4 October 2012
At the Budapest Conference on Cyberspace Foreign Secretary,
William Hague, and Minister for Cyber Security and the
Cabinet Office, Francis Maude, have announced that the UK
will establish a centre of excellence on cyber security to
offer countries independent and bespoke advice on how
to build secure and resilient cyberspace.
The "Centre for Global Cyber-Security Capacity Building"
which will also be backed by £2m a year until 2014
and will draw on the expertise generated by the UK's
network of eight universities conducting world class
research on this vital issue, is designed to improve
international co-ordination, increase access to expertise,
and promote good governance online. It will act as a forum
to draw together leading thinking and initiatives from
across the world including from think tanks and the private
sector.
Speaking ahead of the conference Francis Maude,
Minister for Cyber Security and the Cabinet Office said:
I am delighted to be in Budapest to enhance our already
strong international relationship with partners on cyber
security. Faced with a threat that knows no geographical
boundaries it's clear we need to team up globally if we are
to tackle it. Protecting ourselves from cyber threats is
only ever a partial solution. It matters that those with
whom we connect are secure too.
"The establishment of the Centre for Global Cyber-Security
Capacity Building is another example of our commitment to
international cooperation and desire to partner with
academia and the private sector to ensure that initiatives
are more accessible as our cyber-security skills grow.
"Today with over two billion people online - and billions
more set to join them in the next decade - we are all
stakeholders in the internet and must all invest in its
successful future. Today's challenge is to ensure we can
keep on enjoying its wonders - by ensuring that all
countries can protect themselves from cyber threats. The
quicker that cyber-security capacity can grow globally, the
faster our online community become more secure".
The Foreign Secretary William Hague said:
As the digital divide is closing, cyber threats are
increasing. Some countries lack the infrastructure and
expertise to police their cyberspace and we have been too
slow to share best practice and build their capacity. Cyber
criminals and terrorists should have no refuge online, just
as they should have no sanctuary off-line.
"The UK is therefore developing a centre of excellence and
providing £2m a year to offer countries independent and
bespoke advice on how to address this challenge. This
practical initiative will help ensure that we make better
use of the skills and resources available internationally.
In an interconnected and interdependent world, it is only
by ensuring the security of others that we can protect our
own networks and our ability to log-on safely. It is in all
our interests".
The initiative will complement the UK's investment in a
range of multilateral partners and projects including the
Council of Europe, ITU and Commonwealth Cybercrime
Initiative, ensuring that money spent across the world by
international organisations, governments and industry hits
criminals hard."
The Centre for Global Cyber-Security Capacity Building will
be an international resource. It will provide a credible
source of information and an overview of the scope and
effectiveness of national, international and private sector
contributions on capacity building. And will aim to
develop leading thinking and best practice on driving the
global supply of sustainable, inclusive capacity building.
Notes to Editors
The Centre will be based out of the existing UK academic
Centres of Excellence on Cyber-Security but act as an
international forum to draw together leading thinking and
initiatives of the private sector, governments and
international organisations. The headline objectives are
to:
1. Increase accessibility of potential suppliers to
recipients of capacity building programmes by providing a
credible source of information on the scope and
effectiveness of national, international and private sector
offerings. 2. Drive the supply by championing
successful cases of sustainable, inclusive capacity
building, exploring market forces, the power to convene and
identifying ways to stimulate and harness increased
motivations. 3. Promote best practice in support of
international organisations' cyber-security initiatives,
with the aim of assisting key organisations to improve the
inclusivity, sustainability, impact and value of their
capacity building work.
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