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On Monday – Wednesday, 24–26 August 2026, from 09:00 AST (13:00 UTC), the Office of the Prime Minister of Grenada and the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) present the 22nd Caribbean Internet Governance Forum (CIGF), collocated with the 5th Caribbean Youth Internet Governance Forum (CYIGF), at the Radisson Grenada Beach Resort, Grenada and via Zoom videoconferencing, under the theme ‘Connectivity to Capability: Shaping a Resilient, Trusted and Innovative Digital Caribbean‘.
Initiated in 2005 by the CTU and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, the CIGF is the longest running Internet Governance Forum in the world; the CYIGF, first staged virtually in 2022 and recognised in July 2024 as a National and Regional IGF Initiative (NRI) of the UN IGF, is now independently coordinated by the Caribbean ICT Youth Network (CIYN) under CIGF auspices. The 22nd CIGF arrives at a pivotal moment for the region, as the conclusion of the WSIS+20 review and the implementation of the Global Digital Compact reshape the global digital agenda and call for a coordinated Caribbean response. Discussions will examine how the region can close its cybersecurity maturity gap, harness and govern the rapid rise of artificial intelligence, and advance development in ways that are effective, inclusive and sustainable, including the review and updating of the Caribbean Internet Governance Policy Framework.
PARTNERS Internet Society | Internet Governance Forum | ARIN | LACNIC | SECURE.POST | TTMAG | Internet Society Barbados Chapter | Internet Society Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | ICANN
All session times AST (UTC−4)
DAY 1 – MONDAY 24 AUGUST 2026
22nd CIGF
09:00 – Welcome & Opening Remarks
Rodney Taylor – Secretary-General, Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU)
09:10 – Intro to Internet Governance
An overview of Internet Governance, what it means, why it matters and how it applies to the Caribbean.
Nigel Cassimire – Deputy Secretary-General, CTU
Bevil Wooding – ARIN
09:25 – Capacity Building Session 1 — Cybersecurity for Policymakers: From Strategy to Incident Readiness
Candy Saunders-Alfred – CARICOM IMPACS
Utica Alves – CARICOM Secretariat
09:55 – From Connectivity to Cyber Resilience: Grenada’s Pathway to a Secure, Trusted and Resilient Digital Future
Jervis DaBreo – Grenada CSIRT
10:15 – DNS Abuse
What it is and what policy interventions can be considered to protect against it.
Albert Daniels – ICANN
10:30 – Coffee Break
10:50 – Capacity Building Session 2 — Critical Internet Infrastructure Lab
A non-technical overview of IPv6, RPKI, routing security, DNS resilience, IXP development, local caching, and network measurement to create better understanding and awareness.
Carlos Martínez – CTS, LACNIC
Moderator/Facilitator: Bevil Wooding – ARIN
11:30 – IXPs, Data Centres and Local Content
Case study of the Grenada IXP / data centre, and .gd domain management and common services.
Brent McIntosh – NTRC, Grenada
12:00 – The Human Layer: Research, Capacity Building and the Technical Community
Dr. Claire Craig – CaribNOG / ISOC
12:20 – Q&A
12:30 – Lunch Break
5th CYIGF
14:00 – Welcome Remarks
Rodney Taylor – Secretary-General, CTU
Tariq Mohammed – CIYN Chair
14:10 – Youth, AI & the Future of Digital Caribbean
How youth can leverage AI and other related digital tools to support their development, in the classroom or at the workplace.
Shergaun Roserie – CEO, Obtronics Ltd.
Joshua Andall – Youth Ambassador, CARICOM
Steffan Boodhoo – Chief Technical Officer, Innovatech Enterprises Ltd.
Shanelle McPherson – Board Member, ISOC Jamaica
Moderator: Tariq Mohammed – CIYN Chair & Advisor to the Secretary-General, CTU
15:00 – Youth in the Digital Space: Opportunities and Barriers
Opportunities for youth development within the digital space, whether locally, regionally or internationally, as well as potential barriers being experienced around the world, such as calls for, and implementations of, social media bans.
Jalen Monzac – Programme Officer, Liberty Foundation
Albert Daniels – Senior Manager, Stakeholder Engagement – the Caribbean, ICANN
Andrew Sieupresad – Director, TAIROne Initiative and Community Director, IEEE Young Professionals Trinidad and Tobago
Terren Finley – President, ISACA Student Group, Trinidad and Tobago
Moderator: Gabrielle Johnson – CIYN Vice-Chair, CTU
15:45 – Coffee Break
16:00 – From Clicks to Cash: Monetizing Caribbean Content Creation
The monetization of Caribbean content, pathways for jobs in the digital economy, and the associated barriers faced in the region, exploring the practical ways in which creators have overcome existing barriers and fostering collaborative pathways to support the creation of jobs in the creative space.
