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

DAY 1 – JUNE 29
Begins	Ends	ID Panel	Title	Description	Speaker	Institution
Master of Ceremonies:
08:30	09:00	Welcome Coffee
09:00	10:00	Opening Session			Demetris Herakleous	ECLAC
					Machel Stewart	CAF
					Fabio Senne	Cetic.br / NIC.br
					Alan Ramírez	Technichal Community
					David McBean	UWI Mona Campus / MSBM
					Gary Kalloo	CTU
					TBD	Jamaican Government (Ministry)
					TBD	GIZ
					TBD	European Commission
10:00	10:10	1.1	Network of women	Presentation of the Network and anouncment of the takeover of the  vicepresidency from Jamaica	TBD	European Commission
					TBC	CTU
10:10	10:25	Coffee Break
10:25	12:10	1.2	AI Governance	The session begins with building a national AI agenda, where participants explore how governments identify priorities, engage stakeholders, and assess their readiness to adopt AI. This stage focuses on the foundational steps needed to move from general digital transformation toward a clear AI vision. It then moves to AI governance and regulation, introducing risk-based approaches and the mechanisms needed to ensure accountability, transparency, and safe deployment of AI systems in the public sector. Participants examine how to balance innovation with appropriate safeguards. Finally, the session covers the design of a comprehensive AI strategy, linking governance, data, infrastructure, and skills into a coherent framework. This stage emphasizes how to translate analysis and planning into practical implementation and coordinated action.	Yacine Khelladi	Independent Consultant
					Maurice McNaughton	UWI Mona
					Craig Ramlal	UWI Saint Augustine
					Antonia Moreno	CENIA
					Moderator: Demetris Herakleous
12:10	13:10	1.3	Greater Caribbean Connectivity Study: Advancing Resilience, Sovereignty and Regional Integration	The overall objective is to support the long-term digital development of the Greater Caribbean by providing an evidence base to guide future investments in regional and international connectivity infrastructure. In particular, the study looks at how to improve both intra-Caribbean connectivity and direct EU–Caribbean digital links, with a focus on submarine fibre optic cables, complemented where relevant by satellite connectivity and terrestrial infrastructure.	Yacine Khelladi	EU-LAC Digital Alliance
13:10	14:10	Lunch
14:10	15:25	1.4	Digital Resilience	This session explores the concept of data embassies and their relevance for Caribbean countries as a tool to enhance data sovereignty, security, and resilience. It examines how ECLAC’s coalition can support regional cooperation in establishing data embassies, enabling countries to safeguard critical data while strengthening digital infrastructure and governance frameworks.	Demetris Herakleous	ECLAC
					Jose Urbina	CAF
					Juan Manuel Roldán	UIT
					Moderator: Demetris Herakleous
15:25	15:40	Coffee Break
15:40	16:40	1.5	Digital Economy	This session explores the digital economy agenda of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), highlighting regional priorities to advance digital transformation, innovation, and economic resilience. It also presents new tools from the Digital Economy Laboratory, focusing on how policymakers can use data-driven insights and experimentation to design, test, and scale effective digital economy policies.	Demetris Herakleous	ECLAC
					Clarence Henry	OECS
					Edmund Burke	Grenada
					Moderator: Shelley Ann Nicole Clarke Hinds
DAY 2 – JUNE 30
Begins	Ends	ID Panel	Title	Description	Participants	Institution
Master of Ceremonies:
09:00	10:30	2.1	Meaningful connectivity: measuring for public policy design	This session will present the conceptual shift and framework for understanding and measuring meaningful connectivity and its implications for public policy in the Caribbean. It will feature an overview of the measurement methodology developed by Cetic.br | NIC.br, its uptake in other Latin American countries, a national case (Jamaica), and a discussion on policy relevance for the region.	Fernando Rojas (remote)	ECLAC
					Fabio Senne	Cetic.br
					Maria Myers-Hamilton	Spectrum Management Authority, Jamaica, and member of the CTU Network of Women
					Tatevik Grigoryan	UNESCO
					Moderator: Ana Laura Martinez, Cetic.br | NIC.br
10:30	10:45	Coffee Break
10:45	11:45	2.2	Digital skills for meaningful connectivity. A regional overview	This session will focus on a key dimension of meaningful connectivity: digital skills. It will present DigCompLAC, the adaptation of the DigComp framework for Latin America and the Caribbean, developed by GIZ with the support of ECLAC and Cetic.br. The session will also examine policy-relevant evidence on digital skills in the region, placing these findings in dialogue with the DigCompLAC framework. Finally, technical cooperation for advancing these topics will be discussed.	Florencia Ripani  (Remote)	Consultant / ECLAC
					Ana Laura Martinez	Cetic.br
					Presenter: Ana Laura Martinez	Cetic.br
