US-SEGA and Pacific Island Countries Participate in Workshop to Strengthen Cybersecurity Environment & Promote Regional Cooperation

US-SEGA hosts cybersecurity workshop at University of South Pacific’s Japan-Pacific ICT Center. Participants from Fiji, Republic of Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu, USAID and US-SEGA, Taiwan ICDF, and USP gather in front of USP’s pillars and wall murals representing all 12 Pacific Island Countries. © Nathan, a Cadmus Company, 2023

As part of the U.S. Support for Economic Growth in Asia project, Nathan, a Cadmus Company, brought together delegates from seven Pacific Island Countries to participate in a workshop on national cybersecurity strategy development and regional cooperation in Suva, Fiji from March 27-29^th. The workshop was part of a joint collaboration by the United States Agency for International Development and the Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund to provide joint assistance to Pacific Island Countries to strengthen the cybersecurity environment and promote regional cooperation.

The workshop advanced key U.S. Government initiatives, including the recently updated U.S. National Cybersecurity Strategy, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity, and the whole-of-government Digital Connectivity and Cybersecurity Partnership. The workshop likewise supported critical priorities of Pacific Islands countries, as codified in the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat’s Boe Declaration and 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.

Policymakers, government employees, and representatives of national telecommunications providers from Fiji, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu gathered in the three-day, interactive workshop. The events highlighted frameworks for cybersecurity strategy and incident response and drew on the experiences of the seven countries represented enabling peer learning and information exchange and promoted interaction among participants to deepen regional ties.. Regional organizations supporting the cybersecurity environment in Pacific Island Countries also participated and shared resources, including the Oceania Cyber Security Center, the Forum for Incident Response and Security Teams, the Asia Pacific Network Information Centre, and the Global Forum for Cyber Expertise—Pacific Hub. The Workshop was convened at the University of South Pacific Japan-Pacific ICT Centre—a university-based, regional center to promote the collective advancement of ICT capabilities across the Pacific—and was the first of its kind in the region to focus specifically on the development, advancement, and implementation of National Cybersecurity Strategies.