The UAE, represented by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, TRA, concluded its participation in the first International Information Security Forum, which started in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, under the generous patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz.
The forum was aimed at exploring and finding new horizons for international cooperation in cybersecurity, through which international initiatives are formulated. It also allowed for the exchange of expertise and experience among countries in this extremely important domain, with the participation of a select group of senior officials in government and private sectors within and outside the Kingdom, in addition to a number of prominent academics, decision-makers, investors and leaders of various international organisations.
Hamid Obaid Al Mansouri, TRA Director-General, delivered an opening speech on the first day of the forum. He said, "The importance of this forum is evident from the fact that it comes at a defining moment, as the world is witnessing rapid transformations and developments in all areas, powered by ICT. A key transformation is the mass exodus to the virtual world, where the number of Internet users exceeds four billion, and almost the same number accesses social networking websites, while the number of smartphone users is approaching three billion. All that means a massive influx of data in every aspect, most of which was, until recently, private property that was prohibited from being accessed under the prevailing laws and customs."
He added, "The unprecedented nature of cyber risks puts us, as governments and organisations, in the face of necessary choices. The most important weapon in our hands to confront cyber risks is cooperation at all levels, regionally and globally, while ensuring rapid response and information flow. We in the UAE, and based on the future vision of our rational leadership, believe that a full-fledged smart city is just a stone's throw away. I can proudly confirm that we have accomplished a lot of our preparations for that phase, both in terms of plans and strategies adopted by our government in areas of AI, intelligent transportation systems, 3D printing, advanced technology etc., or in terms of current applications."
More than 1,200 experts, representing 63 countries and major global cybersecurity companies participated in the two-day forum, during which 50 sessions were held across five key areas, including cybersecurity, international cooperation, cyber communities, modern technologies, cyber threats and to confront them.