Information and communication technologies (ICTs) can play a decisive role in a country’s development process.
However, the rapid growth in the use of ICTs has also opened up new opportunities for criminals to exploit online vulnerabilities and attack countries’ critical infrastructures. As a result, building confidence and security in the use of ICTs is one of the most important and complex challenges connected countries face today. As cyberspace is to large extent
without distinct national borders and cyber-threats can arise anywhere and at any time, causing immense damage in a very short space of time before they are tackled, current attempts to address these challenges only at the national and regional levels are inadequate. A global approach is therefore needed.
For this reason, ITU, through its
Global Cybersecurity
Agenda (GCA), has put in place a framework for international
cooperation in cybersecurity.
Cybersecurity and the protection of critical information infrastructures are a shared responsibility of government, business, other organizations, and individual users who develop, own, provide, manage, service and use information and communication technologies, systems and networks. Promoting cybersecurity, and implementing related measures, needs to be a high priority in order for countries to reap the full benefits of the digital revolution and the new and evolving communication technologies.
The ITU Regional Cybersecurity Forum for Asia Pacific, dedicated to “Connecting the World Responsibly”, aimed
to identify some of the main challenges faced by countries in enhancing cybersecurity and securing critical information infrastructures. It considered
best practices, information sharing mechanisms and concrete actions
for cybersecurity development, taking into consideration the key
principles of matching the borderless, transnational nature of
cyber-threats with meeting specific national and regional
requirements. The Forum also considered initiatives at the regional and international levels to increase cooperation and coordination amongst different stakeholders.
The forum programme included interactive sessions on the projects and related tools that ITU is working on to assist Member States in developing and implementing cybersecurity capabilities. Capacity building activities were
also undertaken in the following main areas:
- Development of a legal framework;
- Development of watch and warning and incident management capabilities, including the establishment of a national computer incident response team (CIRT); and,
- Actions to be considered when developing a national cybersecurity strategy and harmonization within the key principles of international cooperation.
The forum,
is held in response to ITU Plenipotentiary
Resolution 130: Strengthening the role of ITU in building confidence and security in the use of information and communication technologies (Antalya, 2006) and the
2006 World Telecommunication Development Conference Doha Action Plan establishing
ITU-D Study Group Question 22/1: Securing information and communication networks: Best practices for developing a culture of cybersecurity
as well as
ITU WTSA Resolution 58: Encourage the creation of national computer incident response teams, particularly for developing countries (Johannesburg, 2008).
Please contact cybmail (at) itu.int
with any general queries you may have related to the ITU Regional
Cybersecurity Forum.
Forum Details
Countries requiring assistance to attend the meeting should contact: Wisit Atipayakoon,
ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Tel.: +66 2 574 8565
and E-mail:
wisit.atipayakoon(at)itu.int with copy to cybmail(at)itu.int.
Please send electronic contributions to the meeting on national cybersecurity experiences to
cybmail(at)itu.int.
Should you require any further information on the
2009 ITU Regional Cybersecurity Forum for Asia-Pacific please contact
cybmail(at)itu.int
Background Material
ITU Cybersecurity Related Resolutions
-
ITU Plenipotentiary Resolution 130: Strengthening the role of ITU in building confidence and security in the use of information and communication technologies (Antalya, 2006)
-
ITU Plenipotentiary Resolution 149: Study of definitions and terminology relating to building confidence and security in the use of information and communication technologies (Antalya, 2006)
-
ITU WTDC Resolution 45: Mechanisms for enhancing cooperation on cybersecurity, including combating spam (Doha, 2006) and the
report from
Meeting on Mechanisms for Cooperation on Cybersecurity and Combating Spam, held 31 August- 1 September 2006 (عربي,
中文,
English,
Français,
Español,
Русский)
-
ITU WTSA Resolution 58: Encourage the creation of
national computer incident response teams,
particularly for developing countries (Johannesburg, 2008)
-
ITU WTSA Resolution 50: Cybersecurity (Rev. Johannesburg, 2008)
- ITU WTSA Resolution 52: Countering and combating spam (Rev. Johannesburg, 2008)
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