Commonwealth to prioritise cyber security; cyber capacity building: UK minister

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in the United Kingdom next April will explore the issue of cyber security and work closely to enhance our collective ability to tackle threats through an ambitious capacity building programme, said UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon.

The summit offers Commonwealth members the opportunity to share expertise and work together to enhance our collective capability in cyber security, he said.

Writing for ORF website, www.orfonline.org, Lord Ahmad, who is now in Delhi to participate in the Global Conference on Cyber Space, hosted by the Government of India, said "I know this idea has already been welcomed by many members and by the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation."

He said the Internet, and digital technology, make a powerful contribution to the economic, social and political life of the Commonwealth, from mobile payment systems in Kenya to e-government in Australia and the ambitious vision of Digital India.

"All of us in the Commonwealth have a shared interest in the security of the networks that enable this technology, the services that run on them and the people that use them. If our people and businesses cannot trust the online world, they will not fully embrace its potential. The biggest losers would be our growth figures and the livelihoods of our people. That's why the UK is investing nearly £2 billion over the next five years to transform cybersecurity and make the UK the safest place in the world to do business online," he wrote.

The Minister pointed out that our collective security, however, is only as strong as the weakest links in our interconnected systems. "That is why we hope that, at the summit, Commonwealth leaders will agree to work more closely together on the issue and to enhance our collective ability to tackle threats through an ambitious capacity building programme".

He said UK's ambition for the summit is to build a Commonwealth that is fit for the 21st Century, and relevant to the needs of its people, especially the young, who make up two thirds of its citizens. For many of them, the internet unquestionably represents the future.