The Annual Meeting of the OIC-CERT concludes in Dubai

The Annual Meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation-Computer Emergency Response Team (OIC-CERT) concluded today. The meeting, hosted by TRAs aeCERT at the Palace Hotel in Dubai, witnessed fruitful discussions covering a wide spectrum of issues related to cyber security, and cooperation between member countries with the aim of building a safe cyber space that provides convenience and peace of mind to all users. 

 

Commenting on the conference, H.E. Mohamed Nasser Al Ghanim, TRA Director General said: “Hosting the Annual General Meeting of OIC-CERT comes in accordance with the TRA policy to achieve a secured cyber space for users, and promoting cooperation and coordination with our partners in the ICT sector in order to achieve its objectives. We look forward to participating in the next meeting to assess the accomplishments during the period between the two sessions, and set interim goals to ensure that we continue to keep pace with the latest developments in this field.”

 

“The meeting was a success including organization, content, and results. We discussed carefully selected topics of vital importance to security. We reached strong solutions which will contribute to the promotion of cyber security in member countries, in addition to results and recommendations that will help us in our future endeavors. We were pleased with the level of participation in this meeting which reflects the importance of  the ICT sector on one hand, and the standard upheld by the UAE in this field on the other,” he added. 

 

During the three-day event, the aeCERT team demonstrated a high level of excellence and leadership in the field of information and e-protection systems. Representing an umbrella of security for internet users, aeCERT supports partners in the OIC through its expertise and knowledge.

 

Al Ghanim further noted, “All parties have to realize the severe risk that e-threats present, and we all have to cooperate and coordinate through convention in order to promote our national CERTs as the firewalls against attacks. All parties have to work hand-in-hand through scientific research to construct our e-systems in a way that will make them able to meet their responsibilities to our communities.”

 

The first day of the meeting was dedicated to workshops that discussed issues related to cyber security, and how to achieve a rich and meaningful exchange of information. The workshops were the platform through which the participants deliberated on critical topics, with a special focus on establishing CERT teams, and how to develop the existing ones through scientific researches and the latest developments in this field, in order to create a role model to be adopted in this field. 

 

The second day witnessed the formal opening of the meeting where H.E. Mohammad Nasser Al Ghanim delivered a speech stressing the importance of cooperation between member countries. He also referred to the important role played by aeCERT, and the possibility of utilizing the UAE experience in this filed for the collaboration of all parties to promote the national CERTs in the member countries. 

 

The final day of the event was carried out with a meeting gathering the heads of delegations, where Engineer Tariq Al Hawi headed the UAE delegation. The meeting discussed the current situation of information security in member countries, procedures to be adopted in order to bridge gaps in security, and ways to develop threat prevention systems. 

 

The aeCERT team has been playing a vital role in leading the information security sector, through organizing events, training programs, and conferences. Its vast experience in the cyber security field contributed in building effective communication channels that linked member countries, and led to the easy and seamless transfer of information and expertise among members.