Cyber-diplomacy key component of global discourse: IT Minister

Cyber diplomacy is increasingly emerging as a crucial component of international discourse and will form one of the key areas of discussion at the upcoming 'Global Conference on Cyber Space' to be hosted by India later this month, IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said today.
The mega event, to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is expected to see global policymakers, innovators, industrialists and cyber security experts converge on November 23 and 24 at New Delhi to deliberate on issues and challenges for optimally using the cyber space.
"Cyber diplomacy is a big topic in this conference... Cyber security has come to occupy a centrestage in the international diplomatic discourse," Prasad told reporters at a conference.

Stating that cyber diplomacy was emerging as a big component of international discourse, the minister said India's pursuit for greater emphasis on cyber-diplomacy is aimed at a meaningful engagement and promoting the case of digital inclusion.
The Global Conference on Cyber Space or GCCS is expected to draw thousands of delegates, including foreign delegates, and with many more expected to log in through videoconferencing and webinar.
Besides global leaders and IT Ministers of various countries, prominent faces of India Inc including Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, and Bharti Enterprises Chairman Sunil Mittal are also expected to be present at the event.

Ministers from a host of countries including France, Russia, Japan, Israel, the UK are amongst the speakers at the conference.

"The overall goals of GCCS 2017 are to promote the importance of inclusiveness and human rights in global cyber policy, to defend status quo of an open interoperable and unregimented cyberspace, to create political commitment for capacity building initiatives to address the digital divide...," an official statement said.
Another key area of discussion will be digital inclusion, the minister said outlining India's success story in areas like Common Service Centres (CSCs) and rural BPOs.
CSCs, which act as mechanism for delivery of Government's e-Services, will be expanded to 2.5 lakh gram panchayats in next 5-6 months from 1.5 lakh gram panchayats at present.

"Overall, the discussion (at GCCS) would emcompass cyber space for growth, cyber space for digital inclusion, and cyber space for security," Prasad said.
The plenary sessions have been designed around the themes Cyber4Inclusive growth, cyber4DigitalInclusion, Cyber4Security and Cyber4Diplomacy.