{"id":161322,"date":"2022-01-03T09:12:21","date_gmt":"2022-01-03T14:12:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ict-pulse.com\/?post_type=tribe_events&p=161322"},"modified":"2022-01-26T14:43:58","modified_gmt":"2022-01-26T19:43:58","slug":"traversing-metaverse-caribbean-perspective","status":"publish","type":"tribe_events","link":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/events\/traversing-metaverse-caribbean-perspective\/","title":{"rendered":"Traversing the Metaverse: A Caribbean Perspective"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n

Within recent months the term \u201cmetaverse\u201d has generated much discussion globally and has become one of the latest technology buzzwords. The term gained even greater prominence with the rebranding of technology giant Facebook to Meta.\u00a0 In addition, the Government of Barbados also announced in 2021 that it would establish an embassy in the Metaverse, making it one of the first to do so.<\/p>\n

What exactly is the metaverse and what are the opportunities and risks for governments and businesses?\u00a0 How can these be addressed through global policy and regulation in the interest of humanity?\u00a0 Will it exacerbate the global technology divide between developing and developed countries and further global inequalities? Or will it provide new opportunities to participate in the new global digital economy?<\/p>\n

It is estimated that by 2025 the global metaverse market will be worth 280 billion US dollars.\u00a0 For governments and businesses alike, this represents opportunities for wealth creation.\u00a0 In the case of Barbados with its sovereign metaverse embassy, it affords it the opportunity to extend its global reach in areas such as consular services, trade promotion, cultural exchanges, and generally the promotion of its national brand.<\/p>\n

The Caribbean Telecommunications Union, in partnership with the Government of Barbados, will host a webinar to explore the aforementioned issues about the metaverse in an effort to educate and raise awareness of the opportunities and challenges for, in particular, small island developing states (SIDS). The webinar will be open to the public but will specifically focus on key stakeholders such as ICT policy makers, economists, technologists, entrepreneurs and academia.<\/p>\n

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The key areas of focus include, but are not limited to:<\/strong><\/p>\n