WEBCAST 20-22 AUG – 21st Caribbean Internet Governance Forum
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On Wednesday – Friday 20th – 22nd August 2025, the Ministry of Communications of Cuba (MINCOM) and the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) present the 21st Caribbean Internet Governance Forum (CIGF) in Varadero, Cuba. The Forum will address various facets of Internet Governance of current import to the Caribbean including the adoption of the Global Digital Compact and WSIS+20 Review; enhancing the reach, resiliency and sustainability of critical digital infrastructure in the Caribbean; fostering adoption and growth of the region’s digital economies in a trusted and secure manner; harnessing the benefits of emergent technologies (e.g. AI) while minimising attendant risks; and digital rights, privacy and protection for children. The 4th Caribbean Youth Internet Governance Forum (CYIGF) will be included in the 21st CIGF, on the afternoon of Day 1.
PARTNERS Internet Society | POST-ISAC | SECURE.POST | TTMAG |Internet Society Barbados Chapter | Internet Society Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
SCHEDULE (All times AST = UTC-4)
DAY 1 – WEDNESDAY 20 AUGUST 2025
09:00 Opening Remarks
Dr. Terri-Karelle Johnson – Host of Ceremonies
09:05 Welcome Remarks
Rodney Taylor – Secretary-General, Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU)
09:15 Capacity Building Session 1
Juan Fernández González – Member, UN IGF Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG), Advisor at the Ministry of Communications of Cuba (MINCOM)
Chengetai Masango – Head of Office, UN IGF Secretariat
10:30 Capacity Building Session 2: Topic Areas
Paula Oteguy – Head of Multistakeholder Engagement, LACNIC
Tracy F. Hackshaw – Chef d’entreprise, .POST, Universal Postal Union (UPU)
Abdullah Ali and Kevin Baboolal – Researchers (Remote)
Prof. Maurice McNaughton – Remote
Moderator: Shanea Lewis – CTU
Caribbean Youth Internet Governance Forum (CYIGF)
13:30 Introductory Remarks
Dr. Terri-Karelle Johnson – Host of Ceremonies
13:35 Welcome Remarks
Rodney Taylor – Secretary-General, CTU
Tariq Mohammed – 4th CYIGF Chair
Jose Carlos Cruz Sandoval – Vice President, GEIC, Cuba
13:45 Panel 1: Development and use of Artificial Intelligence in the Caribbean for Digital Transformation and Innovation
Cherika Wilson / Lianne McNaughton (Remote) – Youth Can do it Too (YCDI)
Shergaun Roserie – Co-CEO, RifBid, Saint Lucia
Roberto Marti Cedeño – Vice Dean of Research and Digital Transformation, University of Havana, Cuba
Orlando Gabriel Toledano López – Professor of Data Structures and Algorithms, University of Informatics Sciences (UCI), Cuba
Moderator: Dr. Nayma Cepero Pérez – Professor, Technical University of Havana (CUJAE)
14:30 Panel 2: Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Resilience: Protecting the Caribbean’s Digital Future
Federica Tortorella – Youth Advisory Board Member, SubOptic Foundation, Dominican Republic
Muriyana McPherson – National Data Management Authority (NDMA), Guyana
Daniel Perea Núñez – Director General, Computer Network Security Office, Cuba (OSRI)
Moderator: Tariq Mohammed – Chair, Caribbean ICT Youth Network
15:30 Panel 3: Women Empowerment in ICTs
Jael Goddard (Remote) – ICT External Relations Associate, Ministry of Digital Transformation, Trinidad and Tobago
Jennifer Boodoo – Guyana
Maidelys Pupo Torres – General Director, JCCE, Cuba
Suany Leyva Hernández – Cuban Network of Empowered Women, UIC
Analaisy González Prieto – Director of Institutional Communication, ETECSA
Moderator: Gabrielle Johnson – CIYN Vice Chair
16:15 Panel 4: Youth Perspectives on Global Fora: GDC, WSIS, IGF, etc.