11:45	12:45	2.3	Strategic Data Leadership in the Public Sector	THE ROLE OF THE DATA LEADER ◊ The relevance of data leaders in the public sector ◊ Evolution of the role: from technical manager to strategic leader ◊ Building executive narratives to drive data and AI agendas ◊ Current barriers: silos, organizational resistance, capabilities, and resources ◊ The data leader as a bridge between public policy, technology, and ethics	Mike Mora, Department for Effective Public Management Secretariat for Strengthening Democracy	OAS
12:45	14:00	Lunch
14:00	15:00	2.4	Data governance in the age of AI	This session will focus on presenting key concepts for understanding data governance  in the age of AI, followed by a presentation of the Unesco toolkit and of THE report: Findings and Insights: Public Artificial Intelligence Readiness Study (Jamaica), which will offer key insights and implications for Public Policy from a national benchmark study showing how prepared Jamaicans are to understand, trust, access, use and benefit from AI and Generative AI.	Tatevik Grigoryan	UNESCO
					Professor Lloyd Waller, Director, Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies (SALISES)	UWI
					Moderator: Fabio Senne	Cetic.br
15:00	15:20	2.5	Introduction to Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)	Gain a foundational understanding of what DPI is, why it matters for public value, and how it differs from traditional digital projects. Situating DPIs as strategic platforms for digital transformation for development and enhanced public service delivery.	Mr. Matthew McNaughton, Director, Inclusion, Safety & Civil Society Engagement	CO-DEVELOP/UWI
15:20	16:30	2.6	Understanding DPI governance	Explore the principles, life cycle and different approaches to governing DPI, including institutional and legal dimensions. •  Understand the core dimensions of DPI governance, including legal, technical, operational and oversight structures. •  Identify key governance risks and challenges, such as exclusion, regulatory gaps and institutional coordination. •  Analyze global case studies to extract good practices for stakeholder engagement, financing models and institutional set-ups. •  Explore frameworks and tools for transparency, accountability and independent oversight in DPI governance. •  Differentiate between rights-based and risk-based approaches to DPI governance.
					Presenter:
16:30	16:45	Coffee Break
16:45	17:30	2.7	DPIs for Education and Skills Sector transformation. Case Study: Jamaica’s Data Exchange Platform (JDXP)	This session examines opportunities and strategies for DPI applications in Education and Skills Training, to address perennial challenges of scalability, inclusion and innovation. The JDXP is a national interoperability platform designed to enable seamless communication and data sharing across government entities by reducing duplication, minimising long wait times, and addressing fragmented systems. The platform is a key foundational component of Jamaica’s Digital Public Infrastructure and represents a significant advancement in improving service delivery to Jamaicans	Prof Gunjan Mansingh, Professor of Data  Science, Department of Computing	UWI
					Dr. Raona Williams, Lecturer of Education, Faculty of Humanities and Education	UWI
					Anika Shuttleworth, Chief Information Officer	ICT Authority, GOJ
					Moderator: Dr. Maurice McNaughton, MSBM-UWI
DAY 3 – JULY 1st
Begins	Ends	ID Panel	Title	Description	Participants	Institution
Master of ceremonies:
09:00	10:15	3.1	How does the Internet work?	An overview of standards, technical functions, and the organizations responsible for Internet technical coordination.	Alan Ramírez	LACNIC
					Albert Daniels	ICANN
					Juan Peirano	Internet Society
					Gabriel Adonaylo	LACIX
					Rocío de la Fuente	LACTLD
10:15	10:30	Coffee Break
10:30	11:15	3.2	Domain Names Abuse	The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has established a Domain Name System (DNS) Abuse Mitigation Program. This program serves as a centralized platform for ICANN to address various aspects of DNS Abuse and aims to support the ICANN community in mitigating harmful activities associated with domain names.	Albert Daniels	ICANN
11:15	12:00	3.3	Internet Exchange Points (IXPs): their role and relevance	Esta sesión abordará el rol fundamental que desempeñan los Puntos de Intercambio de Internet (IXP) en la eficiencia, resiliencia y crecimiento del ecosistema de Internet. Los IXP facilitan el intercambio tráfico de manera directatrayendo aparejados múltiples beneficios para el Internet de una región o país.. Se analizará los diferentes modelos de IXP, qué actores los integran, su funcionamiento y su impacto en el ecosistema digital.	Gabriel Adonaylo	LACIX
12:00	12:45	3.4	Multistakeholder model for Internet governance	The multistakeholder model of Internet governance is a collaborative approach that involves the participation of multiple stakeholders, including governments, private sector, civil society, technical community, and academia, in the relevant policy-making process. This model is based on key principles of transparency, inclusivity, and collaborative decision-making, ensuring that all voices are heard and considered in the governance of the Internet. The technical community is an integral part of this multistakeholder model. The multistakeholder approach to Internet governance was endorsed by U.N. Member States and their commitment is enshrined in the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Tunis Agenda.	Albert Daniels	ICANN
