St Maarten’s ICT Week Attracts International Tech Heavyweights

PHILIPSBURG - Leading Information and Communications Technology (ICT) experts from the region and across the world will be converging on the tiny Caribbean nation of St Maarten for an intensive week of technology meetings.

The Westin St. Maarten Dawn Beach Resort & Spa will be the venue for the 6th Annual Caribbean Internet Governance Forum being jointly hosted by the Government of St Maarten, the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) and the Geneva-based non-profit ISOC (Internet Society).

"The event is part of St Maarten's ICT Week", stated Ms. Peggy-Ann Brandon a member of the local organizing committee.

She added, "We are proud that St Maarten has been chosen to host such a prestigious event and we are looking forward to demonstrating to the world St Maarten's own achievements and capacity."

The Caribbean Internet Governance Forum, now in its sixth year, attracts high-profiled speakers and participants from across the globe to discuss critical issues centered on the development and evolution of the Internet in the region.
The meetings are coordinated by the CTU, the region's inter-governmental agency responsible for promoting and advancing the adoption of ICT in the Caribbean.

According to Ms. Bernadette Lewis, Secretary General of the CTU, "We are excited to be staging this important forum in St. Maarten.

The issues on the agenda speak directly to practical concerns and solutions to the challenges being faced by Caribbean nations in designing an information society."

Among the presenters is Dr. Steve Bratt, Chief Executive Officer of the World Wide Web Foundation, a not-for-profit organization, founded by Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee and focused on connecting and empowering all people on the planet through the Internet.

Also among the feature speakers at the event is Caribbean tech-guru, Mr. Bevil Wooding, Programme Director for the Caribbean ICT Roadshow.

Mr. Wooding has been serving for many years as a technology evangelist for the Caribbean, focusing international attention to ICT issues relevant to the region.

He recently brought international media attention to the region's technology sector when news broke that he was one of only seven persons from across the globe specially selected to hold keys to the Internet.

"Mr. Wooding is the region's very own technology ambassador," stated local IT expert Mr. Gregory Richardson.

"He was the lone representative from the Caribbean and Latin America selected to participate in very significant Internet milestone. Having him here for our ICT Week is a real privilege."
St Maarten's ICT Week is designed with activities tailored to every sector of society. The events will explain and demonstrate the transformative power of ICT in national development.

The week will feature technology presentations, hands-on workshops, training, panel discussions and executive lecturers.

The events run from 15th to 20th August and kicks off with an opening ceremony on Sunday 14th at the ballroom of the Westin St. Maarten Dawn Beach Resort & Spa.

The event will include the inaugural Caribbean Network Operators Group (CaribNOG) Regional Meeting, the first Caribbean Innovation & Entrepreneurship Workshop, and the Caribbean ICT Roadshow and will feature ICT Camps for the youth. Admission is free to the public and all are invited to attend.