Statement by H.E. Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansoori, Minister of Development for Government Sector
Geneva, 4 September 2007

Your Excellencies

Ladies & Gentlemen

It is with great pleasure that I am delivering the presentation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at this esteemed conference that encompasses the decision makers of the telecom industry worldwide. This conference is being organized for the sake of technological enhancement and development to become available to all. Telecom technological progress should, by all means, be reachable to all in the twenty first century, regardless of the nature of the nations, whether industrial, developing or less developed.

Therefore, filling the digital gap and building a comprehensive information society wherever possible should be based on identifying the greatest cyber-threats currently faced by one’s country; the key elements to be considered in formulating a national strategy for cyber security and for preventing cyber-crime; the role that governments should play in promoting a culture of cyber security at the national, regional and international levels; and what is considered by the government to be the highest priority activities for addressing current and emerging cyber-threats at the national, regional and international levels.

As for the United Arab Emirates, the greatest cyber-threats currently faced by the UAE are Phishing Attacks, Website Defacement, Compromising Systems and SPAM Messages. However, the key elements to be considered in formulating a national strategy plan for cyber security in order to prevent cyber crime is by enhancing the current UAE Cyber Crime Law and by closely working with the ICT Sector in the UAE to secure the ICT infrastructure, yet, these are currently being addressed through the initiative established by the TRA known as the United Arab Emirates Computer Emergency Response Team (aeCERT).

Still, The UAE government has already taken a proactive approach by endorsing the aeCERT project, which will eventually conduct a national security awareness campaign that will promote the culture of cyber security on national, regional and international levels.

Furthermore, we believe that the highest priority activities for addressing the current and emerging cyber threats are through enhancing the cyber security law and creating additional new laws; through conducting the information security awareness campaign to build the cyber security mindset across the nation; through establishing a national center to disseminate information about the emerging threats, vulnerabilities and cyber security incidents; and through peering and coordinating with regional and international CERTs and Computer Security Incidents Research Teams (CSIRTs) to enhance the overall security posture.

Finally, I would like to extend my best wishes, on behalf of the UAE, to all participants, for a prosperous and successful conference.

Thank you.