A regulatory framework for Artificial Intelligence (AI) was one of the topics discussed last week between CARICOM and the UNDP. Officials from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) met from 4-6 March at the Community’s Headquarters in Georgetown to concretise a joint action plan for their cooperation.
The officials addressed a 2024 Action Plan to operationalise the CARICOM-UNDP Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which expressed their intention to work toward the development of Small Island Development States (SIDS) of the Caribbean.
Signed in September 2022, the MOU, emphasises cooperation on governance; climate and disaster resilience, sustainable energy, and natural resource management; citizen safety and security; economic development including the Blue Economy; innovation and digital inclusion of youth; financing for development, and institutional strengthening, a release yesterday from CARICOM said.
Discussions were led by CARICOM Deputy Secretary-General, Dr Armstrong Alexis, and the UNDP’s Deputy Regional Director of the Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean, Linda Maguire.
The release said that Dr Alexis stated the Secretariat’s appreciation of UNDP’s cooperation with CARICOM on three priorities – renewable energy, sustainable development, and citizen security. He called for a “concrete understanding” of actions which the organisations will pursue in those areas, at the end of the three-day engagement.
Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Integration, Innovation and Development, Joseph Cox; Assistant Secretary-General for Human and Social Development, Alison Drayton; and Assistant Secretary-General for Foreign and Community Relations, Elisabeth Solomon also participated in the discussions.
The release said that they highlighted CARICOM’s interest in an AI regulatory framework to protect the creative industries, to tackle ethical issues, upskilling and reskilling of the workforce, and public education. “The officials also drew attention to the need to update the CARICOM Energy Policy given the new and emerging oil producers in the Community and updating the Electric Vehicles Strategy to ensure adequate safeguards and regulations in respect of external policies such as Europe’s new emission standards”, the release added.
A study on the reduction of lengthy pre-trial detention was another intervention put forward for the CARICOM-UNDP 2024 Action Plan.
