Theme: Caribbean digital sovereignty in the age of AI: strengthening digital public infrastructure, the Internet ecosystem, and meaningful connectivity 

1. About the School of Digital Transformation and Innovation

The School of Digital Transformation and Innovation is a capacity-building programme that provides relevant content to policymakers in Latin America and the Caribbean through lectures, short courses, case studies, peer learning, and discussions.  Over its eleven years of implementation, the School has become a recognized platform for learning and cooperation. It fosters intersectoral and multistakeholder dialogue, bringing together policymakers, international experts, and professionals from diverse sectors to address the challenges and opportunities of digital transformation and innovation in the region.

Following the success of its first and second Caribbean editions of the School, the third edition in 2026 aims to deepen engagement with regional policymakers, industry experts, and international organizations.

The Caribbean faces distinct challenges and opportunities in digital transformation. Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the region grapple with issues such as:

• Limited telecommunications infrastructure
• Exposure to natural disasters
• Financial constraints
• Data governance and security concerns

To address these challenges, the 2026 School will emphasize infrastructure resilience, meaningful connectivity, the Internet ecosystem, artificial intelligence (AI), digital sovereignty, and digital public infrastructure (DPI). By focusing on these topics, the program aims to build capacities to face local challenges and enhance the Caribbean’s digital economy and regulatory landscape.

2. Organizers and partners

The Caribbean leg of the School is co-organized by prominent institutions, including:

• ECLAC: The United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
• CAF: Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean
• Cetic.br | NIC.br: Regional Centre for Studies for the Development of the Information Society, a department of NIC.br
• Internet Technical Community: LACNIC, ICANN, Internet Society, LACTLD, LAC-IX, LACNOG, Red CLARA
• CTU: The Caribbean Telecommunications Union
• UWI: The University of the West Indies

3. Objectives

The 2026 edition of the school seeks to:

• Advance policy development: Foster discussions on regulatory and policy frameworks for the Caribbean.
• Promote digital inclusion: Ensure that digital transformation efforts are equitable and inclusive, bridging the digital divide in underserved communities.
• Support development of resilient and sovereign digital infrastructure: Address the region’s vulnerabilities by promoting robust and sustainable digital infrastructure solutions.
• Build capacity to develop AI ecosystems and governance frameworks: Advance productive and social development.
• Strengthen regional cooperation: Promote cross-sectoral and regional collaboration to drive digital transformation.
• Build technical and strategic capacities: Equip policymakers and stakeholders with tools and capacities to navigate the evolving digital landscape, including the multistakeholder governance model of the Internet.

4. Thematic pillars 

The program is structured around five key thematic pillars, each addressing critical aspects of digital transformation:

1. Resilient, secure and sustainable digital infrastructure
2. Internet governance, architecture and the evolving digital ecosystem
3. Meaningful connectivity: measuring for public policy design
4. Data governance, AI and digital innovation ecosystems
5. Digital transformation for development: public services, economy and inclusion

5. Methodology

The school will provide a dedicated space for regional dialogue, capacity building, and collaboration, using an interactive and practical approach to learning, which combines:

• Lectures and workshops: Expert-led sessions on key thematic areas.
• Panel discussions and debates: Dialogues featuring policymakers, industry leaders, and researchers.
• Case studies presentation from participants: Showcasing existing digital initiatives.

6. Target Audience

The School is designed for mid-to-senior level policymakers (with at least seven years of experience) from ministries related to digital/ICT, finance, trade, planning & economy, and legal affairs. Additional participants will include regulators, industry representatives, chambers of commerce, academics, and international organizations engaged in digital transformation policy development in the Caribbean.

7. Event Details

• Date: June 29 – July 2, 2026
• Time: 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM (UTC -4)
• Venue: The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Kingston, Jamaica
• Mode: In-person participation. Scholarships will be awarded to selected candidates
• Registration: By invitation only; expressions of interest are encouraged
• Language: English (no interpretation services available)
• Certificates: Awarded to participants who complete at least two-thirds of the sessions
• Website: https://ctu.int/event/3rd-school-of-digital-transformation-and-innovation-for-the-caribbean/

CONTACT INFORMATION: For inquiries regarding participation in the School of Digital Transformation and Innovation in the Caribbean, please contact Dr. Maurice McNaughton, Director of the Center for Innovation at the University of the West Indies, at: maurice.mcNaughton@uwi.edu.

For logistics contact, please contact Ms. Camille Sinclair, Marketing Coordinator at the University of the West Indies, at: camille.sinclair@uwi.edu.

