HIPCAR – Cybercrime/e-Crimes Introduction 1.1. HIPCAR Project – Aims and Beneficiaries The HIPCAR project1 was launched by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the European Union (EC) in December 2008, in close collaboration with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat and the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU). The HIPCAR Project is part of a global ITU-EC-ACP Project encompassing also sub-Saharan Africa and the Pacific. HIPCAR’s objective is to assist CARIFORUM2 countries in the Caribbean to harmonize their information and communication technology (ICT) policies, legislation and regulatory procedures so as to create an enabling environment for ICT development and connectivity, thus facilitating market integration, fostering investment in improved ICT capabilities and services, and enhancing the protection of ICT consumers’ interests across the region. The project’s ultimate aim is to enhance competitiveness and socio-economic and cultural development in the Caribbean region through ICTs. In accordance with Article 67 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, HIPCAR can be seen as an integral part of the region’s efforts to develop the CARICOM Single Market & Economy (CSME) through the progressive liberalization of its ICT services sector. The project also supports the CARICOM Connectivity Agenda and the region’s commitments to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), the World Trade Organization’s General Agreement on Trade in Services (WTO-GATS) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It also relates directly to promoting competitiveness and enhanced access to services in the context of treaty commitments such as the CARIFORUM states’ Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union (EU-EPA). The beneficiary countries of the HIPCAR project include Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, The Commonwealth of Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. 1.2. Project Steering Committee and Working Groups HIPCAR has established a project Steering Committee to provide it with the necessary guidance and oversight. Members of the Steering Committee include representatives of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL), Caribbean Association of National Telecommunication Organisations (CANTO), Caribbean ICT Virtual Community (CIVIC), and International Telecommunication Union (ITU). In order to ensure stakeholder input and relevance to each country, HIPCAR Working Groups have also been established with members designated by the country governments – including specialists from ICT agencies, justice and legal affairs and other public sector bodies, national regulators, country ICT focal points and persons responsible for developing national legislation. This broad base of public sector 1 2 The full title of the HIPCAR Project is: “Enhancing Competitiveness in the Caribbean through the Harmonization of ICT Policies, Legislation and Regulatory Procedures”. HIPCAR is part of a global ITU-EC-ACP project carried out with funding from the European Union set at EUR 8 million and a complement of USD 500,000 by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). It is implemented by the ITU in collaboration with the Caribbean Telecommunications union (CTU) and with the involvement of other organizations in the region. (see www.itu.int/ITU-D/projects/ITU_EC_ACP/hipcar/index.html). The CARIFORUM is a regional organisation of fifteen independent countries in the Caribbean region (Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago). These states are all signatories to the ACP–EC Conventions. > Model Policy Guidelines & Legislative Text 1