Representatives of CARICOM Member States, currently in Geneva, Switzerland to participate in the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), December 10-12, 2003, met today at the Mission of Barbados to Geneva to discuss, as a group, issues pertinent to the Meeting and to agree on common CARICOM positions. The Meeting, which was convened by the CARICOM Deputy Secretary General, Ambassador Lolita Applewhaite, was chaired by the Barbados’ Minister of Commerce, Industry and Business Development, Senator Hon. Lynette Eastmond.

The United Nations General Assembly, by resolution endorsed the convening of a World Summit on the Information Society, under the leadership of UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan. This was in recognition of the pivotal role that international collaboration and cooperation will play in creation of information society that ensures benefit for all.

Working in preparatory committees over the past year and a half, the WSIS process has sought to find consensus on a number of issues which impact on the rollout of a viable information society as well as on the general global development focus. For the CARICOM States guided by their own imperatives as a Community, interest will be concentrated on a number of issues over the next few days. These will include people empowerment, expansion and demonopolisation of telecommunication, human resource development as well as cross-sectoral information and communication technology (ICT) management.

As a region, CARICOM will be pursuing matters that will enhance trade, both at the national and regional level under the CARICOM Single Market & Economy (CSME) and further explore the open source-free software debate. All this will be considered within the context of an enabling legal and regulatory framework.

During the CARICOM caucus meeting Member States present agreed that there should be a definite schedule of activities at the regional level that will give momentum to the CARICOM process and ensure meaningful participation in the global information society by 2005.