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Prime Minister's National Cybersecurity Strategy Puts Foward Five Areas of Focus

Thu, Oct 19th 2023, 03:41 PM
Politics

Prepared Remarks from the Hon. Philip Davis, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, for the 2023 OAS Cybersecurity Symposium, October 19, 2023 -- delivered by Minister of National Security the Hon. Wayne Munroe

"Good Morning. It is a privilege and honour for the Government of The Bahamas to partner with the Organization of American States to host their Cybersecurity Symposium 2023, here in the Bahamas.

I congratulate the National Computer Incident Response Team (CIRT-BS) and the OAS Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE) for organising a fantastic event.

It is my pleasure to address you this morning! I am told that we have over 100 international delegates from the region and other worldwide stakeholders represented here to discuss this extremely important issue. I wish to also extend a special welcome to all of our regional and international friends and partners who are in attendance today. Welcome to The Bahamas! 

Ladies and gentlemen, cybersecurity is a borderless issue which impacts all of us in our daily lives.  Because of this, it is essential that we involve the whole of society, so that the planning and management of the cybersecurity space engages all areas of expertise.  Therefore, our approach to managing cybersecurity for our respective countries, necessarily involves adopting cross-discipline values, diverse resources and inclusion of people across the spectrum of society.

This event promotes The Bahamas' commitment to collaborate with countries with shared values and goals to strengthen all of our cybersecurity postures collectively as stakeholders. In The Bahamas, we understand that cybersecurity is a critical enabler for securing the country's economic growth and development plans.  Without the security of the cybersecurity infrastructure, we risk the stability of the banking sector and global trade exchanges, the national security of the country and the overall growth of private sector businesses. These realities, countered by the focus on the growth of digital transformation and a deepening of interdependence, further underpins the importance of this symposium for us all.

Cybersecurity, and by extension cybercrime, is not only a technological issue; but rather, it is a cross-border and cross-discipline issue requiring extensive cooperation and mutual support.

Our collective efforts are a prerequisite to developing robust cyber frameworks and action plans to protect our digital communities. Information sharing by international experts to smaller nation-states helps us stay abreast of global trends and evolving technical processes.

I am excited to acknowledge and say "Welcome home" to a daughter of the Bahamian soil, Mrs. Kemba Eneas-Walden, Acting National Cyber Director of the White House, United States. She is the daughter of the late Dr. Judson Frazier Eneas. We are all very proud of you, I have been told that we have organised a Junkanoo rush out later this afternoon to give you a taste of home.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I must reiterate that we all have a part to play.

Cyberspace is a public, interconnected and interrelated space. We are all still grappling with the vastness, innovation and overall impact of cyberspace on our lives, especially in light of the rise of Artificial Intelligence. Inter-dependence on technology creates ripe opportunities for cyberattacks, which are becoming increasingly more organised and sophisticated. As a cyber community, we are only as strong as our neighbours.  Our commitment to collaboration with our friends and partners, specifically through information sharing on cybersecurity capacity building and development at the regional and sub-regional levels, will better position us all to deal with increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. 

As the Prime Minister, Cybersecurity, an integral element of National Security, is practically important to me. In the administration's Blueprint for Change, we have identified critical initiatives to build cybersecurity capacity and capabilities in the country, mainly with the establishment of the National CIRT, Digital Forensic Labs and Security Operation Centres at our Defence agencies, and of course, the implementation of the National Cybersecurity Strategy.

Our first National Cybersecurity Strategy is a horizontal strategy, which requires the involvement of all contributing stakeholders in The Bahamas: the public sector (both civilian and defence), essential service providers, judiciary and legislators, sectoral entrepreneurs, and academia. Our vision of the Strategy is "The Bahamas is a secure and trusted digital society, benefitting its citizens' daily lives, sustaining economic competitiveness, and being recognised as a reliable partner regionally and globally".  This Strategy focuses on: (1) creating cybersecurity policies and mechanisms that will safeguard the economic and social activities of all Bahamians and visitors to our shores, (2) to secure their rights and convenience, and protect them by deterring the actions of malicious actors through law enforcement and legal systems in a timely and appropriate manner.

It is with this in mind the National Cybersecurity Strategy outlines our ambition of a "secure digital Bahamas" in five strategic areas of focus:

(i) Cybersecurity Governance Framework: this area lays out the framework for accomplishing our strategic objectives, including the positioning of the National CIRT and the processes for national and international collaboration.

(ii) Effective Incident Prevention and Response at the National Level ensures our national capacity to respond to cyber incidents and threats.

(iii) Protecting Critical Information Infrastructure: Establishing an institutionalised approach to identifying and regulating critical services and industries.

(iv) Cybersecurity Awareness and Skills: Addresses challenges related to advancing cybersecurity knowledge and building cybersecurity capacity within The Bahamas for every Bahamian citizen.

(v) Finally, improve law enforcement capabilities to better fight cybercrime: Consistent with these advances is our commitment to modernising our legal framework to support our cybersecurity initiatives and against cybercrime.

I am very proud of the work that we have accomplished thus far. I, along with everyone, agree that we all want the same things: (1) to be sufficiently prepared to deal with existing cyber threats, (2) understand and mitigate our risks and needs, particularly at the leadership level, and (3) educate all digital citizens. This can only be accomplished with the assistance of a strong, coherent international corporation, raising awareness in political decision-making processes, and enhancing public-private partnerships.

In closing, I would like to thank the CIRT- BS team and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, our OAS partners and the organisers of this event, for permitting me to speak with you today. Thank you so much for your leadership and your partnership.  I look forward to hearing from our esteemed speakers. I call on all of you to do your part in ensuring a secure cyberspace for all digital citizens. 

