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OAS Secretary for Multidimensional Security Presents Cyber Security Policies at Davos Forum

The Secretary for Multidimensional Security of the Organization of American States (OAS), Adam Blackwell, today presented at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the OAS Cyber Security Program for the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, the region in the world where internet access is most rapidly expanding.

In the context of his attendance at the Davos Forum, Secretary Blackwell presented the work the OAS is carrying out with many countries of the region to address the potential hazards posed by new technologies.

Ambassador Blackwell explained that the OAS Cyber Security Program “is prepared to assist governments in this task strategies tailored to countries” specific needs and capabilities. In this regard, he said cyber security requires a focus of shared responsibility, in which the member countries collaborate with all interested parties and also with other countries. Blackwell added that the OAS, as an international organization, applies a focus with a regional perspective that promotes the elaboration of an integral policy of cyber security by the countries of the region.

The Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE) of the OAS, included in the Secretariat for Multidimensional Security, is charged with developing the cyber security program, and through it has promoted a series of initiatives designed to develop cyber security capacity in the member states, such as the Cyber Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs), that act in each country in coordination with CICTE.

In recent years, the OAS has received a growing number of requests from member states for assistance in addressing cyber threats, which are increasingly aggressive and ever changing. In 2005, only five OAS member states had CSIRTs, while in 2014, 19 countries take part in this initiative. As an example, Ambassador Blackwell said the OAS has helped Colombia, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago to adapt their national cyber security strategies and has begun to develop national cyber strategies in Dominica, Jamaica, and Suriname.

The OAS Secretary for Multidimensional Security said that, although there have been great advances in the region; there remains much to be done in the field. “Fighting cybercrimes requires leadership and political commitment to turn cyber security into an agenda priority,” he said, and added that “member states commitment to cyber security is the first step to tackle cyber threats.”

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-012/15