On November 17, 2023, the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in Saint Lucia, in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy in Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean, and the OECS, along with the government of Saint Lucia, organized the GCTF Franchise Workshop focusing on "Building Democratic Resilience against Disinformation and Misinformation." This workshop was designed to introduce tools for identifying malicious and false information, enhance media literacy skills, and conduct an analysis of the impact of global information warfare and misinformation on elections and democratic resilience.
Ambassador Peter Chia-yen Chen delivered a speech addressing the audience, utilizing Taiwan as an illustrative example to emphasize the risks of misinformation to global democratic societies. He urged participants to take a leading role in their communities to fortify media literacy, thereby bolstering democratic resilience in the Latin American and Caribbean region. Ambassador Linda Taglialatela of the United States underscored the pivotal role of media literacy as a key skill in the 21st century. She advocated for collaboration among like-minded nations to uphold democratic integrity and promote citizen well-being in this field.
Acting Prime Minister Shawn Edward of Saint Lucia emphasized the significance of smartphones as one of humanity's most powerful tools. To safeguard democracy from misinformation, he emphasized the continuous need for effective government communication and the empowerment of citizens with the ability to discern between true and false information, highlighting its importance for all Caribbean nations.
