APEC TEL Cyber Security Awareness Day

APECTEL Cybersecurity Awareness Day



During the eighth APEC Ministerial Meeting on the Telecommunications and Information Industry (TELMIN 8), APEC Ministers reaffirmed the importance of promoting a safe and trusted ICT environment.  The Okinawa declaration recognized that “our society is becoming increasingly dependent on ICT, which means that online threats can have a major social and economic impact.  The safety, security, trustworthiness, and reliability of ICT in the APEC region are crucial to ensuring ICT’s important contribution to sustainable growth.”  Furthermore, Ministers acknowledged the creation and observance of APEC Cybersecurity Awareness Day in order to recognize recent cybersecurity awareness raising efforts and more importantly, to reinforce our shared responsibility in addressing cybersecurity.   
 
APEC TEL is carrying on the practice this year and will again observe APEC Cybersecurity Awareness Day on October 29th.  This symbolic effort reflects the continued commitment of APEC TEL economies to advancing cybersecurity domestically, within the APEC region, and with other partners globally.  APEC leaders endorsed the APEC Strategy to Ensure a Trusted, Secure and Sustainable Online Environment in 2005 and have since developed a Strategic Action Plan that carriers forward many of the principles.  These strategic documents have, over the past few years, not only highlighted the importance of safe and trusted ICT, but also guided member economy projects, domestic initiatives and programs, collaboration, and capacity building.    
 
Over the past several years, we have collectively witnessed cyber security grow in importance and increasingly impact every aspect of our daily lives.  It is incumbent upon all of us to raise awareness of what each of us can do to improve our cyber security habits – the cyber actions of one can impact many.  We must work together to further our goal to raise awareness, which will contribute to a safe and trusted ICT environment.