CARICOM, Guyana -- May 12, 2008 -- Member States of the Caribbean Forum of African Caribbean and Pacific States (CARIFORUM), Regional and international organisations, representatives of private sector and civil society, as well as CARICOM Secretariat staff will meet in Guyana May 14 under the umbrella of the Regional Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Steering Committee.

Delegates attending the May 14 2008 meeting in Georgetown, Guyana will among other matters review the draft framework of the Regional ICT for Development (ICT4D) Strategy. At the end of the meeting it is expected that the group would have crafted a two-year Action Plan (2008 – 2010) to guide the development of the CARICOM Information Society Strategy. The Draft Framework and Action plan will be presented to ICT Ministers at their meeting scheduled for June 12-13, 2008.

The Regional ICT Steering Committee, which was established in 2004, brings together a range of expertise and is organised in sub-committees. The sub-committees cover the areas of Access, Connectivity and Internet Governance; Capacity Building, and ICT and Youths; Regional Partnerships with a focus on the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); Legal and Regulatory Framework and Business and Trade and Disaster Recovery and ICT Statistics and indicators.

The Regional ICT Steering Committee serves as an advisory and support body to the CARICOM Secretariat identifying issues relevant to ICT4D and the Information Society and providing technical advice and briefs.

CONTACT: piu@caricom.org