St. George’s, Grenada – 10th August 2026 – The Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), in collaboration with the Government of Grenada, will host the 22nd Caribbean Internet Governance Forum (CIGF) and the 5th Caribbean Youth Internet Governance Forum (CYIGF), bringing together regional and international stakeholders to help shape the future of the Caribbean’s digital landscape. The two fora will be held in a hybrid format, enabling both in-person and remote participation, under the theme: “Connectivity to Capability: Shaping a Resilient, Trusted, and Innovative Digital Caribbean.”
Established in 2005 by the CTU and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, the CIGF is the world’s longest-running Internet Governance Forum. For more than two decades, the CIGF has provided an invaluable, non-hierarchical, multi-stakeholder platform where governments, the private sector, technical community, academia, civil society and international organisations collaborate to address the region’s Internet governance priorities.
Over the years, the Forum has delivered significant outcomes for the Caribbean, including the development of a Caribbean Internet Governance Policy Framework, the promotion of Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) across the region, strengthened regional capacity in Internet governance, and enhanced Caribbean participation and influence in global Internet governance processes.
Recognising that the future of the Internet must be shaped by the next generation, the 5th CYIGF will once again be co-located with the CIGF. Designed by Caribbean youth for Caribbean youth, the CYIGF provides a platform for young people to contribute meaningfully to regional and international digital policy discussions while building leadership and technical capacity in Internet governance. Since its inaugural virtual edition in 2022, the CYIGF has grown into a flagship regional initiative coordinated by the Caribbean ICT Youth Network (CIYN). In 2024, it achieved formal recognition as a National and Regional Internet Governance Forum Initiative (NRI) of the United Nations Internet Governance Forum.
This year’s events come at a defining moment for the Caribbean. As the global community takes heed of the UN’s twenty-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+20) and progresses implementation of the Global Digital Compact, Caribbean stakeholders have an important opportunity to articulate a coordinated regional vision for digital development.
Discussions will explore a range of priority issues affecting the region, including:
- Strengthening cybersecurity resilience and closing regional cybersecurity maturity gaps.
- Harnessing the opportunities presented by Artificial Intelligence while promoting responsible governance.
- Building inclusive, trusted and sustainable digital ecosystems.
- Modernising the Caribbean Internet Governance Policy Framework to address emerging technologies and evolving digital risks.
- Strengthening regional cooperation to ensure that global digital commitments translate into meaningful regional action.
- Empowering Caribbean youth to actively participate in shaping the region’s digital future.
The Forum also seeks to build national and regional capacity in Internet governance, foster collaboration among governments, regulators, academia, civil society, the technical community, private sector organisations and international partners, and develop regional consensus on policies that support accelerated digital transformation.
Registration for both in-person and virtual participation is now open and the programme overview, agenda, registration and other relevant information may be accessed and would be updated on the CTU web site here. Stakeholders from across the Caribbean and the international Internet governance community are encouraged to participate and contribute to shaping the region’s digital future.
For more information on the CTU and its initiatives, please visit www.ctu.int
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