Alyssa Bierzynski – Project Officer, Office of the Creatives, Grenada Government
Jerome Mc Cave – Founder, TiketCaribbean
Moderators: Marlon McCarthy and Shariah Mohammed – Policy and Research Interns, CTU
16:45 – From Connectivity to Opportunity: Empowering Grenadian Youth to Shape a Safe, Inclusive Digital Future
Zinzee Noel – Disability Advocate, UN Youth Advisory Group
Micah Lambert – IT Educator | Speaker of the House of Youth Representatives in Grenada’s National Youth Parliament
Keshawn Paul – IT District Officer, Ministry of Education
Dericka Samuel – Educator / disability advocate / community advocate
Moderator: Teah Cummings – Consultant, NTRC
17:30 – Closing Remarks
Gabrielle Johnson – CIYN Vice-Chair
DAY 2 – TUESDAY 25 AUGUST 2026
Opening Ceremony
08:30 – Video on Grenada
09:00 – National Anthem
Invocation
Pastor Noel Schultz
09:05 – Opening Remarks
Rodney Taylor – Secretary-General, Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU)
09:10 – Greetings from Partner Organizations
Albert Daniels – Senior Manager, Stakeholder Engagement – Caribbean, ICANN
Christian O’Flaherty – VP, Latin America and the Caribbean, ISOC
Paula Oteguy – Head of Multistakeholder Engagement, LACNIC
Bevil Wooding – Director of Caribbean Affairs, ARIN & CAJS
Jennifer Chung – UN IGF MAG Chair
09:35 – Cultural Performance
Local dance group
09:50 – Feature Address
Ron Redhead – Minister of Digital Transformation, Grenada
10:00 – Vote of Thanks
Nigel Cassimire – Deputy Secretary-General, CTU
10:05 – Official Group Photo
10:10 – Coffee Break
Caribbean Internet Governance Baseline
10:30 – Reflections on CIGF @ 22
Shanea Lewis – Policy Advisor, CTU
10:45 – National, Regional and Global IG Contexts
Reports from National, Regional and Global IGFs.
Kevon Swift – Trinidad and Tobago MAG
Max-Larson Henry – Haiti IGF
Marcellus Constance – Saint Vincent and the Grenadines IGF
Aggrey Marsh – Guyana IGF
Vice-Minister, MINCOM – Cuba IGF
Lilian Chamorro Rojas – Coordinator, LACIGF
Tracy Hackshaw – SIDS IGF
Anja Gengo – UN IGF Secretariat
12:15 – General Discussion and Q&A
12:30 – Lunch Break
Policy Forum
Policy Forum
14:00 – Aligning Implementation of WSIS+20 & GDC
Paula Oteguy – LACNIC
Israel Rosas – ISOC
Nigel Cassimire – CTU
Shanea Lewis – CTU
15:30 – Caribbean Internet Governance Policy Framework Workshop
17:00 – End of Day 2
DAY 3 – WEDNESDAY 26 AUGUST 2026
Hot Topics in Internet Governance – Artificial Intelligence
09:00 – Opening Remarks
Nigel Cassimire – CTU
09:10 – Hot Topic: Caribbean AI Strategy
CAIF forum and next steps.
Dr. Craig Ramlal – UWI-AIIC
09:45 – AI and Data Governance for Caribbean Public Institutions
Focus on issues around public-sector digital development, including AI procurement, AI in education, privacy and data management.
Ravi Deonarine – Manager, Infrastructure & High Performance Compute, UWI-AIIC
Shernon Osepa – CTU
Moderator/Facilitator: Edmund Burke – Grenada
10:30 – Coffee Break
Grenada Digital Resilience Lab: Lessons for Small Island Internet Governance
10:45 – Opening Remarks and Presentation on Grenada Digital Agenda
Ron Redhead – Minister for Digital Transformation, with responsibility for Information and Communications Technology
11:10 – Panel: Local ICT Companies
Beyond connectivity: how ICT companies can drive digital innovation, cyber resilience and economic growth in Grenada.
Clevon Noel – Metarelic
Cameron Philbert – Digital Growth
Chad Fraser – Sonover
Oluwatosin (Tosin) Ishmeal – Datanexis Technologies
Kimanii Daniel
Dwight McIntyre
Moderator: Teah Cummings
12:15 – Session Closure
12:30 – Lunch Break
Policy Synthesis
13:30 – Policy Synthesis and Strategic Priorities: Charting a Coherent Path for Caribbean Internet Governance
Integrating insights across sessions to inform regional action, collaboration, and representation in global forums. CIGPF.
15:15 – Coffee Break
15:30 – Open Microphone
16:00 – Conclusions and Next Steps
Nigel Cassimire – CTU
16:30 – Closing Remarks of the CIGF
#CIGF2026 #CYIGF2026 #22CIGF #IGF