Excellencies,

In our present era of rapid digital expansion, the imperative to fortify our cybersecurity frameworks stands as a cornerstone of national resilience. Governments worldwide are tasked with surmounting formidable barriers that threaten to undermine the very fabric of our digital infrastructure hindering the pursuit of sustainable development goals.

One of the primary obstacles to sustaining robust ICT security is a pervasive lack of cyber threat awareness among people, among government officials, and even in the business community.

Lack of awareness regarding cyber threats presents a glaring vulnerability in our defenses, and empowering industries as well as of course our citizens with a comprehensive understanding of cyber risks not only bolsters our collective resilience, but also lays the groundwork for proactive strategies to counter emerging threats.

Secondly, aside from weak cybersecurity culture, we also have face shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals. And this is a notable global scarcity all over the world. In response, initiatives such as the establishment of specialized training programs, and centers of excellence, like the one currently being done in Singapore are essential. These efforts aim to bridge the gap by nurturing a new cadre of cybersecurity experts equipped to confront evolving digital threats head on.

Thirdly, the disparities in the technological access and digital literacy across varied demographics, particularly in rural or marginalized communities exacerbate cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Bridging this gap demands concerted efforts to enhance technological access, and digital literacy across all strata of society. This includes cyber hygiene; by empowering underserved populations with the necessary tools and knowledge, we fortify our collective defense against cyber incursions.

As a way forward, in tackling this multifaceted challenges, international collaboration emerges as an indispensable tool through shared intelligence, best practices and capacity building initiatives. Nations can collectively bolster their cybersecurity posture by fostering a culture of collaboration and information sharing will not only enhance our individual resilience but also contribute to the broader global effort to safeguard our digital future. However, this cannot be done by government alone. The private sector should play its part and in this private sector, I mean, the platform providers that provide the enabling environment for many of the technologies to thrive, but also provides the enabling environment for cyber threats to thrive.

The private sector that provides these platforms should take a greater role in managing and in providing the security ecosystem and infrastructure as well as the policies that would allow for better responses to all these threats and scams that are evolving as we speak. Mere token content moderation is no longer enough. There should be a more proactive role that platform providers should include in their in their systems in order to enhance the collective effort on cybersecurity.

Thank you very much.