“Advancing Resilience, Inclusion, Cybersecurity and Innovation in Caribbean Digital Development.”
Cayenne, French Guiana • 20 – 24 September 2026
The Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), in collaboration with the Collectivité Territoriale de Guyane (CTG), convened ICT Week 2026 in Cayenne, French Guiana, under the theme “Advancing Resilience, Inclusion, Innovation and Cybersecurity in Caribbean Digital Development,” set to the rhythm of the Week’s anthem: “One Region. One Rhythm. One Digital Future.” The gathering brought Ministers, senior officials, regulators, private sector leaders, academia, civil society, youth and regional and international partners together in a week that, true to its song, moved the Caribbean as one region, to one rhythm, toward one digital future.
A HISTORIC FIRST FOR THE CTU
CTU ICT Week 2026 marked the first time the CTU’s premier annual event, and its statutory meetings, have been held in a French territory. It was likewise the first occasion on which such a high-level delegation from the Government of France and the European Union has engaged directly with the CTU General Conference of Ministers, reflecting the growing bridge between the English, French and Dutch-speaking Caribbean countries, and France, that the Union has been developing in recent years.
The Week featured major statutory and stakeholder events, including the 24th Strategic ICT Ministerial Seminar, the 55th Executive Council Meeting, the Joint Meeting of the 55th Executive Council and 32nd General Conference of Ministers, the 32nd General Conference of Ministers, the 2nd CTU Network of Women (CTU-NoW) Leadership Seminar, the 4th Meeting of the Caribbean ICT Youth Network (CIYN), the Digital Futures Forum, the 12th Caribbean ICT Regulators Forum and the CTU ICT4PWDs Leadership Workshop, alongside a Universal Postal Union (UPU) workshop.
KEY STAKEHOLDERS
Notable attendees included:
- His Excellency Jean-Paul Fereira,First Vice President, Collectivité Territoriale de Guyane, French Guiana
- Hon. Melville Nicholas, Minister of Information, Broadcasting, Telecommunications & Information Technology, Antigua and Barbuda (Virtual)
- Hon. Marie-Lucienne Rattier, Territorial Councillor, Collectivité Territoriale de Guyane, French Guiana
- Hon. Kwame Mc Coy, Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister, Guyana
- Hon. Alando Terrylong, State Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Responsible for Diaspora, Jamaica
- Hon. Konris Maynard, Minister of Public Infrastructure, Energy and Utilities, Domestic Transport, Information, Communication and Technology and Posts, St Kitts and Nevis (Virtual)
- Hon. Phillip Jackson, Minister of Education, Vocational Training and Innovation, Digital Transformation and Information, St. Vincent and the Grenadines
- Hon. Raymond Landveld, Minister of Transport, Communication, and Tourism, Suriname
- Sen. the Hon. Dominic Smith, Minister of Public Administration and Artificial Intelligence, Government of Trinidad and Tobago and President, CTU
- Hon. Shaun Malcolm, Minister of Home Affairs, Religious Affairs & Transportation, Turks and Caicos
ADMISSION OF SAINT BARTHÉLEMY AS ASSOCIATE MEMBER
The General Conference of Ministers approved the admission of Saint Barthélemy as an Associate Member of the CTU, in recognition of the territory’s well-established working relationship with the Union through the CaribIX project and the Saint-Barth Internet Exchange, and as a further step in extending the CTU’s reach among the Leeward Islands and bridging the French, English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean.
STRATEGIC DECISIONS AND RESOLUTIONS
The General Conference of Ministers adopted a series of resolutions strengthening the Union’s governance, membership framework and digital development agenda. Key among them were:
- Modification of Membership Categories and Clarification of Participation Rights, introducing “Member Country” as an umbrella category with CARICOM Member State and Associate Member sub-categories, clarifying voting and office-holding rights, and consolidating non-country membership classifications under a new “Sector Member” category.
- Support for the Regional Digital Infrastructure Plan for the Caribbean (RDIPC), welcoming the plan co-produced by the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank and encouraging Member States to pursue the international connectivity and data-infrastructure opportunities it identifies.
- Supporting the Development of Resilient Telecommunications/ICTs across the Caribbean, calling on Member States to strengthen national resilience strategies, submarine cable diversity, early-warning systems and regional cooperation on telecommunications/ICT resilience.
