Georgetown: The Ministry of Public Security in collaboration with a delegation from the Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism of the Organization of the American States (OAS/CICTE), will host a two-day National Cyber Security Sensitization Workshop on August 12th – 13th, 2015 at the Pegasus Hotel Guyana. The primary aim of the workshop is to bring together national stakeholders from the public and private sectors as well as civil society to raise awareness of the need to address cyber security threats in a comprehensive and strategic partnership.
With plans to expand the use of ICTs in schools across the nation, protecting children online is a key priority of the Government of Guyana as is supporting the business sector and private citizens to expand their technology choices while minimizing risk in the uptake of new and innovative technologies. With organized crime also now using advanced technologies, the Government of Guyana is taking steps to enhance its ability to prosecute high-tech criminals. With the potential also for developing an oil and gas industry and modernizing existing industries, developing capacity for cyber security and cyber resilience is of critical importance.
Two experts from OAS/CICTE will facilitate an exploration of other country’s experiences with developing a National Policy Framework for managing cyber threats and cyber crime. Sister Caribbean states that have developed comprehensive National Cyber Security Strategic Plans with enabling legislation and institutional support include Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica. While different Government of Guyana Ministries and Agencies as well as members of the private sector are taking individual steps to cope with the reality of vulnerabilities and threats to the global ICT Infrastructure, in order to systematically and effectively cover all dimensions of cyber security, it is essential that a strategic private/public partnership be forged to unify and integrate effort. The Government of Guyana, through the Ministry of Public Security, is beginning the process of establishing this partnership and one of the outcomes of the workshop is intended to be the formation of a National Task Force to systematically address the country’s cyber security needs, including its integration within a national ICT Policy Framework and a Security Policy.
As part of the workshop, the Guyana National Computer Incident Response Team, a unit within the Ministry of Public Security, will also be launched and a day of specialized technical training in information security and incident management fundamentals will be held for a select group of ICT professionals representing the public and private sectors.
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