Anja Gengo – UN IGF Secretariat, Geneva
Shergaun Roserie – CIYN
Elaine Grenet Albernas – Specialist on Foreign Relations, MINCOM
Leysdel Emil Hernández – Specialist in International Organizations and Bilateral Collaboration, ETECSA
Moderator: Jael Goddard – ICT External Relations Associate, Trinidad and Tobago (Remote)
17:00 Vote of Thanks and Closing of the CYIGF
Gabrielle Johnson – CIYN Vice Chair
Ailyn Febles Estrada – Vice Minister of Communications of Cuba
17:10 End of Day 1
DAY 2 – THURSDAY 21 AUGUST 2025
09:00 National Anthem and Opening Remarks
Dr. Terri-Karelle Johnson – Host of Ceremonies
09:05 Remarks
Rodney Taylor – Secretary-General, CTU
09:15 Greetings from Partner Organizations
Paula Oteguy – Head, Multistakeholder Engagement, LACNIC
Bevil Wooding (Remote) – Director of Caribbean Affairs, ARIN & Caribbean Agency for Justice Solutions (CAJS)
Albert Daniels (Remote) – Stakeholder Engagement Senior Manager for the Caribbean, ICANN
Sebastián Bellagamba (Remote) – Senior Director, Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean, Internet Society
Chengetai Masango – Head of Office, UN IGF Secretariat
09:35 Feature Address
Ernesto Rodríguez Hernández – First Deputy Minister of Communications of Cuba
09:45 Vote of Thanks
Michelle Garcia – Communications Specialist, CTU
10:20 Reflections on CIGF @ 21
Shanea Lewis – Policy Advisor, CTU
10:45 National, Regional and Global IG Contexts
Maria Esther Alfonso – Cuba IGF
Jacqueline Morris – Trinidad and Tobago MAG
Max-Larson Henry – Haiti IGF
Marcellus Constance – SVG IGF
Aggrey Marsh – Guyana IGF
Lilian Chamorro Rojas – Coordinator, LACIGF
Anja Gengo – UN IGF Secretariat
14:00 Introductory Remarks
Dr. Terri-Karelle Johnson – Host of Ceremonies
14:05 ARIN/LACNIC/CTU Policy Forum – Global Digital Governance at a Crossroads; WSIS+20; Global Digital Compact; ICP-2, ICANN gTLDs
Israel Rosas (Remote) – ISOC
Bevil Wooding (Remote) – ARIN
Paula Oteguy – LACNIC
Chengetai Masango / Anja Gengo – UN IGF Secretariat
Michael Abejuela (Remote) – ARIN
Jorge Villa / Esteban Tescano (Remote) – LACNIC
Sybel Alonso Baldor – VP Net Op, ETECSA
Albert Daniels (Remote) – ICANN
Moderator: Shanea Lewis – CTU
15:30 Workshop/Facilitated Discussion: Mainstreaming AI in Caribbean Internet Governance
Rosanny Arias – Head of Innovation Promotion, Office of ICT, Dominican Republic
Omar Correa Madrigal – TBC – President, UIC
Moderators: Tariq Mohammed, Shergaun Roserie, Gabrielle Johnson
DAY 3 – FRIDAY 22 AUGUST 2025
09:00 Opening Remarks
Dr. Terri-Karelle Johnson – Host of Ceremonies
09:05 Panel Discussion: Navigating Digital Harms in a Fragmented World
Cleveland Thomas – ITU
Lourdes Gutierrez (Remote) – UNODC
Shannique Bowden (Remote) – Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network
Maidelys Pupo Torres – JCCE, Cuba
Omar Gutiérrez Granela – Havana Youth Computer and Electronics Club
Facilitator: Shiva Bissessar – Pinaka Consulting
10:00 Special Session: Digital Transformation in Cuba
Introduction: Ernesto Rodríguez Hernández – First Deputy Minister of Communications of Cuba
10:20 Panel 1: Data Governance – A Perspective from Cuba
Omara Aldama López – Director of Infocommunications, Revolution Palace
María Esther Alfonso Suárez – Vice-President, UIC
Tatiana Delgado Fernández – Professor, Technological University of Havana
Laymi Puente Falcón – Director of Business Intelligence, ETECSA
Moderator: Yarina Amoroso Fernández – Unión de Juristas de Cuba
11:10 Panel 2: Digital Transformation and Local Development
Aurora Fernández González – Advisor to CNI and Higher Education Minister
Dariel de León García – Senior Researcher, Sustainable Municipalities Program
Allan Pierra Conde – Advisor, MES
Denys Buedo Hidalgo – Director of Informatization, MES
Moderator: Jorge Núñez Jover – Havana University Advisor
13:30 Panel 3: Enterprises in Digital Transformation
Dennis Meriño Menadier – Chairman, Z17
Allan Pierra Fuente – UCI
Abduly Díaz García – Director General, SOFTEL
Yudivian Almeida Cruz – University of Havana
Moderator: Ernesto Vallín Martínez – MINCOM
14:20 Panel 4: The Role of Government in Digital Transformation
Anaisa Hernández González – Vice-President, UIC
Dr. Nayma Cepero Pérez – Technical University of Havana
Wilfredo González Vidal – Coordinator, Sovereignty Project
Dr. Alain Lamadrid Vallina – Director of Informatization, Ministry of Higher Education
Moderator: Ailyn Febles Estrada – Deputy Minister of Communications of Cuba
15:10 Session Closure
Ernesto Rodríguez Hernández – First Deputy Minister of Communications of Cuba
15:30 Policy Synthesis and Strategic Priorities
Rodney Taylor – CTU
Shanea Lewis – CTU
Tariq Mohammed – CIYN
16:00 Open Microphone
Michelle Garcia – CTU
16:30 Conclusions and Next Steps
Rodney Taylor – CTU
16:50 Closing Remarks of the CIGF
Mayra Arevich Marín – Minister of Communications of Cuba
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