- Leveraging the Outcomes of the World Telecommunication/ICT Policy Forum 2026 (WTPF-26), commending the five consensus Opinions adopted in Nassau and inviting Member States to draw on them in national digital policy development.
- Advancing Regional AI Governance and Development, endorsing the Final Report of the Caribbean AI Task Force (CAITF) and its seven policy pillars, and supporting the rollout of its recommendations across the region.
- Supporting Caribbean Participation and Regional Candidatures at the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2026 (PP-26), extending the CTU’s full support to the candidature of Mr. Stephen Bereaux (The Bahamas) for Deputy Secretary-General of the ITU, and to Jamaica and Cuba for seats on the ITU Council, Region A (The Americas).
ELECTIONS
St. Kitts and Nevis was elected to hold the Presidency of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), represented by the Hon. Konris Maynard, Minister of Public Infrastructure, Energy and Utilities, Domestic Transport, Information, Communication and Technology and Posts.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines was elected to hold the Vice-Presidency of the General Conference of Ministers, represented by the Hon. Phillip Jackson, Minister of Education, Vocational Training and Innovation, Digital Transformation, and Information.
Grenada was elected to hold the Chairmanship of the Executive Council, represented by Mr. Edmund Burke, Digital Director of the ICT Division in Grenada’s Ministry of Information and Communications Technology, and Board Director for the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL).
St. Kitts and Nevis was elected to hold the Vice-Chairmanship of the Executive Council, represented by Mr. Daryll Lloyd, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Energy & Utilities and Domestic Transport.
These elected officials take up office after ICT Week 2026 for a term of two years, but not for more than two consecutive terms.
BUDGET, WORK PLAN AND PP-26 PREPARATIONS
The Conference approved the CTU’s 2027 Budget and Work Plan, reaffirming the Union’s financial and institutional priorities for the year ahead. The Conference reaffirmed the importance of the timely fulfilment by all Member States and Associate Members of their respective financial commitments to the CTU, in support of the Union’s financial sustainability and continued delivery of its mandate.
As a strategic prelude to the ITU’s Plenipotentiary Conference, to be held in Doha, State of Qatar, in November 2026 (PP-26), delegates also heard presentations from candidates seeking elected positions at the PP-26 Conference, providing Member States with a platform to engage directly with those seeking the region’s support ahead of the elections.
A DIALOGUE WITH FRANCE AND THE EUROPEAN UNION
The Week’s proceedings were distinguished by direct, high-level engagement from the Government of France and the European Union, including senior officials speaking to the General Conference on artificial intelligence and digital affairs, regional cooperation and EU–Caribbean digital investment. This engagement underscored the CTU’s growing role as a platform connecting the Caribbean with the French Republic and its overseas territories, and the wider European Union.
EXPLORING THE GATEWAY TO SPACE
Delegates capped the Week with a tour of the European Space Agency’s Guiana Space Centre (CSG) in Kourou — Europe’s spaceport and one of the world’s premier launch facilities — offering a striking reminder of French Guiana’s unique place at the intersection of Caribbean, European and global space and digital ecosystems.
CAPACITY BUILDING AND KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE
The 24th Strategic ICT Ministerial Seminar and the Digital Futures Forum examined digital resilience, meaningful connectivity, AI and data governance, the digital economy, public-sector transformation and the future workforce, deepening the region’s capacity to translate global trends into Caribbean-centred policy. The 2nd CTU-NoW Leadership Seminar advanced women’s leadership in digital governance, while the Caribbean ICT Regulators Forum and CIYN meeting strengthened regulatory coordination and youth engagement across the region.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Ministers expressed their profound appreciation to the Collectivité Territoriale de Guyane, the City of Cayenne, and the local Government and people of French Guiana for their exceptional hospitality, warmth and the outstanding arrangements made for CTU ICT Week 2026. The Conference likewise thanked the Government of France and the European Union for their unprecedented and welcomed engagement with the Union.
The meeting closed with a renewed commitment to the vision carried by the Week’s own anthem — that whatever their language, geography or constitutional status, the peoples of the Caribbean move forward collectively: One Region, One Rhythm, One Digital Future.