12:45	14:15	Lunch
14:15	15:45	3.5	Fair Share	¿Cuál es la discusión? ¿De dónde surge? ¿Qué està pasando en el mundo? Justificación: Internet se basa en la interconexión voluntaria de más de 80,000 redes independientes. Sin embargo, en regiones como Brasil y la Unión Europea, han surgido propuestas (bajo nombres como “contribución justa” o “el que envía paga”) que buscan obligar a los servicios de contenido a pagar a los operadores de red por el tráfico entregado. Estas iniciativas se basan en la premisa errónea de que el tráfico es “enviado” por los servicios de contenido, cuando en realidad es solicitado por los usuarios finales. En el contexto de nuestra región LAC (Latinoamérica y el Caribe), estas regulaciones amenazan la neutralidad de la red, la competencia y la resiliencia de la infraestructura.	Juan Peirano	Internet Society
15:45	16:00 PM	Coffee Break
16:00 PM	17:00	3.6	Roundtable: The Future of the Internet	Esta mesa redonda abordará uno de los debates más críticos para el futuro de Internet: ¿seguirá siendo una red global, abierta e interoperable o evolucionará hacia una Internet fragmentada por barreras técnicas, regulatorias, económicas o políticas? A medida que aumentan los bloqueos de contenido, las restricciones transfronterizas, las políticas de localización de datos y los conflictos geopolíticos, Internet enfrenta el riesgo de dividirse en múltiples redes fragmentadas. Durante esta sesión, expertos de la comunidad técnica, reguladores y representantes de diversas organizaciones compartirán sus perspectivas sobre los factores que amenazan la unidad de Internet y discutirán estrategias para preservar su naturaleza global, resiliente y abierta.	Alan Ramírez	LACNIC
					Albert Daniels	ICANN
					Juan Peirano	Internet Society
DAY 4 – JULY 2nd
Begins	Ends	ID Panel	Title	Description	Participant	Institution
Master of Ceremonies:
09:00	10:30	4.1	Sustainable Digital Infrastructures for the Caribbean: meaningful connectivity, data centres and cybersecurity	next wave of investments for the Caribbean: This session examines digital infrastructure gaps specific to the subregion (submarine cables, IXPs, latency, dependency on extra-regional processing capacity) and goes throught relevant topics: including renewable-energy-powered data centres and cybersecurity frameworks for critical infrastructure. Participants identify financeable projects in their countries under the Sustainable Digital Infrastructures pillar.	Alejandro Forero	CAF
					Gary Kalloo	Director of Business Development and Implementation Support, CTU
					Bruna Alcantara	Britain Government
					TBD	Liberty Networks
					Moderator: Emily Carrera	CAF
10:30	10:45	Coffee Break
10:45	12:00	4.2	Digitalisation of Productive Sectors: tourism, agribusiness and logistics in the Caribbean	Session based on CAF presentations on the convergence of economic sector digitalisation and the use of critical and emerging technologies. Focus on Caribbean MSMEs, digital traceability in agri-exports and logistics platforms. 15-minute space for experience sharing.	Alejandro Forero	CAF
					Marlon Narcisse	Saint Lucia
					José Urbina	CEO – Ministry of E-Governance, Belize
					Michele Marius	Jamaica (Consultant)
					Moderator: Demetris Herakleous	ECLAC
12:00	13:15	4.3	Emerging Technologies: AI and other techs — from rhetoric to real use cases in the Caribbean	Practical, interactive workshop on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI): digital identity, interoperable payments and data exchange. Replicable success stories in the Caribbean are analysed (Brazil/PIX, gov.br, Uruguay/AGESIC). Participants design the minimum viable DPI for their countries in a 30-minute group working session.	Alejandro Forero	CAF
					Craig Perue	Jamaica AI Taskforce
					Kaymaureen Shim	Deputy CIO, Innovation and Programmes, Jamaica ICT Authority (JAMICTA)
					Maurice Mcnaughton	MONA, UWI
					Moderator: Demetris Herakleous	ECLAC
13:15	14:15	Lunch
14:15	15:45	4.4	AI Sovereignty and the Building of a National AI Ecosystem	This session will explore AI sovereignty as a strategic priority for the next phase of digital transformation, drawing on the European experience and connecting it to national AI ecosystem-building.It will examine how sovereignty depends on infrastructure, cloud, data, advanced models, regulation, public-sector capacity, skills, competitiveness and trust. The session will combine practical lessons, discussion and workshop exercises to help countries move from AI adoption to coordinated national AI capability and agency.	Dr. Polona Picman Stefancic Donna Francesca	EU-LAC Digital Alliance IRCAI
15:45	16:30	4.5	EVALUATION AND CLOSING CEREMONY		Evaluation	Cetic.br
					TBD	UWI
					Alejandro Forero	CAF
					Demetris Herakleous	ECLAC
					Ana Laura Martinez	Cetic.br
					TBD	ITC
					Facilitator: Cetic.br (TBD)	Cetic.br (TBD)