EU and Caribbean Partners Discuss Digital Cooperation

Partners from the European Union (EU), Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are meeting in Kingston, Jamaica, to hold talks on digital cooperation.

The talks are being facilitated under the first EU-LAC Digital Alliance High Level Policy Dialogue.

The high-level meeting, which is being co-chaired by Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago, is being held at the S Hotel in Kingston, from June 5 to 6.

It seeks to define concrete EU-Caribbean digital cooperation opportunities in the lead-up to the 2025 Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC)-EU Summit.

Discussions will focus on thematic areas, such as cybersecurity, e-governance and data governance, meaningful connectivity and artificial intelligence (AI).

Speaking at the opening ceremony for the dialogue, Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister, with responsibility for Efficiency, Innovation, and Digital Transformation, Senator the Hon. Ambassador Audrey Marks, noted that the alliance aims to strengthen bi-regional cooperation on digital issues through a structured multi-stakeholder approach.

“Small island developing states and neighbouring nations share common challenges and must work collectively to ensure inclusive digital transformation, despite varying levels of digital adoption,” Ambassador Marks said.

She noted that countries of the region share the common goal of utilising information and communications technologies to drive economic and social development.

“But we are all at different levels of adoption and penetration, and we must find consensus on how we forge a path that ensures our collective success,” the Minister said.

She pointed to one of the core themes of the talks – cybersecurity – while noting the critical need for collaboration in this area.

“The cross-border nature of cybercrimes and cyberthreats does not allow countries to work in isolation. Therefore, collaboration with public and private-sector organisations nationally, regionally, and internationally become more important as we grow and develop,” Ambassador Marks said.

She added that the Government of Jamaica is in full support of the CARICOM Cyber Resilience Strategy 2030 and expects the EU-LAC dialogue to identify initiatives aligned with that regional and hemispheric vision.

As it relates to AI, Ambassador Marks said it is extremely important that governments look at the opportunities, but also the potential for harm.

“Jamaica established a national AI task force in 2023 and has completed policy recommendations using UNESCO’s AI Readiness Assessment. This has informed the creation of a national AI policy. Regionally, we support a targeted AI policy roadmap and the CTU-led initiative to harmonise AI policy across CARICOM, helping to avoid fragmentation and boost our collective voice in global AI governance,” she shared.

Senator Marks underscored efforts the Jamaican government has made to ensure digital inclusion across the island, specifically the national broadband initiative launched in 2020 to build a resilient islandwide network.

She also pointed to Jamaica’s Data Protection Act as evidence of work being done in the thematic area of data governance but acknowledged that there is still work to be done by Jamaica and across the region.

“I, therefore, encourage all participants to engage in the discussion, which will take place over these two days, so that at the end of this dialogue there will be alignment of priorities across the five thematic areas and a unified

Latin American and Caribbean position that reflects our digital development goals,” the Minister encouraged.

Meanwhile, in her remarks, EU Ambassador to Jamaica, Her Excellency Dr. Erja Askola, said digital tools are no longer a luxury, as they are necessary for development, climate resilience, and competitiveness.

European Union Ambassador to Jamaica, Her Excellency Dr. Erja Askola, addresses the opening ceremony for the first European Union (EU), Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Digital Alliance High Level Policy Dialogue on Thursday (June 5). The event is being held at the S Hotel in Kingston from June 5 to 6.

She pointed out that digital cooperation has become one of the central pillars of the EU’s partnerships in the region.

“I’m encouraged when I see that at least 11 Caribbean countries are already developing digital policy frameworks. This is a strong signal of their commitment and vision in this field. The EU, on its part, seeks to respond to the digital needs, and we seek to help fill and close the connectivity gaps in the region and to improve digital skills, inclusive [of] access to these resources and connections,” the ambassador said.

She pointed out that the high-level dialogue will also feature discussions on how digital tools can help deliver better weather services for the Caribbean and Latin America.

“This is very important in this region because this will improve the way the countries can prepare for natural disasters and respond to them as well. We will also be addressing other important aspects of digitalisation, such as gender and startups,” Dr. Askola highlighted.

The EU-LAC Digital Alliance was founded on an agreement with the Heads of State of 20 Latin American and Caribbean countries and 27 EU member States during the EU-CELAC Summit in 2023.