3rd School of Digital Transformation and Innovation for the Caribbean

Draft Agenda

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TIME	ACTIVITY	SPEAKERS
DAY 1 – UN ECLAC
08:30 – 09:00	Welcome Coffee
09:00 – 10:15	Opening Session	Demetris Herakleous, UN ECLAC  Dr. Stacy Richards-Kennedy, CAF (virtual)  Fabio Senne, Cetic.br / NIC.br  Alan Ramírez, Internet Technical Community  David McBean, UWI – MSBM  Gary Kalloo, CTU Jamaican Government – TBD GIZ – TBD Moderator: European Commission – TBD
10:15 – 10:30	Coffee Break
10:30 – 12:30	AI Governance	Yacine Khelladi, EU-LAC Digital Alliance Chris Reckord, Jamaica AI Task Force Maurice McNaughton, UWI – MSBM Antonia Moreno, CENIA (virtual) Moderator: Demetris Herakleous, UN ECLAC
12:30 – 13:30	Greater Caribbean Connectivity Study: Advancing Resilience, Sovereignty and Regional Integration	Francesca Donà, EU-LAC Digital Alliance Yacine Khelladi, EU-LAC Digital Alliance
13:30 – 14:30	Lunch
14:30 – 15:45	Digital Resilience	Demetris Herakleous, UN ECLAC  Jose Urbina, Ministry of E-Governance Belize  Juan Manuel Roldán, Consultant (virtual)  Moderator: Demetris Herakleous, UN ECLAC
15:45 – 16:00	Coffee Break
16:00 – 17:00	Digital Economy	Demetris Herakleous, UN ECLAC Clarence Henry, OECS Edmund Burke, Government of Grenada Moderator: Shelley-Ann Clarke-Hinds, UN ECLAC

TIME	ACTIVITY	SPEAKERS
DAY 2 – Cetic.br / NIC.br and UWI
09:00 – 10:30	Meaningful connectivity: measuring for public policy design	Fernando Rojas, UN ECLAC (virtual)  Fabio Senne, Cetic.br / NIC.br  Maria Myers-Hamilton, Jamaica Public Service Company  Tatevik Grigoryan, UNESCO Moderator: Ana Laura Martínez, Cetic.br / NIC.br
10:30 – 10:45	Coffee Break
10:45 – 11:45	Digital skills for meaningful connectivity. A regional overview	Florencia Ripani, ECLAC Consultant (virtual) Ana Laura Martínez, Cetic.br / NIC.br  Moderator: Ana Laura Martínez, Cetic.br / NIC.br
11:45 – 12:45	Strategic Data Leadership in the Public Sector	Mike Mora, OAS Presenter: Maurice McNaughton, UWI – MSBM
12:45 – 14:00	Lunch
14:00 – 15:00	Data governance in the age of AI	Tatevik Grigoryan, UNESCO  Lloyd Waller, UWI  Moderator: Fabio Senne, Cetic.br / NIC.br
15:00 – 15:15	Introduction to Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)	Matthew McNaughton, CO-DEVELOP / UWI Presenter: Maurice McNaughton, UWI – MSBM
15:15 – 16:15	Understanding DPI governance
16:15 – 16:30	Coffee Break
16:30 – 17:30	DPIs for Education and Skills Sector transformation. Case Study: Jamaica’s Data Exchange Platform (JDXP)	Gunjan Mansingh, UWI Raona Williams, UWI Anika Shuttleworth, GOJ Moderator: Maurice McNaughton, UWI – MSBM

TIME	ACTIVITY	SPEAKERS
DAY 3 – Internet Technical Community
09:00 – 10:15	How does the Internet work?	Alan Ramírez, LACNIC  Albert Daniels, ICANN  Juan Peirano, Internet Society  Rocío de la Fuente, LACTLD (virtual)
10:15 – 10:30	Coffee Break
10:30 – 11:15	Domain Names Abuse	Albert Daniels, ICANN
11:15 – 12:00	Internet Exchange Points (IXPs): their role and relevance	Gabriel Adonaylo, LACIX (virtual)
12:00 – 12:45	Multistakeholder model for Internet governance	Albert Daniels, ICANN
12:45 – 14:15	Lunch
14:15 – 15:45	Fair Share	Juan Peirano, Internet Society
15:45 – 16:00	Coffee Break
16:00 – 17:00	Roundtable: The Future of the Internet	Alan Ramírez, LACNIC  Albert Daniels, ICANN  Juan Peirano, Internet Society

TIME	ACTIVITY	SPEAKERS
DAY 4 – CAF
09:00 – 10:30	Sustainable Digital Infrastructures for the Caribbean: connectivity, data centres and cybersecurity	Alejandro Forero, CAF  Gary Kalloo, CTU  Desiree Zachariah, Ministry of ICTs, Utilities & Energy Antigua and Barbuda  Melesia Sutherland, Liberty Caribbean  Moderator: Ana Laura Martínez, Cetic.br / NIC.br
10:30 – 10:45	Coffee Break
10:45 – 12:00	Digitalization of Productive Sectors: tourism, agribusiness and logistics in the Caribbean	Alejandro Forero, CAF  Marlon Narcisse, Government of Saint Lucia  José Urbina, Ministry of E-Governance Belize  Michele Marius, Consultant  Moderator: Demetris Herakleous, UN ECLAC
12:00 – 13:15	Emerging Technologies: AI and other techs — from rhetoric to real use cases in the Caribbean	Alejandro Forero, CAF  Craig Perue, UWI  Kaymaureen Shim, JAMICTA  Maurice McNaughton, UWI – MSBM  Moderator: Demetris Herakleous, UN ECLAC
13:15 – 14:15	Lunch
14:15 – 15:45	AI Sovereignty and the Building of a National AI Ecosystem	Polona Picman Stefancic, EU-LAC Digital Alliance
15:45 – 16:00	Evaluation	Facilitator: Nádilla Tsuruda, Cetic.br / NIC.br
16:00 – 16:30	Closing Ceremony	Alejandro Forero, CAF  Demetris Herakleous, UN ECLAC  Ana Laura Martínez, Cetic.br / NIC.br  Internet Technical Community – TBD UWI – TBD Moderator: UWI – TBD