Page 21 - SAMENA Trends - May-June 2023

LEADERS' SUMMIT 2023 SAMENA TRENDS

WSIS Seminar during the SAMENA Council Leaders’ Summit 2023 Urges
For ICT Collaboration and Cybersecurity Common Standards, For Enhancing

Digital Trust as a Shared Responsibility

His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al In his keynote address to the WSIS Semi-
Nahyan, UAE Cabinet Member and Minister nar, Mr. Adel Mohamed Darwish, Director,
for Tolerance and Coexistence called for ITU Regional Office for the Arab States
responsibility within the ICT industry as stated: “Digital trust and confidence in the
the industry develops and said: “In UAE, use of new ICT is crucial and a multi stake-
we share the aspiration of having a digital holder effort. No single entity can address
world that is sustainable, secure and meets the range of challenges on their own. This
present and future needs, committed to includes adopting national cybersecurity
satisfying best international standards and strategies, establishing national incident
ready to promote community engagement response readiness and responsibility,
and support in all countries around the and developing international security stan-
world.” dards.”
The World Summit on the Information
Society (WSIS) seminar titled “Enhance Leaders from the Arab Security and trust are crucial to ensuring
Digital Trust for a Sustainable, Connected, ICT Organisation, GSMA, online access and trusted exchanges
Intelligent World”, sponsored by Huawei of data and information. However, with
and held during the SAMENA Council Huawei, International digitalization comes new cybersecurity
Leaders’ Summit 2023, concluded that Telecommunications challenges. During the seminar, a panel of
digital transformation will only realize its industry leaders discussed how supportive
potential social and economic benefits Union (ITU), UAE Govern- policies are important to encourage
if responsibilities are shared by different ment, the UAE Computer development in areas that may seem less
stakeholders with specific roles. The attractive to carriers such as remote area
seminar explored the opportunities and Emergency Response, infrastructure as well as the need to set
challenges posed by ICT and digital Mobily and stc Group a cybersecurity baseline with common
transformation. Leaders from the Arab ICT called for multi-stake- standards to secure digital transformation.
Organisation, GSMA, Huawei, International There was consensus that approaches to
Telecommunications Union (ITU), UAE holder collaboration building digital trust should be fact-based
Government, the UAE Computer Emergency including governments, and that the best way to achieve this is
Response, Mobily and stc Group called for through verifiable, common standards.
multi-stakeholder collaboration including policymakers, industry Panelists included Dr. Azzouz, Senior Expert
governments, policymakers, industry associations, academia, in ICT Industry; Mr. Jawad Jalal Abbassi,
associations, academia, corporations and Head of Middle East & North Africa, GSMA;
civil society to play their part to support ICT corporations and civil Eng. Mohamed Ben Amor, AICTO Director
development. society to play their part General; Mr. Adel Al Mehairi, Director, UAE
to support ICT develop- Computer Emergency Response Team
During the opening ceremony of the (aeCERT); Eng. Alaa A. Malki, CTO, Mobily,
SAMENA Council Leaders’ Summit 2023, ment. and Eng. Haithem M. Alfaraj, Group Chief of

21 MAY-JUNE 2023