The Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in Saint Lucia; the U.S. Embassy in Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean, and the OECS; and the Government of Saint Lucia will host the 2023 GCTF Media Literacy Forum of Friday, November 17, 2023, at Sandals Halcyon Beach Resort, Castries, Saint Lucia.

This year’s GCTF-Affiliated Event for Caribbean and Latin American Region will be held under the theme, “Building Democratic Resilience against Disinformation and Misinformation”, and will be hosted using in-person with hybrid GCTF seminar format.

This year’s GCTF-Affiliated Event is expected to last three and a half hours, and will comprise a welcome ceremony, keynote speeches, and two panels in the morning. The panels will also be live-streamed on appropriate social media platforms for those who cannot participate due to distance.

The first session will explore how to enhance media literacy, including introduction of technology or mobile app to decipher the information sources. The second session will consider the impacts of misinformation, disinformation, propaganda, and fake news toward democracy and sharing experiences of best practices and policy recommendations on how to counter fake news.

Opening remarks will be delivered by Hon. Philip J. Pierre, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia; H.E. Peter Chia-Yen Chen, Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to Saint Lucia; and H.E. Linda Taglialatela, U.S. Ambassador to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean, and the OECS. The keynote speech will be delivered by H.E. Ping-cheng Lo, Minister without Portfolio, from the Republic of China (Taiwan).

The event is important since the broadcasting of fake news, hostile revelations and various kinds of manipulation have become common practice on social media. This disinformation fueled by active groups with hidden agendas has serious consequences that could result in the destabilization of a society, especially to damage democracy by undermining trust, manipulating public opinion, polarizing social division, eroding democratic processes, and weakening media integrity.

To counter the damaging effects of disinformation and misinformation on democracy, it is therefore important to promote media literacy, critical thinking, fact-checking, and transparency. Strengthening digital platforms’ efforts to combat disinformation, supporting independent journalism, and fostering a culture of civil discourse are also vital for maintaining the health and resilience of democratic systems.

The GCTF (or Global Cooperation and Training Framework) was established by Taiwan’s government and the US government in 2015 as a platform to utilize Taiwan’s strengths and expertise to address global issues that are of mutual concern while enhancing Taiwan’s multilateral cooperation throughout the region. Japan and Australia have become full partners to this framework in 2019 and 2021 respectively. Over the last eight years, the GCTF has held many international workshops on public health, law enforcement, cooperation, women’s empowerment, energy efficiency, e-commerce, cyber-security, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and media literacy and thousands of government officials, experts and civil societies from over 100 countries have participated in this event.