Thank you!"

Prepared Remarks from the Hon. Philip Davis, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, for the 2023 OAS Cybersecurity Symposium, October 19, 2023 -- delivered by Minister of National Security the Hon. Wayne Munroe
"Good Morning. It is a privilege and honour for the Government of The Bahamas to partner with the Organization of American States to host their Cybersecurity Symposium 2023, here in the Bahamas.
I congratulate the National Computer Incident Response Team (CIRT-BS) and the OAS Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE) for organising a fantastic event.
It is my pleasure to address you this morning! I am told that we have over 100 international delegates from the region and other worldwide stakeholders represented here to discuss this extremely important issue. I wish to also extend a special welcome to all of our regional and international friends and partners who are in attendance today. Welcome to The Bahamas! 
Ladies and gentlemen, cybersecurity is a borderless issue which impacts all of us in our daily lives.  Because of this, it is essential that we involve the whole of society, so that the planning and management of the cybersecurity space engages all areas of expertise.  Therefore, our approach to managing cybersecurity for our respective countries, necessarily involves adopting cross-discipline values, diverse resources and inclusion of people across the spectrum of society.
This event promotes The Bahamas' commitment to collaborate with countries with shared values and goals to strengthen all of our cybersecurity postures collectively as stakeholders. In The Bahamas, we understand that cybersecurity is a critical enabler for securing the country's economic growth and development plans.  Without the security of the cybersecurity infrastructure, we risk the stability of the banking sector and global trade exchanges, the national security of the country and the overall growth of private sector businesses. These realities, countered by the focus on the growth of digital transformation and a deepening of interdependence, further underpins the importance of this symposium for us all.
Cybersecurity, and by extension cybercrime, is not only a technological issue; but rather, it is a cross-border and cross-discipline issue requiring extensive cooperation and mutual support.
Our collective efforts are a prerequisite to developing robust cyber frameworks and action plans to protect our digital communities. Information sharing by international experts to smaller nation-states helps us stay abreast of global trends and evolving technical processes.
I am excited to acknowledge and say "Welcome home" to a daughter of the Bahamian soil, Mrs. Kemba Eneas-Walden, Acting National Cyber Director of the White House, United States. She is the daughter of the late Dr. Judson Frazier Eneas. We are all very proud of you, I have been told that we have organised a Junkanoo rush out later this afternoon to give you a taste of home.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I must reiterate that we all have a part to play.
Cyberspace is a public, interconnected and interrelated space. We are all still grappling with the vastness, innovation and overall impact of cyberspace on our lives, especially in light of the rise of Artificial Intelligence. Inter-dependence on technology creates ripe opportunities for cyberattacks, which are becoming increasingly more organised and sophisticated. As a cyber community, we are only as strong as our neighbours.  Our commitment to collaboration with our friends and partners, specifically through information sharing on cybersecurity capacity building and development at the regional and sub-regional levels, will better position us all to deal with increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. 
As the Prime Minister, Cybersecurity, an integral element of National Security, is practically important to me. In the administration's Blueprint for Change, we have identified critical initiatives to build cybersecurity capacity and capabilities in the country, mainly with the establishment of the National CIRT, Digital Forensic Labs and Security Operation Centres at our Defence agencies, and of course, the implementation of the National Cybersecurity Strategy.
Our first National Cybersecurity Strategy is a horizontal strategy, which requires the involvement of all contributing stakeholders in The Bahamas: the public sector (both civilian and defence), essential service providers, judiciary and legislators, sectoral entrepreneurs, and academia. Our vision of the Strategy is "The Bahamas is a secure and trusted digital society, benefitting its citizens' daily lives, sustaining economic competitiveness, and being recognised as a reliable partner regionally and globally".  This Strategy focuses on: (1) creating cybersecurity policies and mechanisms that will safeguard the economic and social activities of all Bahamians and visitors to our shores, (2) to secure their rights and convenience, and protect them by deterring the actions of malicious actors through law enforcement and legal systems in a timely and appropriate manner.
It is with this in mind the National Cybersecurity Strategy outlines our ambition of a "secure digital Bahamas" in five strategic areas of focus:
(i) Cybersecurity Governance Framework: this area lays out the framework for accomplishing our strategic objectives, including the positioning of the National CIRT and the processes for national and international collaboration.
(ii) Effective Incident Prevention and Response at the National Level ensures our national capacity to respond to cyber incidents and threats.
(iii) Protecting Critical Information Infrastructure: Establishing an institutionalised approach to identifying and regulating critical services and industries.
(iv) Cybersecurity Awareness and Skills: Addresses challenges related to advancing cybersecurity knowledge and building cybersecurity capacity within The Bahamas for every Bahamian citizen.
(v) Finally, improve law enforcement capabilities to better fight cybercrime: Consistent with these advances is our commitment to modernising our legal framework to support our cybersecurity initiatives and against cybercrime.
I am very proud of the work that we have accomplished thus far. I, along with everyone, agree that we all want the same things: (1) to be sufficiently prepared to deal with existing cyber threats, (2) understand and mitigate our risks and needs, particularly at the leadership level, and (3) educate all digital citizens. This can only be accomplished with the assistance of a strong, coherent international corporation, raising awareness in political decision-making processes, and enhancing public-private partnerships.
In closing, I would like to thank the CIRT- BS team and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, our OAS partners and the organisers of this event, for permitting me to speak with you today. Thank you so much for your leadership and your partnership.  I look forward to hearing from our esteemed speakers. I call on all of you to do your part in ensuring a secure cyberspace for all digital citizens. 
Thank you!"
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