This concluding roundtable of the two-day event 'Building Cyber Capacity with the Global South' seeks to identify new priorities for cybersecurity capacity-building, addresses current challenges, and explores pathways for a new phase of the global initiative dedicated to enhancing cyber capacity.
The increasing global technological interdependence has heightened societies' reliance on digital connectivity, offering new opportunities but also exposing them to novel vulnerabilities and threats. Cybersecurity has therefore gained prominence in foreign policy. However, given the transnational nature of physical internet infrastructure, the distribution of data storage and the routing of data, there is an urgent need for a transnational governance approach to cybersecurity. In this context, strengthening global cyber capabilities has become an essential dimension of international cooperation engaged to foster a unified, inclusive, and coordinated global effort aimed at safeguarding the entire cyber domain, transcending national boundaries.
The urgency of enhancing cyber capacity is particularly evident in the Global South, where internet usage is expanding more rapidly than the ability to fortify the safety and security of this digital transformation. In response, numerous initiatives have emerged with the goal of enhancing cyber capabilities in Global South nations, encompassing technical, policy, and diplomatic dimensions. The CCB initiatives aim to assist local stakeholders in formulating sustainable cybersecurity strategies while enabling them to actively participate in international collaborative efforts focused on promoting peace, stability, and security in the cyber domain.
This concluding roundtable of the two-day event, titled 'Building Cyber Capacity with the Global South', aims to identify emerging priorities for a rejuvenated agenda on cybersecurity capacity-building. It will address current challenges and explore potential pathways for a new phase of the global initiative dedicated to enhancing cyber capacity.
Speakers:
George Papaconstantinou | European University Institute
Anriette Esterhuysen | Association for Progressive Communications
Andy Chadwick | Head of the UK FCDO Cyber Diplomacy Africa
Liina Areng | EU CyberNet/RIA
Camille Lalevee | European Commission, INTPA
Enrico Calandro | Cyber4Dev