Media Center

Press Release

OAS provided the Government of Mexico with recommendations for the Development of the National Cybersecurity Strategy

Today, the Organization of American States (OAS) submitted to the Government of Mexico a series of recommendations for the development of the National Cybersecurity Strategy, with the objective of improving the security capabilities in the country's cyberspace, at an event undertaken in the framework of the OAS General Assembly in Cancun, Mexico.

The Secretary for Multidimensional Security of the OAS, Claudia Paz and Paz, highlighted the strategic value of having the appropriate tools to meet the challenges in cybersecurity. "One of the new challenges of the 21st century lies in the cyberspace, where from a computer, in any part of the world, it is possible to damage the infrastructure of an entire nation. Today, the OAS reaffirms its commitment to support the Mexican government in the development of its National Cybersecurity Strategy," said Paz y Paz.

Víctor Lagunes, Director of Innovation and Technology at the Office of the President of Mexico, said that his country is strengthening its "international cooperation, because cybercrime, by its very nature, crosses borders." Director Lagunes added that "cybercriminals perpetuate crime in a country in which, incidentally, they do not reside."

The support of the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE) of the OAS, through its Cyber Security Program, responds to a request from the Mexican government.

Among the general recommendations are:

The strategic framework should clearly state the high-level objectives and explain why they are essential for the country ("vision").

The strategy must be supported at the highest level of government.

The strategy should establish a clear institutional framework to ensure that responsibilities and implementation modalities are clear and that institutions have the authority and resources to take action.

The strategy should encompass the application of federal and state legislation on cybercrime.

The OAS has so far supported Colombia, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Panama and Paraguay in adopting their National Cybersecurity Strategies. In addition to Mexico, it is also supporting Costa Rica, Guatemala, Peru and the Dominican Republic.

Among other assistance provided to countries as per their request, the OAS supports the collection of information for the initial diagnosis and the process of consultation with key sectors. In addition, it provides specialized training to cybersecurity professionals, and contributes to the creation and strengthening of cyber incident response teams, among other initiatives. More information here.

The event was attended by the Executive Secretary of CICTE, Allison Treppel; Microsoft Legal Director for Latin America, Robert Ivanschitz; The Ambassador of Canada to Mexico, Pierre Alaire, and the representative of the Estonian Information System Authority, Lauri Luht.

Reference: E-049/17