial Strategic ICT Seminar

Mr. Alejandro Adamowicz	Keynote 1: 5G Global and Caribbean Situation
Mr. Ronaldo Moura	Keynote 3: Brazil 5G Spectrum Allocation and Network Construction Experience Sharing
Dr. Jose Luis Solleiro	Keynote 6: Digital TRUST Model for Digital Prosperity
Dr. Devon Gardner	Panel 2: The Challenges and Opportunities For Green Energy Development in the Caribbean
Inaugural Caribbean ICT Ministers’ Retreat Day 2
Mr. Albert Daniels	ICANN 80: Why should you attend?