St. Kitts-Nevis works with partners on ICT Policy

BASSETERRE, St Kitts (SKNIS) -- St Kitts and Nevis is working closely with regional agencies to ensure the development of the information society benefits all residents.

Director of Technology, Wesley Wharton, recently lead a three-member team to St Lucia to participate in a committee meeting of HIPCAR (Harmonization of ICT Policy in the Caribbean). The project is funded by the European Union (EU) and has the stated goal of enhancing competitiveness in the Caribbean by targeting policies, legislation and regulatory procedures.

Wharton told SKNIS that the purpose of the March 8-12 workshop was to assess the progress of the legislative and regulatory framework in participating countries which stretch from Bahamas in the north to Suriname in the south.

He explained that it was important for all countries to have similar policies to avoid additional missteps in the regional integration process and to adopt best practices. The vast developments in technology have necessitated these processes and call for greater education in the areas of E-Transaction, E-Evidence, Privacy and Data Protestation, Cyber crimes, and Access to Public Information among others.

Wharton disclosed that the second and third phases of this workshop are slated to take place around June or July, 2010. St Kitts and Nevis and Antigua have been cited as possible venues.