The Trinidad and Tobago Internet Governance Forum (TTIGF) is just around the corner, and worldwide, it is among the first Internet Governance events of the year. With Jaqueline Morris, a longstanding player in the global Internet Governance space and the current Chair of the Trinidad and Tobago Multistakeholder Advisory Group Board, which is the organiser of the TTIGF, she discusses, among other things, how TTIGF came about, how the internet has been evolving and emerging trends, and the biggest internet or Internet Governance issues to which we should be paying particular attention.

 

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The continued and rapid development of the internet and ICT has resulted in many exciting services and platforms becoming available that have not only improved the workplace and everyday life but also opened up new opportunities for innovation and wealth creation. However, the speed at which these developments are happening can also put us in a position where we cannot fully process all that has been occurring and truly make informed decisions.

It was thus vital that we determine the internet we want, which was one of our recurring series of 2024, to prompt us to clarify our needs and expectations of the internet and the dynamic that should exist between man and technology. Now, the question is, “How do we build the digital future we want to see?” Once again, it is not a simple question, but nevertheless we ought to address.

 

Introducing our guest

Jacqueline Morris

Jacqueline Morris is an experienced tertiary educator, researcher, educational technologist, and instructional designer, whose focus is on the intersection of the Internet and Learning. She currently is the e-Learning Manager at the Judiciary of Trinidad and Tobago.

Jacqueline has been very active in the fields of Internet Governance and ICT issues. In 2003, she was appointed by the Secretary-General of the UN to a global panel of experts on Internet Governance. Since then, she has held several positions in International Policy organisations such as the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ICANN, and currently is the Policy Chair for the Non-Profit Constituency at ICANN.

Jacqueline is the Vice-Chair of the Internet Society Trinidad and Tobago Chapter and is the current Chair of the Trinidad and Tobago Multistakeholder Advisory Group (TTMAG) Board, which organises the Trinidad and Tobago Internet Governance Forum (TTIGF).

 

Insights into our conversation

Thanks to Jacqueline’s involvement in the global Internet Governance space over the past 20 years and in shaping global and regional policies, she shared excellent insights into how the internet has been evolving. Some of her views might seem controversial as they are mainstream or what is being touted in the press. Instead, they require us to move beyond popular opinion to consider the subtleties, plus the current and likely consequences.

We also discussed extensively the upcoming TTIGF and the role it plays in facilitating conversations on Internet Governance in Trinidad and Tobago. Below are some of the questions posed to Jacqueline during our conversation.

  1. To start, please share with us how TTIGF came about
  2. The theme for this year’s TTIGF is Building Our Multistakeholder Digital Future. Why that theme and what do you and the organisers hope it will achieve?
  3. Trinidad and Tobago is perhaps the only Caribbean country I know that has a Multistakeholder Advisory Group, of which you are the current Chair. Why was that approach taken, and what role does it play in the IG space?
  4. Having been an active participant in the global IG space, have you seen any trends in how the internet has been evolving?
  5. What are other activities that TTMAG is engaged in?
  6. What are the biggest IG issues that Caribbean countries, in particular, should be concerned about?
  7. Following a TTIGF, what happens next?

 

We would love to hear your thoughts!

Do leave us a comment either here beneath this article, or on our Facebook or LinkedIn pages, or via Twitter, @ICTPulse.

Also, if you or a member of your network is interested in joining us for an episode, do get in touch.

Let’s make it happen!

 

Select links

Below are links to some of the organisations and resources that either were mentioned during the episode, or otherwise, might be useful:

 

 

Images credit:  TTIGF/TTMAG;  J Morris; rawpixel.com (Freepik); DilokaStudio (Freepik); rawpixel.com (Freepik)

Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell

Podcast editing support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez