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Estonia Contributes 100,000 dollars to OAS Cyber Security Program

The Organization of American States (OAS) today received a $ 100,000 contribution from the Government of Estonia for the Cyber Security Program of the Secretariat for Multidimensional Security of hemispheric institution.

The Secretary General of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza, highlighted the growing role of the internet as an engine of development, and recalled that in Latin America and the Caribbean some 250 million people are connected to cyber space. "With this increased connectivity however, come increased risks, and the potential of falling victim to cyber crime. It is estimated that the likely annual cost to the global economy from cyber crime is more than 445 billion dollars, including both the gains for criminals and the costs to companies for recovery and defense," he added.

Secretary General Insulza thanked the Government of Estonia for supporting the Cyber Security Program of the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE) of the OAS, noting that, through this initiative, the Organization supports member states in developing their national cyber security strategies. “The program continually strives to build partnership with various processes and entities; the added value that we have seen in Latin America and the Caribbean cannot be measured in dollars and cents.”

For his part, the Ambassador of Estonia, Eerik Marmei, said that his Government has always been open to sharing experiences in tackling cyber security issues. "Cyber security is an important issue that no one has the privilege to ignore. The Estonian contribution will further strengthen our cooperation with the OAS in the advancement of cyber security and e-governance,” said the Estonian diplomat, adding that this new step will "deepen the practical cooperation" established in the agreement that his country and the OAS signed in October 2014.

Among the main objectives of the CICTE Cyber Security Program are to establish national "alert, watch, and warning" groups, also known as Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs), in each country; create a hemispheric watch and warning network made up of these CSIRTs that provide guidance and support to cyber security technicians from around the Americas; cultivate and support the development of National Cyber Security Strategies; and promote a culture and awareness of cyber security in the private and public sector that contributes to the strengthening of cyber security in the Americas.

During 2014, the Estonian government gave its technical support to five missions of CICTE on cybersecurity in several countries of the region.

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

The video news of the event is available here.

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

Reference: E-107/15