The Government of Montserrat is working to advance digital transformation, with a focus on strengthening data protection and improving digital public services here.
The issues were highlighted during a workshop hosted by the Office of the Premier in collaboration with the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, from October 19 to 21 at the Brades Arts and Education Centre.
Associate Economic Affairs Officer at the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean- UNECLAC, Demetris Herkleous, said the workshop provides an opportunity to move from policy frameworks to practical implementation, helping Montserrat build the institutional capacity needed to deliver more effective digital services.
He noted that Montserrat’s experience could also serve as a model for other small island developing states facing similar challenges, explaining that Montserrat represents a unique and instructive example for the Caribbean, “being among the smallest economies in our region and it has shown a remarkable resilience in rebuilding after the volcanic crisis that reshaped the island and its people. At the same time, it faces in particularly concentrated form the structural challenges shared by small island developing states across the Caribbean.”
He noted “the limited scale, constrained specialized capacity, dependence on external infrastructure and service providers, and high exposure to natural hazards and external shocks. For this reason, every step that Montserrat takes forward carries significance well beyond shores.”
Herkleous that where as Montserrat demonstrates that a small state can establish trusted data protection, sound framework for artificial intelligence and effective digital public services, as well as a robust digital economy framework, it offers the wider Caribbean and small island developing states globally a practical model.
“More than everything, it offers a source of confidence. This workshop takes place within a broad international framework. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Global Digital Compact, and the Adigola and Barbuda Agenda for Small Island Developing States all recognize that digital transformation must be rights-based and grounded in trust, and that no country should be left behind in the digital age.”
He went on to say that “at the regional level, these commitments are advanced through ILAC, the Digital Agenda for Latin America and the Caribbean. In December, in Brazil, the biannual ministerial conference of ILAC will take place, where the ministers and the governments from Latin America and the Caribbean are coming together, and they are jointly designing the Digital Agenda for the whole region for the next two years. Robust legislation is essential, but its value is realized only when it translates into institutional capacity, public services, and tangible benefits for citizens.”